Why media training for executives matters

• January 10, 2023
• no comments

By Hollie Shaw, Senior Director, Editorial and Media Strategy

—

It can take years for a public figure to recover from a bad interview. Remember what happened to Tom Cruise after he jumped on Oprah’s couch?

When I worked as a reporter, my mind would do a celebratory fist pump whenever I encountered a candid business figure who said something controversial — like the executive of a top U.S. retailer who told me quite plainly in a mid-aughts interview that the company’s sales associates were referred to internally as “models,” because his business only hired people who matched a narrow aspirational aesthetic. To all appearances, that meant thin, young and almost exclusively white.

Or the CEO of a Canadian chain who clearly hadn’t read his team’s briefing notes before the interview, sent his PR team away and offhandedly told me about a corporate initiative that had not yet been announced publicly. He unwittingly gave me a scoop that drained the air out of an upcoming announcement his team had worked on for months. Had either leader gone through media training, it’s likely my ears would have never heard the information that led to a PR headache for the brands in question.

At North Strategic, our unmatched half-day media training boot camp course empowers public figures to speak confidently with journalists and key stakeholders. Over the years, our team of former journalists has trained a broad spectrum of clients, from C-suite executives and brand ambassadors to small business owners and politicians. Our media training clients have gone on to give resonant, dynamic interviews for online/print media, television, radio and podcasts — interviews that get noticed for all the right reasons.

Spokesperson training to tell a great story

Many subject matter experts believe they have no need for media training because they know their chosen fields inside and out – why would they need it?

But oftentimes, experts don’t run into trouble for not knowing enough. The problem is usually the opposite: they know too much and are not able to distill what they know into a relevant, compelling narrative for a reporter.

Good media training will not teach you to give canned, repetitive answers to journalists. Beyond helping you learn to deliver memorable sound bites, a good media training session will help you avoid making a remark that could end up being the defining moment of ­your career — and not in a good way. Our training and practice sessions will help you tell a compelling, focused story that leaves dull, irrelevant or undesirable bits behind.

Media training services for everyone

Whether you’re the face behind a company or the leader of a social movement, it’s harder than ever to get your story out and make an impression. You want to make sure you do it right. There are fewer news reporters and news organizations now than there were in 2020. While social and digital media proliferate, traditional “earned” news media outlets have suffered through consolidations, layoffs and declining advertiser revenue.

At North, we take media training personally. Our tailored sessions shun the cookie-cutter approach to build confidence in session participants and help them uncover the most relevant, compelling narrative moments for news media. We offer a comprehensive how-to course for beginners as well as a refresher course for spokespeople who want to sharpen their interview skills. Our sessions are available for individuals or small groups, both in person and digitally.

While it’s fair to say Tom Cruise’s image recovered over time, most people and brands don’t have the luxury of being a megastar or the ability to earn a do-over. You want to get it right the first time and every time.

If you’re interested in learning more about our media training practice, please reach out to us — we’d love to help you tell your story.