why do media training, five most common interview questions and how to answer them, rachael fulton on camera

Why do media training? Here are our top three reasons

It’s a question we’re asked a lot, and we understand why.

You know your company’s key messages inside and out, you recite them daily and can easily talk down any panic in the office.

You’re confident in the ability of yourself and your team so if a journalist popped in, you’d be able to cope, right?

Sadly, this is often wrong.

Whether you’re placed in front of a camera or are sitting across from a scribbling shorthand writer, the setting can be overwhelming.

Here are three reasons to do media training:

1. Get help with the agenda

We hear so much about the “news agenda”.

Well, as a former journalist, here I am with a revelation: most journalists work entirely without an agenda.

The idea that every journalist is out to get you with their agenda is, for the most part, false.

What they do have, however, is an audience.

Whether it’s the BBC or the Telegraph, each title serves a very specific audience.

That means they are likely to ask questions why seem odd to you but make perfect sense for the audience.

Get ahead of the game and help yourself get into the mindsight of the journalist by working with the experts.

2. The setting is new to you

Very few people are used to wearing a mic or having a light shone in your eyes as a camera is pointed in your face.

Having someone write down every word you say is odd and it’s bound to make people trip up as the panic over what words are coming out of their mouth sets in.

These are normal worries.

We naturally become nervous as we’re forced to get out of our comfort zone.

One way to help the nerves is to practice, practice, practice and get yourself used to the setting.

Athletes warm up on the pitch before starting the game, actors have a dress rehearsal on stage before opening night.

You, too, can sit down with a real journalist and be asked real questions.

Then, when the time comes to show off your new skills, you’ll be ready.

If there was ever an answer to the question why do media training, this is it.

3. You can take control

The most common complaint we hear about media interviews is that the interview asked the wrong questions.

We’re unable to control what people ask us but we can control the answer and steer it however we want it to go.

Of course, we want to avoid the politician-style answer grab that completely avoids the question.

But, there is a way to gently steer the question to your message and media training highlights exactly how to do it.