Great leaders the world over are smart – that’s part of the reason why they represent companies as CEOs in the first place. However, when it comes to some things, being smart and being too-smart-for-your-own-good can seriously cause problems, especially if you haven’t had proper media training.
You can know everything about your company – the ins and the outs, the good and the bad – and all of that is great. The flip side of that, though, is that it can be dangerous. Journalists, especially seasoned pros who’ve interviewed scores of powerful people, know ahead of time what they’re going to ask, and they’ll know exactly which buttons to push to get the best reaction from you on follow up questions.
If you’ve landed an interview for a major newspaper, magazine, or news program, and you’re there to talk about your company, there’s a chance you could say the wrong thing, forget to say something critical to your business, or start bashing your competition. And of course, once you say it, it’s out there. Things pick up steam quickly on social media and, before you know it, you – and your company – have become laughingstocks.
Media training is so very important for anyone in your company who communicates with the media, especially if that person is the face of your organization.
CEO media training can help make sure your spokesperson stays on point, and sells not only to your target audience, but to the media as well.
Here are six reasons why CEO media training is a must for your company.
Media training helps CEOs build confidence and remain on topic.
Using video or audio playback in your media training sessions can be a hard dose of reality for overconfident experts. CEO media training can help experts become more self-aware of their speaking habits, body language, and how the messages they are delivering sound.
Not all leaders are born charismatic, but a little media training can be key in helping to build skills and understanding how to deliver the right message. Simple things such as sitting up straight, not talking over the reporter, keeping a calm, collected tone, and not fumbling for an answer, are all ways to stay on topic and show confidence.
CEO media training helps executives learn how to control the interview.
Journalists can be intimidating, but they are trying to do a job, just like the rest of us. As a spokesperson, you control how much you say or don’t say to a reporter. Learning tips and tricks – such as how to speak in sound bites, the fact that it’s not your job to fill the silence (it’s theirs), make sure to answer their questions, or how to bridge the conversation back to a key message – can all be helpful skills your executives should learn.
Reporters run with what you give them. If you’re prepared ahead of time and know what not to say and how to keep your composure, it will definitely provide a better overall interview.
Media training prepares CEOs to respond to tough questions.
One of the fears top executives have is that a crisis will happen and they’ll be blindsided by a reporter or asked a question they don’t know how to answer. CEO media training can prep executives on how to deliver messages during a crisis, help anticipate what some of those tough questions could be ahead of time, and how to best answer.
More likely to be quoted, less likely to get misquoted.
Knowing how to navigate the ins and outs of a media interview and how to talk in short, concise messages helps ensure that key messages are delivered. Experts need to know that from a 10-minute conversation, only maybe one or two sentences will be attributed back to them. Keeping it short and concise and answering the question directly will help ensure your expert is the one quoted in the story, not your competition.
Media training gives polish for other public speaking opportunities.
Chances are your CEO or expert isn’t just tasked with speaking to the media, but perhaps a board of directors, customers, at conferences or events. Taking time to refine these skills can help them be better communicators in all areas of the business.
The key is getting CEO media training sooner rather than later.
Talking in front of a reporter – or even a room full of reporters and cameras – can cause anyone to have a momentary lapse of stage fright. When that happens, it’s incredibly easy to forget what you were going to say, or to blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. Trust us, this happens to everyone.
The Ammerman Experience has years of experience with CEO media training to help guide you through the easy, and tough, interviews, as well as giving you the knowledge to prepare yourself for anything that might happen.
Contact us today to find out just how easy it is to set up something that could save your company in the end.