Don’t be fooled by the misperception that media training is only valuable for talking to reporters. Media training covers all forms of media, from traditional news segments to addressing crowd Q&As to filming an Instagram reel for your brand’s account.
In today’s age of 24/7 content, media training is more important than ever to combat the overabundance of information and best communicate your messages to your key audiences. Anyone can improve their delivery and get their voice heard over the noise with a few key tips and tricks:
Outline 1-3 key talking points
Know the top two to three key points that you need your audience to leave remembering. Before you step up to the microphone or podium, take a minute to work out your main points and memorize them. Structure your statement or remarks around those points, based on the amount of time you have.
Get to know the person asking questions
If you have time, talk with the person asking the questions and get to know them before the event starts. Get a feel for how much they know about the topic and what types of questions they’ll have. It will give you a heads-up and make answering questions feel more comfortable.
It’s okay to ask for a re-do
Nerves are natural when public speaking and sometimes words get jumbled up. That’s okay, you’re only human and your audience knows that. When you get into that situation, pause, take a deep breath, collect your thoughts, and start over. With an on-camera interview, it’s important to know if it’s recorded for air later (ask for a redo if you stumble!) or if it’s live (just restate as needed and plow forward!)
It’s okay to say you don’t know
This seems counterintuitive—you don’t want to seem like you’re uninformed, but when you get asked questions outside of your sphere of expertise or asked about a data point you don’t have memorized, it’s better to say you don’t know but you’ll find out or connect them with someone who knows. Once the event is over, make a note so you don’t forget to do that follow-up.
Less is more
Keep your answers to 15-20 seconds for TV interviews; people have short attention spans and you don’t want to give reporters too much information to edit—by giving them far more comments to choose from, you risk them not selecting your key messages.
These tips will not only help you feel more confident and comfortable the next time you’re faced with public speaking, but they will also ensure your audience leaves feeling connected to you and informed on the topic at hand.
Want to take your media presence to the next level? Book a complimentary 30-minute consultation with our media training experts to discuss your specific needs and goals, email Anna Swafford at aswafford@anglinpr.com to learn more.
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