How media training helps brands deliver their message smartly?

Media is one of the most powerful ways to raise your reputation with your stakeholders both externally and internally. Getting interviewed and projecting your image in the right media channels helps you build the equity and reputation of your brand. Therefore, delivering a message effectively with lot of punch is paramount for any spokesperson when he or she speaks to the media. Talking to media is a skill which everyone cannot handle it as journalists from media todayare very sharp and believes in asking provocative and sensitive questions which one needs to tactfully and diplomatically answer. So, it is imperative and useful if one gets trained on media to get that confidence to defend and answer the questions in a very positive manner. While some of them have the gift of the gab to handle media but there are many who would need that media training which most PR agencies help in managing and imparting training through their experts. Remember you are representing your company when you meet the media hence what you tell them has to be carefully spelt out to create the right impression and opinion the company.

While media training will help you face the media with confidence but there are several other aspects and finer points in media that one needs to know when you deal and interact with the media publications. Today most PR consultancy firms try to bring in that confidence with the media by offering professional media training services to their clients which will help build their confidence. Communicating the right message and what to speak and what not to speak to the media is the art one has to learn. While this comes with experience over a period of time but there are media training modules which will help you in knowing the broad guidelines while handling the media. It is therefore important that the Public Relations professional is very particular and responsible for carrying out the media training needs to acquire the different perspective on the spokesperson and understand the company values and challenges.

Media training is a very beneficial workshop/ training program helping teach individuals to coherently and effectively interact with reporters, journalists, and other members of the media during interviews and press conferences. Theright kind of media training will be an added advantage for the spokesperson to interact with more confidence with the media. To know and understand the importance of media training Adgully reached out to some of the industry leaders to find out their views.

Speaking to Adgully, Rohan Kanchan, MD, Weber Shandwick India, said, “ Weber Shandwick's global research indicates that the bulk of any company’s market value (63%) is tied to its reputation. The CEO and executive leadership team play a key role in communicating the organisation’s values, purpose and performance. They are the key custodians in shaping the company’s reputation which in turn impacts not just future consumer behaviour but also the bottom line.”

Adding further, he remarked that the aftermath of the pandemic, the communications landscape has changed and there is a greater need to recognise the evolving platforms, sharpen storytelling and create the right persona to make meaningful impact. Erstwhile ‘one-off’ media trainings have transitioned towards a sustained multi-platform communication coaching wherein diverse techniques are imparted to leadership teams to address not just media but employees and stakeholders in any external fora.

Also, the digital medium has brought the world closer and any engagement can potentially become viral. All the more reason to be focused, sharp and adept at delivering messages that matter, literally all the time. Leaders are cognisant of this and we see a lot of active participation during sessions today. Many also want to be trained in managing crisis-led communication and speaking with elan to an online audience. In fact, in the last 18 months, we have seen a lot of senior executives reach out to us for specialised training mandates – a 3x increase over previous years.

Stressing on the value of media training, Arwa Husain, Director, Adfactors PR, commented, “You train to better yourself, and when a consultancy conducts media training, it is much more. It is to familiarise its clients on 3 aspects, the workings of the media, what they expect and how one should message such that it addresses the target audience. Since the pandemic and the advent of digital publishers, the arc of earned influencer has only broadened. Today’s media training is about messaging that address different segments, the one message rule is a thing of the past. Today, clients need to understand how to respond on different social assets, how to tackle fake news, at the same time what are the things to watch out that could spiral and have a reputational impact. For the last 18 months, communication industry changed like never before, we have to ensure that our clients are not caught unaware and red faced while handling media.”

Narahari K S, Senior Consultant, The Practice, noted, “Media training enables the spokesperson to focus on the interview objectives. It helps the professionals to represent their organisation in an engaging and professional way, and showcase the company in a positive manner by delivering the key message to their audiences.”

It further helps the spokesperson the ability to convey the key messages in exactly the way that the journalist wants. PR firms have experienced professionals who have worked with the media and are, therefore, in a good position to impart the right media training to their clients’ spokespersons. They help clients to deliver their key messages with confidence through structured media training programs that include pre-interview research, steps to craft key messages, effective delivery of the key messages, media interview techniques, media etiquettes, mock interviews, tips for handling difficult and sensitive questions, and refresher workshops.

No matter how senior or articulate you are, if you want your message to be delivered effectively, you need to be prepared. According to Sheena Sharma, Chief Officer – Issues & Crisis and Client StudioGenesis BCW, “When you meet a journalist for an interview or face the camera, typically you get just one chance to land your message. Media training helps immensely with that. In my estimation, there are three ways it helps: fine-tune and adapt the message so that the person delivering it can own it and convey it effectively, help identify and iron out any misarticulations or hesitation, and understand the media and its motivations and then better anticipate their questions.”

At a time when the world is going through fundamental shifts and the media ecosystem is becoming more complex by the day, PR firms are using media training to help their clients not just stay updated with the changes, but also as a critical element of their crisis preparedness plan.

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