Media Interview Training Course

How this course can benefit you:

A course for those needing to give media interviews or with some interview experience who feel that they haven’t gone as well as they would have liked. Also relevant to those familiar with media interviews but with a desire to improve their technique and approach. Different media: broadcast, press, print and online have varied needs and audiences; news coverage and in-depth features or interviews again require appropriate approach.Delegates will learn how to fully prepare for the interview, deal with difficult questions and get their message across successfully effectively, on radio and television (and in interviews with journalists for print and online media).

Duration: 1 Day

Course Objective:

Communicating with the media has become a mandatory skill for most organisations. Whether talking to a radio host – on the phone or in a studio, or faced with a TV camera and a challenging journalist, the ability to manage your messages is crucial. An interview can be both challenging and involve a reputational risk. But if you’re well prepared and you understand the needs of journalists and the media, you’re much more likely to get your message across clearly.

Course Contents:

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the media and how to manage them effectively
• Learn how to fully prepare for your media interviews
• Learn how to get your key messages and talking points across clearly
• Speak with greater confidence and influence when talking to the media
• Learn how to think on your feet and deal with awkward, difficult and challenging questions
• Convey a more professional style when appearing on radio or TV/Camera

 Course Outline

Introduction

• Personal introductions and expectations of the course

Some example interviews

• We analyse some radio and TV interviews – what went wrong, what went well?

The Live Interview

• A short introductory interview with initial feedback on how you come across

Preparing for the media

• The media landscape in 2016: how do they work and what are they looking for?
• Knowing the audience
• Understanding the interviewer’s perspective
• Planning for questions and interruptions
• Dealing with different types of questions and how present a positive response
• Risks of “off the record”
• When not to comment
• Increasing your confidence when talking to the media
• Your authentic voice
• Techniques to control nervous energy
• Understanding how the non-verbal elements of the voice convey powerful meanings
• Developing a range of expressive vocal qualities to help influence your message
• Developing a confident and more interesting voice

Establishing your key message

• Identifying your key message and shaping your approach/argument
• Consistency and audience focus in your key message
• Creating a set of talking points to support your key message
• Stories, statistics and memorable sound-bites – how to use them
• Exercise to prepare key messages and talking points

More example interviews

• We analyse some radio and TV interviews – what went wrong, what went well?

A second LIVE interview

• Individual interview applying techniques developed
• Review of interview

Question strategy

• Managing the interviewer’s expectations
• Keeping calm when under pressure
• How to handle five types of trap questions journalists often use
• What to do when faced with a false premise
• Hostile questions – and how to keep “on message”
• “Bridging” and transitioning to maintain control

Managing different types of interview

• Difference between news and features
• Print journalist interviews – local and national newspapers & magazines
• Radio presenters – what they want
• TV
• Telephone versus face-to-face interviews
• Using eye contact and facial energy to help enhance your impact
• Learning how to use gesture effectively on camera
• Combining voice and body language to help communicate a powerful message

Further live interview practice

• Preparing questions for a difficult interview
• Individual interview delivery
• Review of interview

Evaluation

• Personal action plans

End of course feedback forms

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