MEDIA TRAINING

Training in how to deal with the media should be an essential part of the personal development plan for all staff who may be called upon to act as a spokesperson for their organization. Media training gives managers, at all levels, the skills necessary to successfully talk to journalists, prepare a media briefing, and ensure that the organization’s position on a given subject is accurately and professionally communicated.

“Bad news” can seriously damage the reputation of even the most successful and dynamic enterprises. Contracts may be delayed or cancelled, disposals or redundancies may be sometimes necessary and human mistakes happen. It is human nature not to want to talk about such things, but this can be dangerous with regard to the media. Yet too often senior managers seem to assume that a potential ‘bad news’ story will simply go away or that the media will not find out about it! Media training can ensure that managers know how to handle negative or ‘defensive’ public relations issues.

Media Training from Stuart Notholt Communications Ltd is carried out by experienced journalists who are ideally placed to act as ‘poachers turned gamekeepers’ in advising corporate managers how to handle the press. Media Training can be offered as a module (as part of a broader management skills training package, for example) or as a bespoke programme dealing with the specific needs of the organization.

Aspects of Media Training include:

	How to draft and clear media statements and confidential position papers
	Key do’s and dont’s when speaking to the press
	How to handle confidentiality, exclusives and media briefings
	Interview techniques for broadcast media
	Role plays - dealing with ‘out of the blue’ interviews and press calls
	Defensive and contingency planning PR - handling of media incidents which may result in major reputational damage
	Engaging with the 'blogsphere' and on-line media
	What to do when things go wrong...

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