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Media Training with Excellence

Media Training with Excellence: A Balanced Approach

by Eric Bergman, ABC, APR, MC

Develop customized media spokesperson training for your organization or clients. With this complete toolkit, you'll sharpen your understanding of media motives and develop the facilitation skills to help your clients master media relations. What do reporters need? How can both parties win? What is "spin"? Lead your clients in real-life practice interviews with print and broadcast media. Learn the importance of body language, the difference between print and broadcast media, conversational communication, the value of good relationships, and more. Empower your clients with a synergy of theory and method and create an intelligent strategy for any spokesperson.

The toolkit includes:

• Surveys and worksheets.
• At Ease with the Media, a 57-page supplement.
• Applied methods for approaching the media.
• Supporting theories to understand the approach.
• Direction for effective teaching.

Details: 136 pages, plus 57-page booklet
©2006

Listen to an interview with Eric Bergman on Cafe2Go.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Figures
Foreword
Acknowledgements

PART I: The Underlying Logic

Introduction
Fundamental Premises
Three Sections Divergent Lines of Thought
A Personal Example: Saying Too Much A Balanced Approach Addresses These Issues
Applications to Internal Audiences A Balanced Approach and Excellence
Press Agentry
Public Information
Two-way Asymmetrical Communication
Two-way Symmetrical Communication
Two-way Symmetrical Communication Versus a Traditional Approach
A Personal Example: Two Sides of the Fence
Better Relationships with Reporters
Creating Win-Win Scenarios
Reporters’ Needs
The Organization’s Needs
The Mathematics of Question-and-Answer
Finding the Balance A Balanced Approach and Ethics
Deception, Lies and Spin
Asking Questions—The Only Protection
The Gap Between Truth and Transparency
Not Answering Questions
Deliberately Avoiding Questions
Coming Clean
Facing Tough Moral Choices A Final Word

PART II: Teaching the Theory Effectively

Building Spokesperson Confidence
Principles of Adult Education
Control of Learning
Immediate Utility
Focuses Directly on Issues
Testing What Participants Learn
Anticipating How Learning Will Be Used
Performance Improvement
Maximize Available Resources
Collaborative, Respectful, Mutual and Informal Coaching Participants and Providing Feedback
The Learning Process
Providing Feedback Principles of Face-to-Face Communication
Two Goals
Relaxed Conversation Is Key
The Cognitive Style of Visual Aids Conclusion

PART III: The Program: At Ease with the Media

Program Outline
The Value of Recording Mock Interviews
The Theory
Module 1: The Introduction
Module 2: The One Thing Spokespeople Can Control
Module 3: The Differences Between Print and Broadcast
Module 4: Managing Polarization
Module 5: Communicating Not Through Reporters, but with Reporters
Module 6: The Skill of Answering Questions
Module 7: Four Priorities of a Spokesperson The First Round of Print Interviews—P-A-S
When a Spokesperson Tries to Gain Control
Take Advantage of Answers
A Personal Example: Short Answers Preparing Spokespeople and Their Messages
The Simple Issues Management (SIM) Model
Time to Work Through the Model Second Round of Print Interviews—P-A-W-S
Teaching Spokespeople to Negotiate
What to Look for in Print Interviews Moving to Broadcast
The Two Types of Broadcast Interviews
Sound Bites—P-A/R-W-S
Live Interviews
A Personal Example: Body Language The Logistics of the Program

References

About the Author