MEDIA TRAINING MANUALS
Books are often recommended for people who have plenty of time to spare and love diving deep into the topics. Just like every other skill, media training has also been under the spotlight of several authors.
Of course, you can find several books on this highly specialized topic. When you are spending weeks on a book, it must be worth it. It is not about money; it is about time you invested in reading when you could gain the skill with a specialized firm. The most expensive way to learn media training is through trial and error on the air. Media disasters can cost companies millions of dollars and destroy their reputation overnight. This article will show you what precisely every media training book and manual must cover. We will be discussing each topic that must be discussed in detail.
WHAT MEDIA TRAINING BOOKS COVER?
Media training books mostly start from scratch. First of all, we have to build the right mindset for media training.
Second, we share with you every significant and minor branch of media training. These include crisis communication, radio interviews, TV interviews, online presentations, and more.
Once we have developed the right mindset, we proceed straight away to tips for media training. Our books have everything that you need to do to ace your media interviews. But the word ‘DO’ is essential to taking action.
The author’s responsibility is to share the information and compel you to DO practice. But DOING is your responsibility.
ORDER YOUR BOOK—MEDIA TRAINING A-Z
For all our trainees, our CEO TJ Walker has composed a comprehensive book called Media Training A-Z. We guarantee that this is the best media training book you will find on the market. This book is based on the decades of experience we gathered by serving a vast array of clients. From presidents of countries to Fortune 100 CEOs, we have helped the most prominent leaders in the world!
Do you want to start from scratch and begin your journey with the best book on media interviews?
FOUR MESSAGES EVERY MEDIA TRAINING MANUAL MUST HAVE
We cannot force you to buy Media Training A-Z, but make sure, when you are spending tons of hours reading a book on media training, IT MUST BE THE BEST BOOK ON THAT TOPIC.
Here, we have gathered the four essential chapters that every GREAT media training book must-have.
HOW TO LOOK COMFORTABLE ON THE CAMERA?
For many, this is their biggest hurdle. Most people come across as uncomfortable and artificial when a camera is pointed towards them. Every great media training book focuses on this part as a primary component. Sharing those tips here is not a matter of concern, but we want our readers to go off from this page, full of knowledge.
WHAT TO AVOID
When newbies start speaking on camera for the first time, they try to act on camera. What we say is, you have to STOP ACTING! This is the only way you can come across as natural and relaxed. No one expects us to be professional actors who were trained at a conservatory.
Second, people think that moving too much will make them look ridiculous. So, they freeze their movement. Being stiff, in turn, makes them look nervous, scared, and pathetic.
Third, do not place your camera below your eye level. Putting a camera down does not only affect lightning but also shows a lousy posture.
WHAT TO DO
To look confident and focused on camera, make lean forward by 15 degrees. This may make you look unnatural to someone who is looking at you from the side. But this makes you look good when facing the camera.
Make sure you make solid eye contact. Avoiding eye contact makes you look scared and that you are hiding something.
DO NOT FREEZE YOUR MOVEMENT. Use the same natural movement of your head and hands. In essence, do the same things you would do in a one-on-one conversation with a close friend.
HOW TO SHAPE YOUR MESSAGES?
When your body language is all good, your message is the next most important thing. Do you know what your objective is? Once you recognize your objective, it is easier to shape your message.
This is what you must and must not do while forming a message for your next media interview:
WHAT TO AVOID
Do not have many messages in a single interview. This does nothing but confuses the listener and makes no clear-cut agenda of your interview.
Do not include messages that do not matter to either your reporter or your audience. And most importantly, do not add something controversial or negative unless it is entirely on message.
WHAT TO DO
Have a maximum of three messages per interview. Your interview should not look like a lecture notebook having a rough draft of the main idea. You must be concise. Turn your messages into three sentences that can be delivered in 30 seconds or less.
Ask yourself, “Does this message matter to your audience? Will the reporter be interested in this answer?’ and then shape your message. Elsewise, your interview will be boring, and you will create no impact.
HOW TO ANSWER QUESTIONS IN AN INTERVIEW?
Once you have created and formulated your messages, you need to evaluate how you will come across when answering an interviewer’s questions. Anticipate the most probing questions reporters will ask you, then practice on your cellphone. This will help you before deciding to use these messages with reporters.
Trust us. Delivering your messages while answering a reporter’s question is as important as shaping your message. Every great media training book will teach you how to answer questions in a media interview. This is exactly what you need to do to deliver your message effectively:
WHAT TO AVOID
When you don’t make eye contact with the camera or the reporter, you look as if you are hiding something.
Secondly, do not dodge a negative question–– find positivity out of it. Do not repeat any negative words. For example, when you are asked, “These facts say that you are a crook.” do not repeat, “No! I am not a crook.” This will do nothing but give a wrong impression of you on the camera. As a rule, consider that everything that you say on camera will be taken out of context.
Lastly, do not guess when you do not know something. Remember that many people in media interviews get in trouble for stating inaccurate information. Hardly anyone gets in trouble for saying they don’t know an answer.
WHAT TO DO
Always make sure that you answer the reporter from his perspective while defending yourself too. Sometimes it happens that the reporter asks you 3-4 questions. Now, you are not a professor who would say, “Alright! Let’s start with your first question!”. No! Pick the one that is the easiest to answer and reply to it.
In this way, you are neither dodging his question nor allowing him to provoke you to speak a negative sentence.
