Who Should Take Media Training?

"Obviously, the people who speak to the news media on behalf of an organization are the ones who need media relations training the most. This can include leaders of corporations, association leaders, politicians, athletes and many others."

Who should take media training, or who needs media training are two questions I get a lot from people.

Obviously, the people who speak to the news media on behalf of an organization are the ones who need media relations training the most. This can include leaders of corporations, association leaders, politicians, athletes and many others.

Some organizations make it mandatory for anyone who speaks to the news media to take media training before they do their first media interview.

I always say each organization needs to have a media relations policy that designates who the main spokesperson is, but also names others who could speak as either a back-up to the main spokesperson, or as a subject matter expert.

What we are really talking about here is brand protection and enhancement. Media training should teach people more than just how to speak to the news media. It should also provide employees with an understanding of how important the organization’s brand is and how easy it is these days to have it damaged.

I also find that media training is really communications training, so when I’m asked who should take media training I sometimes say anyone who speaks to the public. Communication techniques are normally taught during media training that are just as effective for people who need to speak to customers, or others outside the organization.

Two other important points on who should take training. Some associations hire a media trainer to do training for their Board of Directors, who are normally volunteers. Even if they never speak on behalf of their association, they can use the training for the business they represent.  It’s a way of giving back to them for their volunteerism.

Finally, media training becomes a team building exercise. When people from an organization spend a day together learning how to do something, especially when they do something as interactive as media training, it also doubles as a team building event, especially when they try to do practice interviews with the media trainer.

Next up: Why is Media Training Important?