Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Media? A Special Media Training Report On Dealing With Journalists

By Chris Roycroft-Davis
Founding Partner, MediaMasters (London) Ltd
www.mmasters.co.uk

Media training teaches us that talking to a journalist is a wonderful opportunity for you to obtain valuable free publicity for your business. But you must know what to say and how to say it. As a working journalist for more than 30 years, and now a media trainer, I know all you the tricks that get results. I’m sure you’ll find this special report is an invaluable guide to being interviewed by newspapers, magazines, radio and TV. Keep it by you so you are never caught off guard.
How to survive when the next
phone call’s from a journalist
My media training advice:
• Don’t be rushed into giving an interview. Find out in advance what’s required and always prepare your answers with a media map.
• Develop in advance a core statement about your organisation plus up to three key messages you want to convey to the interviewer.
• Avoid jargon. Work out easy-to-understand
jargon busters in plain English
• Never lie. But don’t always tell the whole truth.
• Assume the journalist and the readers, viewers or listeners know little about your subject. So explain a lot and keep it simple.
• Don’t be a slave to the question – say what you think needs to be said.
• Don’t feel obliged to answer questions that are outside your knowledge or experience. Refer the interviewer to someone better qualified to help.
Handling the Press and getting your message across
My media training advice:
• Find out the “angle” the journalist is pursuing.
• Do your best to make sure the journalist fully understands your points.
• Avoid going “off the record.” Only say what you would be happy to see in print.
• Beware of automatically agreeing to a reporter’s suggestions. Don’t let words be put in your mouth – say what you want to say in your own words.



How to make that radio interview seem so natural
My media training advice:
• Be natural, friendly and enthusiastic about your subject.
• Be lively and animated. Smile when appropriate – listeners can hear a smile.
• Paint pictures in people’s minds by using colourful examples and illustrations that involve real people.
• Talk as if you are speaking to just one person. Make it personal. When I work on Radio 2 with Michael Parkinson it’s just two old friends having a good time together. By forgetting about the two million listeners the effect is more natural.
• If you need notes, make bullet points. Don’t read from them verbatim – it will show in your voice.
TV is all about body language
My media training advice:
TV is different to print and radio. People judge you as much on how you look as what you say. So dress in a way that reinforces your key messages. Always look smart – it adds authority to your argument.
• Accept make-up if offered. It will make you look more appealing and make the viewer more susceptible to your messages.
• Ensure your body language matches your message and your mood. Be lively but don’t fidget.
• Keep eye contact with the interviewer. Looking away or looking down gives the impression of insincerity.

Ten ways to please a journalist
My media training advice:
Be punctual – either with your phone call or for your face to face interview.
Know a little about the paper/magazine/programme the interview is for.
Ask in advance what is wanted from you so you are well prepared.
Have facts at hand and a news story or personal anecdotes to tell.
Don’t waffle. Be clear and concise with your answers.
Relax. Make it clear you are happy to co-operate in any way you can.
Have some new facts or an “angle” especially for the interview.
Produce photographs, maps or graphs which the journalist can take away.
Suggest other people to be interviewed or other sources of information.
Email the journalist later and say something constructive about the article.

Ten ways to annoy a journalist
My media training advice:
Keep them waiting. They really are busy people.
Ask what questions will be asked or suggest your own.
Mention you have key messages you must get over.
Tape record the interview without asking if it’s OK.
Declare you won’t be caught out because you’re media trained.
Criticise the media for being dishonest, snooping bloodsuckers (even if they are sometimes!).
Say Yes or No to questions or give terse answers.
Slip into jargon that no one apart from you can understand.
Demand to approve the copy before it’s printed.
Ask for a free copy of the publication in which the interview will appear.


Always remember the 3 Ts
The other thing you must do is remember the 3Ts:
Tell The Truth.
If you lie to a journalist, you are making yourself a hostage to fortune.
For you can bet your mortgage that the truth will always come out. Just because you lied doesn’t mean the next person the journalist speaks to will.

And finally…
...don’t abuse the interviewer, however you may dislike him or her. Journalists are only doing their job, just as you are doing yours.
Media training will teach you the art of creating a good relationship with the media that will enrich your personal life and do wonders for your business, too.

May 17, 2006
Copyright MediaMasters (London) Ltd 2007 Chris Roycroft-Davis has been one of Britain's leading journalists for three decades. He is the former Executive Editor of The Sun, the UK's biggest-selling daily newspaper, and currently writes for the Daily Express and The Times of London. He is a founding partner of MediaMasters (London) Ltd, which specialises in effective communications through advertising, websites, corporate literature, branding, marketing and corporate identity. He is skilled in media training and helps business people get the best out of media interviews.

Copyright MediaMasters (London) Ltd 2007

Article Source: http://www.articlepros.com