If you haven’t done a media interview before, trust me, you’ll forever think it’s a walk in the park. Chill! I am not saying it’s a backbreaking task. Even though it can be, if you’ve never had training. It takes a lot of courage to do a live radio interview! Well, thank goodness for social media! With social media, we all can hide behind our keypad and express our stance. If you care to hear the rude news? It’s not even that simple when a business enters a crisis. The ravenous 24-hour demand for news has made it important for entrepreneurs/business leaders to acquire the skills to milk media opportunities.
This article therefore takes it upon itself to show you round the yard of media training and why it’s important for you to have one. This is a 2 part article. So make sure to subscribe to know when we publish the next part.
What is Media?
For ease of understanding, we are simply going to define media as any communication channel or tools used to disseminate such things as news, movies, music, advertisement, information, mostly to a mass audience. Media can easily be categorised into print, broadcast, and internet. If broken further, we would have newspapers, magazines, photography, billboards, television, radio, cinema, digital media, social media, etc. Is media training learning how to use this channel? Find out below. Meanwhile don’t miss this information Why to use content creation to make money online.
What is Media Training?
First, media training is really not to teach you how to create music or news. So, briefly, media training is a program designed to help individuals, entrepreneurs, business managers, spokespersons, and employees of an organisation or business effectively interact with their target public. However, it also aims at establishing a good communication relationship between the organisation and the media.
The core reason for media training is to provide the right amount of coherence in messages going out from the organisation or bearing the business name. In order words, it is to ensure that all communication efforts; speeches, interviews, press releases/conferences etc, done on behalf of the business outfit, reinforces the same message, otherwise known as key message. Looking for How to Succeed Without Social Capital, a.k.a Connections.
Must I be Media Trained as an Entrepreneur?
The answer is YES! Even when you have a Public Relations Executive, at some point, as the business owner, you’d have to face the media in-person. The fact is, your words carry more weight than that of any delegate, especially in a crisis situation. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs don’t know what to do when journalists reach out to them. One second, they’ve missed out on a free media exposure.
In a crisis situation, some entrepreneurs or business executives inadvertently damage their brand’s image by saying “no comment”. Well, they were never trained, so they have no idea of what to say. We reckon with the fact that journalists can be ruthless when trying to get to the bottom of a story. Some would choose to ask really tough questions, while others may decide to be confrontational. At this point, you should never respond with “No Comment”. What do we suggest? ‘Block and Bridge’.
Block and Bridge – Number one media interview lesson for entrepreneurs
Block and bridge is a technique used by Public Relations experts to reclaim control of in a media interview, in order to get across their intended message. How is that done? They start by first acknowledging the question (to assure the journalist that they heard the questions). The next step is called smooth transition. Smooth transition is an effort to maintain a friendly atmosphere that gives a seamless opportunity to redirect the cause of conversation. Here are some of the statements used to achieve this:
- Thank you for bringing that up, however, it also speaks to a bigger issue which is…
- That is one way to think about it. Another way is…
- That is not my area of expertise, but I can tell you that…
Take The Bold Step & Bridge The Question!
After you have successfully blocked the question, the next thing to do is to bridge. What does that even mean? Bridging means that you would be introducing a topic that aligns more with your intended message or that of your company. It could be showcasing some of the great things your company has achieved, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR activities).
Think of it as an opportunity to connect with your target audience, therefore, employ the use of story. There’s no other way to say it, media coverage is a sure way of gaining attention on your brand/business. So, put forward your best foot, be prepared for hard questions every time. Lastly, be friendly when answering even the hardest of questions.
Meanwhile, we have developed a unique app called the Joadre Tribe. The tribe app brings together on one platform;
- business education that is relevant to our global economy,
- data information to guide you and
- a community of both international partners/investors and Nigerian entrepreneurs.
The android version is ready for those with android smartphones – downloading right here. An IOS version is on its way. Want to stay connected to know when we have opportunities or release the IOS version of the app so that you can join the tribe? Kindly sign up to our newsletter.
Thank you for reading to the end.
Cheers
Samuel
