Media Training (Meeting the Media & Interviews)

Facing the media can sometimes be intimidating; the camera glare and journalists tough questions can make anyone fumble.

Therefore, knowing how to interact with the media, especially during an interview, is a crucial element in building confidence with the organization and the media.

Matrix Public Relations assists company spokespeople through extensive research and guidance in identifying and delivering the key messages of the organization across to the media.

Living in an information-hungry world where social media channels, news aggregators, and traditional media resources are ready to air your point of view publicly, before you were even prepared for it; is not the game-plan we have for you.

We all dread media interviews.

That said, new age communication is actually the driving force we need to connect with our audiences. In fact, every media interaction, when harnessed properly, is an opportunity to maximize reach and mass deliver key messages.

For the most part, the senior management of a company enjoys the position that they are in today because of their business acumen and exceptional leadership. However, facing the media requires a whole different skill set. To put it straight, executives who lack proper understanding of how to interact with the media are not able to fully utilize possible golden media opportunities.

Also, at Matrix Public Relations, we work very closely with our clients to ensure that the executives that have been mandated to speak on behalf of the organization are well and adequately prepared to handle media interviews.

It is crucial that Senior Management and company spokespersons are well prepared in advance since we are always looking for media interview opportunities across all editorial desks.

Furthermore, we believe that being prepared to face the media goes beyond advising the client on what to wear during an interview and how to sit. We delve deeper and paint a realistic picture of what to expect during the interview in order to better prepare the client.

Since we want all our media interviews to be successful and memorable, here are some of the useful do’s and don’t we always share with clients before any media interview:

• Do not panic
• Do treat every interview as if it’s the ‘big one’
• Reporters are cordial people. They just want to impress their editors with a great story.
• Do not mislead reporters by lying
• If the reporter’s question is not clear, do ask for a clarification
• Do not digress into other unrelated topics
• It is okay to tell the reporter if some information is classified
• No matter how confident you feel, do not ‘wing it’. It’s okay to prepare and refer to notes during the interview
• Reporters love facts and figures. If you have information that can be backed by figures, by all means, do share it with them.
• Do NOT ask to review the story

Please give us a call if you require individualized media training specifically aligned to your company’s key messaging and communication objectives.

• Media Training Tips