When you do not know something, do not hesitate to say, “I don’t know.” Moreover, have a positive response to every TOUGH QUESTION that you are asked. For example, we are sometimes asked, “Don’t you feel guilty for teaching people how to lie on the media?” this appears to be a tough question because it is loaded.
Instead, we perceive it as if the reporter has asked us “How do you feel about your profession?” Now, this is the most straightforward question to answer! we reply with, “I feel great about being a media trainer. I get to help people learn to be more transparent and effective communicators” Smart, right?
But make sure that you make sound natural and not robotic. Do not always repeat the same lines. Share information that is related to your three message points.
HOW TO PACKAGE INTERESTING SOUNDBITES?
Before we dive deeper, let’s discuss what a soundbite is. A soundbite is a short quotable extract from an audio, video, or speech—they are memorable parts of an interview that help the viewer draw their own conclusions.
It is essential to learn how to package a soundbite. A soundbite must have two essential features:
- It should be interesting
- It must be related to your message
Let’s learn what you must do in order to package a good soundbite.
WHAT TO AVOID
Rule number 1 is that you should avoid making negative soundbites. When you repeat a negative sentence or attack someone, this turns into a soundbite. This does nothing but creates a wrong impression of you across the camera.
Secondly, do not unintentionally make a soundbite that does not promote your cause. Most readers and viewers will only hear your soundbites. If your soundbite doesn’t communicate one of your messages, your interview will be a failure.
WHAT TO DO
Create a soundbite that is based on positive points and endorses your cause. Remember, when you do not practice your soundbite, you will be quoted off message.
When you are quoted off message, you have failed your interview.
Another important thing is NOT TO ATTACK ANYONE. This will not only create controversies but also shows you an unethical presenter.
HOW TO MAKE A SOUNDBITE?
We are sharing the top-secret of how soundbites are made. Every soundbite has at least one of the following ten characteristics that make your messages exciting, quotable, and sensational for the audience.
BOLD ACTION WORDS
Many soundbites are bold action statements. For example, words like destroyed, overwhelmed, or burst would indicate a decisive action taking place.
EMOTIONS
What every interesting movie and drama have? They have many emotions! Sentences that have a lot of emotions in them tend to be quoted by reporters.
ATTACK SOMEONE
The simplest and easiest way to be quoted in soundbites is to ATTACK SOMEONE. Whether it be healthy or unhealthy, this is true. Unfortunately, we live in a world where people, from the audience to reporters, love controversies.
Every time you attack someone, you are quoted. This is a 100% guarantee. But make sure that you do not attack someone unjustly and unnecessarily. We advise people to be very cautious of using this soundbite element.
CLICHÉ
Reporters love quoting clichés that interviewees share. If you think that you have a cliché and it is on message, you can share it. The chances are that you will be quoted.
HUMOR
Reporters may look serious, but like every human being is fond of humor. When you make a humorous statement, you are most likely to get quoted.
However, you must be extremely cautious while passing a humorous comment. Because most of the time, humor is directed to gender, race, or religion, which may offend a group of people. And this is not the outcome you want. We advise beginners and intermediates to stay clear of using humor. For those daring enough, we caution them only to prepare humor in advance and never to improvise.
RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
You can ask rhetorical questions. This is an excellent way to emphasize a point that will later be quoted in the final story. Questions draw a viewer’s attention like a moth to a flame.
ANALOGIES
Analogies often create interest. As you now know, anything that is interesting is likely to be quoted. If you can make an analogy that relates to your message, do so.
REFERENCES TO POP/ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
Reporters love it when someone talks about cultural references or the entertainment industry. For example, if a billionaire CEO says, “Elon Musk is the Einstein of the 21st century.” This is interesting and highly quotable.
SPECIFIC EXAMPLES
If you have a specific concrete example, make sure you use it. It helps people visualize your message. The difference between the analogy and an example is that the example is taken from an actual person/event. In comparison, an analogy is more likely be an imaginary example.
ABSOLUTE PHRASES
When you use absolute words and phrases such as must, never, always, have to. They create a sense of absoluteness and will have a stronger effect on your message.
WHY A MEDIA TRAINING BOOK MAY NOT FULFILL YOUR NEEDS?
Is a media training book enough to ace your media interview? The answer is not so simple because it does not depend upon the book; it depends upon you and your specific needs.
If you are someone who does not talk to the media at a very high level and have practiced everything suggested in the book diligently, it will fulfill most of your needs.
However, if you are an executive who has high-level media interviews or cannot practice everything on your own, a media training book might not be adequate.
You will have to go for media training workshops or 1-on-1 media training consultancy. To get the most out of your training, there is a simple rule of thumb.
PRACTICE EVERYTHING YOU LEARN. Practice does not mean trying a technique once and moving to the next point. By ‘practice,’ we mean practice until you love how you come across on video.
HIRE THE BEST MEDIA TRAINING FIRM
If you are an executive, a company, or an individual where media training is especially important to the success of you or your firm, do not rely solely on media training manuals and books.
Consider taking a step forward and hire a media training firm. A good media training firm will look into your needs and formulate a plan that is tailored to you or your company’s needs. Be it a group or a 1-on-1 media training; they will help you get the best value for every minute you spend.
If you are looking for a media training firm that has been working with high-profile clients for the past 30 years, you have landed at the right website! Media training worldwide would love to play its part in helping you ace your next media interview. Contact us with your briefs and get started today!