Media Skills Training

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“The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power.” -Malcolm X

Dealing with the media is now a reality of business communication.
Media Skills Training explains how and why the media operate the way they do, and highlights some of the differences between the various outlets – television, radio, print and internet. A section deals with journalists - who they are, how they see their role, what they do, and how to handle them when they try to beat the system to get information.
Self Leadership International has a number of trainers who have come from the media, both television and radio, and so can lend their experience to guide participants through the media quicksand.
This training is particularly useful for those who have a role to play in processing direct requests from the media during crisis situations.
This program can be tailored for a group of any size. It’s often conducted for whole departments.

Benefits of Media Skills Training

• Learn what drives the media and the pressures that journalists face to come up with the goods’.
• Discover what the media wants from you.
• Demonstrations of media calls and interviews.
• Practical work in avoiding media ‘traps’.
• Develop and improve your style of presentation.
• Practice realistic interviews for TV news and Current Affairs.
• Take home your own personal DVD featuring your ‘on-air’ performances.
• Gain tips on body language, wardrobe, grooming.
• Develop confident vocal presentation.
• Learn to tailor your message to suit different media outlets
• Learn the art of the quotable quote or sound grab
• Learn how to get the balance right between saying too little and too much
• Learn how to stay on-track during an interview

Participants will learn:

• How journalists work
• How you can control developments when dealing with the media.
• How to draft a media release.
• How the media go about getting and structuring a story.
• Understanding how news deadlines impact on your story
• Crafting media releases that get noticed
• Refining the essential message
• The art of the quotable quote or sound grab
• How to tailor a story for different media
• How to prepare for an interview
• How to get a positive message across
• How to build media contacts
• What to do when the media calls
• Selecting a media spokesperson
• Organizing a media conference
• What to say when you don’t know the answer