Mastering the media interview is a bit like having a cookbook. Find the recipe that tantalises your palate, but look very carefully at the ingredients…and then make a decision!
Do you have them all, or do you need to pop into the supermarket to buy that special ingredient that will ‘make’ the dish? Or, do you simply use what you have to hand and hope the dish doesn’t turn out bland and uninteresting!
As with any culinary creation, with a media interview you need a plan – a robust set of key messages and a strategy for avoiding pitfalls, tongue-ties and mistakes. You need to know your media interview ‘rights’ before you engage with a journalist.
Moreover, you need to understand what to expect at every point in the process. How to navigate the interview with confidence, deftly take control of the exchange and ensure your organisation’s best interests are served.
Confidence, Peace of mind and improved media engagement are the key ingredients here, you don’t really need to bother with any extra embellishment. In other words, don’t overcook the process!
At Scottish Media Training, Edinburgh, we empower spokespeople across Scotland, teaching them how to conduct strategic, disciplined media interviews – whether they’re dealing with a product launch, a contentious issue or a full-blown crisis.
- Be better informed about what makes news and how digital media is shaping the online environment.
- Have an understanding of journalists’ requirements
- Understand how to identify good news stories within your organisation.
- Be able to identify a news angle and prepare a usable message – and get it used on air, in print or online.
- Have a plan for identifying and preparing responses to tough questions
Scottish Media Training helps companies from the public and private sector improve the quality of their media messaging, by instilling confidence in the press, radio and television media interview, thereby helping to shape their media coverage.
After all, an organisation that doesn’t know how to deliver its message to fit what the media need, simply won’t be heard.