“I was astonished at what the team learned in one day. It was intensive but fun and full of practical advice. I have always been slightly skeptical about the value of role-plays but these were well researched, relevant and built the confidence of the team. We came out convinced that we could get our messages out clearly and with confidence.”
Ray Winter, CEO, Mazingo

Why is media training important? All too often company spokespersons fail to deliver messages which hit the right spot with journalists. Our news bulletins and radio broadcasts are full of them every day. Even worse, often they find themselves trapped into painting a negative picture of their own company. All of this happens because they don't know what to say, how to say it and when to keep quiet or exert their own authority. This is where we can help.

Our media trainers have spent decades helping company spokespeople prepare for interviews so that they achieve maximum value from the opportunity. Our trainers can also help spokespeople understand the need to both promote and protect their company depending on the content of the story, the angle of the journalist, or the style of the publication. We call it the Flight or Fight approach to media training, a methodology vital in today's economy when bad news is beginning to match good news in equal quantities.

Aims and objectives of WHB Communications’ media training
To achieve a better understanding of the media
To acquire the tools required to achieve maximum value from the interview
To test consistency of messages delivered by senior managers
To begin to build messages which pass the media 'so what?' test
To gain maximum value from PR spend

Content
Introduction
Why talk to the press
What is the press - understanding the media industry
What interests them
Why would they be interested in you?
How to prepare for press interviews
How other leading people have fared – some practical examples of how to and how not to do it
The essential Do's and Don'ts of dealing with the press
Practical face-to-face interviews followed by constructive critiques to build confidence

The media training takes one full day to deliver starting at 9.00am and finishing 5.30pm with a break for lunch. A more intensive half-day refresher training session can be held for those who want to ‘top-up’ previous media training or who need to practice prior to an upcoming media event.

Who should attend
With a potent mix of both instruction and role playing, which unravels the mystery behind press communication as well as providing full preparation for real interviews, this training is ideal for all senior managers who need to talk to the press. This training shows how to deliver positive news and how to respond sensitively to less favourable news in this harsh economic climate.

The trainers
WHB Communications’ media training sessions are run by Bill Boyle and one carefully selected working journalist from a pool depending upon the target media of the client. Bill was a working journalist for 27 years including spells on the Daily Telegraph, Sunday Observer, Daily Star and many more. He moved into Information Technology ten years ago and has been a senior editor on Computer Weekly and editor of Computing, PC Dealer (now Computer Reseller News), Internet Dealer and PC Week. He has extensive broadcast and radio experience appearing weekly on the Sky computer television programme Blue Chip and weekly for a year as a guest and contributor to LBC radio’s computer show Online. He has been a regular pundit on Radio Five Live, the World Service and many other radio and television shows. Broadcast and radio training is also provided by WHB Communications.

The other trainers are working journalists who write for The Financial Times, The Times, The Wall Street Journal Europe, Upside, Red Herring, IT Week, Computing, Computer Weekly and other national and leading trade titles. Their input is practical and gives real value to the role-plays.


“We chose Bill to help us with this because he has the optimum blend of expertise and practicality. He has been on both sides of the fence and the training provided our people with excellent insights into how the press works and the confidence to deliver our messages clearly.”
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