If you want to extend your media coverage, you’ll need to incorporate effective media training.
This process can be extremely valuable if you want to develop the skills needed to make sure your message is succinct and impactful. The better spokesperson you and your employees are, the more the media will turn to you for input and commentary regarding your industry.
Here are some key reasons why media training is crucial if you want to expand media coverage.
Learn How to Speak in a Way That Makes You Noticeable
Media training can help you learn how to properly use words, tone of voice, and body language to deliver your messages in the most effective way. This is particularly necessary if you’re visible to those you’re speaking to, as your entire presence will influence your audience’s perception of you.
One core benefit of media training is the ability to gain confidence in yourself, helping eliminate the crippling fear that many often have of confronting the media. Many people are terrified of speaking to the media, but you’ll learn to be less fearful the more you train in the art of the interview.
Define Your Key Messages
Media training also teaches you how to clearly define your messages and goals. This way you’ll know exactly what to say and how to say it. You’ll be able to maintain conciseness, keeping your business in top shape. Make sure you don’t have too many messages, or you may wind up reducing their impact.
Prepare Responses for Challenging Questions
You can also use media training to prepare more effectively for those difficult questions that might otherwise leave you stumped. This way you’ll feel more confident when facing left-field questions without resorting to a useless “no comment” response.
Control the Media Interview
The more you prepare through comprehensive media training, the more successful you’re likely to be in maintaining control over the interview. The last thing you want is to feel like the interviewer is manipulating you into giving the answers they want to hear, but media training can help ensure you’re confident and consistently in control, leading the interviewer instead of the other way around.
Avoid Misquotations
Another issue you can more easily avoid with media training is misquoting. Oftentimes company spokespersons find themselves misquoted in newspapers or clever television edits that take what they’re saying out of context. You won’t need to be concerned about this occurring when you adequately prepare your responses, learning how to convey your message concisely and accurately.
Taking each of these into account, you can more effectively ensure you make the most of your media interviews, keeping you confident and in control of the situation. Not only will you be able to appeal to the media, but you’ll also be able to come across as a more authoritative figure in your industry among your target audience. Consider getting media training today to be on your way to a solid PR team.
