People are no longer hooked to TV screens like the used to be back in the 90’s. Mobile phones and iPads are replacing the bigger screens faster than you would expect. However, a few things have not changed. People’s love for video content has rarely swayed. Be it on blog sites, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram; people are still gobbling up good media bites like it’s the good old 90’s. Therefore, there is more reason you and your business should be prepared for media coverage, interviews and tête-à-têtes with journalists.
Media has the power to make your brand a household name for your target users. It always helps people, who are used to staying away from the camera face interviews with more confidence. An effective spokesperson can always captivate their target audience. You can reach a much bigger market through platforms like Facebook video, YouTube, vBlogs and regular television interviews. It is always a source of fresh content for your online portfolio, and it increases your brand visibility.
Media coaching prepares you for the big speech
While talking to the camera, every small expression and gesture matter. A subtle smile or narrowing of the eyes can convey a lot more than you would want to with words. Your expression and body language can tell a lot about your confidence in your brand and its trustworthiness. Most importantly, choosing your words can make a huge difference, when it comes to interviews. The emphasis on certain words and the tone of your voice will make all the difference in the world during radio interviews. A proper media coaching session prepares you for all kinds of interviews on popular media. Getting to learn about the cardinal “never answer” questions and learning about concept bridging always help people to utilize the chance to draw more positive attention towards their work and their brand.
What’s going to be your key message?
Your media coach and training sessions will help you understand what your key messages are going to be when media approaches you. This means precise and interesting value-adding messages for your audience, driving focus towards the benefits of your products and using language that your audience understands.
Several experienced media coaches suggest that picking more than five key messages per interview will confound the audience and cause your interview to lose value. Most importantly, you need to circle back to initial key points to keep reminding your audience about the pros of your brand, without sounding too obvious.
Coming up with the “no comments” alternative
Never say “no comments” on difficult and controversial questions. There are a few questions no interviewee should ever attempt to answer, but then there are smart substitutions to the conventional or expected responses that media coaching helps you master for these sticky situations. Even when sitting in front of eminent journalists, you need to take control of the situation. It is completely up to you, the PR representative of your brand, to take charge of the conversation and steer it towards a direction that’s beneficial for your company.
Even business owners, brand managers, and PR heads have to face several questions from time to time that can either make or break their business and brand. Having a media coach prepare you for such questions is the biggest advantage any PR professional, a brand manager or a business owner can enjoy. The skill that lets you take complete control of an interview takes time to master and some expert guidance too.
Decrease your chances of being misquoted
This is one episode every interviewee dreads. Whether you are a politician, actor or a business tycoon, there are several chances that an interviewing journalist will end up misquoting you (sometimes on purpose and sometimes inadvertently). However, having a media coach train you for dubious situations, where certain responses almost always lead to misquote, you will be able to steer clear of controversy.
When you are unprepared for an interview, and you lack the clarity about your key messages, your chances of landing misquote on the local newspaper, magazine or blog is much higher. Media training can help you cruise through such situations with confidence, thus effectively increasing your aptitude for effective communication.
Even the best of the best businessmen need media training from time to time. It is like taking a peek at the journalist’s arsenal from before. It also informs you on the latest trends in social media, vBlogging and popular media to help you answer questions in a way befitting for multiple social channels. This is more than the usual Do’s and Don’ts you will come across as loose guides to TV and radio interviews. Media training refers to a holistic guidance and training session involving TV personalities that can give you the confidence to face a seasoned reporter for the big interview.
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