What is Media Training?

By John Millen

Summary Definition: Media Training is helping people to understand the media, develop spokesperson skill and the confidence to be effective in interviews with reporters on TV, radio or news stations.

The goal of media training should be to ensure that your spokesperson feels a sense of confidence and control when approaching interviews with the news media.

To achieve this confidence, media training should include, but not be limited to, three critical elements:

1.  Understanding the media

Spokespersons should be taught to think like reporters so they understand reporters’ roles, their needs and their tactics. This should include work on messaging to make them clear, substantive and media-friendly.

2. Practicing real-world exercises 

Interviewees should be subjected to on-camera interviews with a trainer playing the role of a reporter. The questions asked should be realistic and focused on the industry-specific issues the person is most likely to face.

3. Expert evaluation 

The greatest value for spokespeople comes from seeing themselves on screen and being evaluated on their verbal responses, message control, body language and overall presentation.

While media training involves much more than this, these are by far the most important parts of effective media training.