Any interview, whether with a regional newsletter, trade publication, local television station, or The New York Times , can go awry if the spokesperson is ill-trained to meet the reporter's needs as well as tell the story of his or her organization. The benefits of media interview training are three-fold. First, training increases the likelihood that the spokesperson understands, internalizes and communicates those main points that public relations staff would ideally like to see make their way into a journalist's story. Most spokespersons need to reshape the way they think and speak about their company to communicate these fundamental points. Media training increases the likelihood of reaping these benefits when the trainer sees himself or herself as primarily a catalyst for change.
Successful training changes attitudes and related behaviors towards the media.
As such, it inspires appropriate enthusiasm for the nuances of communicating effectively with reporters. Teaching skills and sharing knowledge of the way the media work certainly is important, but experience shows that successful spokespeople understand the journalistic process and carry with them the right frame of mind to deal with its infinite, and often frustrating, twists and turns. Begins by eliciting feedback from trainees about their experience in being interviewed by the media, and their thoughts and feels about coverage of the company. Tapping into this pool of information cues the trainer to potentially sensitive points, subjects that require further explanation and the personalities, attitudes, and skills that current or potential organizational spokespeople bring with them to the training. Explains the publicity process and how reporters obtain and use information in as much detail as necessary.