4 reasons why executives need media training

Posted by jaques montegolifier on April 22nd, 2019

Executive media training has been around for a while considering they are the face of any organisation. Yet, many executives and others resist going through it. Some of the common reasons they cite are, ‘I do not want to sound scripted’ or ‘every interview differs, so training does not matter.’

Now that social media is gaining prominence, media training for C-suite has become more crucial. One lousy interview goes up on YouTube and stays there forever or gets replayed on the television several times. Journalists are trained to ask tough and tricky questions. It is upon the spokesperson to answer them adequately.

Some of the learnings from media training include:

• Being direct and answering questions when you can
• Knowing what to say when
• Understanding images and appearances

Media training has a coach who makes you a pro in front of the media. They could be either celebrity coach or a general media mentor, depending on the field. Following are the reasons every executive should take up the course:

1)      Preparation: Good media training goes beyond responding to reporters. It offers techniques as to how journalists think. It allows you to anticipate a journalist’s next action and how would they be worded. Preparation is good to know how the interviewer will phrase a negative question or understanding before the interview what the package will look like. It is likely to keep you off-guard.

2)      Message training: It is hard to pull off disciplined messages. There are instances where the interviewee goes on and on with their message that they do not hear the other questions. This can frustrate the audience. You do not want to sound like a robot when staying on a message. You want it to be more natural, and the only way it is possible is executive media training.

3)      Understanding the media: The only way to not get quoted is not to say it to any press members. However, it could happen to any seasoned practitioners. The other ways to understand media are:

• Do not exaggerate claims
• Do not go on record with a goal which you cannot fulfil
• If you do not have an answer, say you will find out and get back

Never cook up any material. You could be called out sooner or later.

4)      Appearance: It is challenging to be pitch-perfect, especially during a crisis. The least you want to do is create a new crisis. Media training helps you with this such as what you say, what you wear, paying attention to voice inflexions, and facial expressions. If you are touting a program for the economically backward, leave the branded clothes home.

Executive media training is not just meant for a spokesperson or the CEOs. Anyone who interacts with the media should be trained well.