Media training

Why learn to communicate with the media?

If you must represent a company or organization in public, you need to be able to communicate professionally with the media. Stand in front of cameras and microphones. Tame them. Compellingly deliver your message. To be interviewed on TV or radio and answer questions from journalists. And not the easiest or the nicest ones.

Of course, such conversations are extremely responsible activities. After all, the audience will judge your organization and yourself by the words and thoughts you reflect in the media. This responsibility can lead to a lot of tension, which can get in the way during an interview or press conference.

For this communication to produce the desired results and be mutually beneficial, it is important to acquire specific knowledge and skills, which are developed through seminars and exercises on effective communication with the media.

Media relations – key principles

Many years of experience in media relations and specialized training have shaped Fabula Rud Pedersen Group’s approach to effective communication with journalists. Its success is determined by three factors:

  1. Context: under what circumstances are we talking? For effective communication with the media, it is important to have a good understanding of the context in which the conversation takes place. This includes knowing the topics that interest the media, understanding the needs of journalists, identifying the target audience, and considering any previous reputational challenges faced by the organization. All these factors play a crucial role in determining the specific communication strategy and content that can be used to establish a successful conversation with the media.
  2. Content: what are we saying? When it comes to public speaking, being articulate, accurate, and specific is crucial. A well-prepared speaker should be able to convey their message clearly and achieve the desired impact on their audience. At our organization, we follow the “3:30” principle of message formulation, which means that you should be able to summarize your key message in three sentences within 30 seconds.
  3. Presentation: how do we say it? When communicating with any audience, both the content and the form of the message are important: the speaker’s voice intonation, posture, vocabulary, facial expressions, and gestures – the non-verbal elements of a conversation that are often more telling than the words spoken. In our media communication exercises, we discuss the anxieties of public speaking and how to overcome them and delve into the subtleties of the psychology of communication, which can affect the conduct and outcome of an interview.

These and other important principles are covered in the effective media communication training, after which:

  • You will be able to effectively represent your organization in oral presentations to the media, accurately, vividly, and persuasively speak, participate in press conferences, and give interviews on television, radio, or in written media
  • You’ll be able to prepare for your upcoming interview with journalists and give them the information they need
  • You will learn how to manage stress, remain calm, accurate and articulate in interviews, answer media questions, and provide detailed information to the public about your company or organization
  • You will understand the key principles of media work and the criteria for selecting information
  • You will have mastered the specifics of how to behave in front of the camera and understand the difference between an interview for an article and an interview for television

The media relations training adopts a simulation-based approach, which involves simulated conversations and interviews with media representatives. The participants’ performance is recorded on camera, and later reviewed and analyzed to provide communication recommendations. This helps the participants to put their experience into practice in conditions that closely resemble reality.

The exercise tasks – the topics of conversations and interviews with the participants, the journalists’ questions – are unique. They are tailored to the relevance and uniqueness of the clients’ and participants’ activities. All footage filmed during the workshop is used for educational purposes only and is deleted immediately after the training. Participants are given specific advice and recommendations

We organize training for groups of participants. We also provide targeted one-to-one consultations for clients who need to prepare for a specific upcoming interview, press conference or broadcast. During the consultation exercises, the upcoming interview is simulated, filmed, and discussed.

Lecturers

Balys
Narbutas

Public speaking coach, lecturer, head of training at the agency “Fabula Rud Pedersen Group,” and communication consultant. He has been working in the field of public communication since 2002. Having held positions as a journalist and later as a press officer for one of the parliamentary factions, Balys joined the agency’s team in 2007, where he became involved in training and consulting activities.

He is the author and implementer of many complex development programs, a communication and public speaking expert, and regularly conducts training sessions and provides consultations for employees of various organizations, company executives, and public leaders.

Viktorija
Bagdonė

Communication consultant, Project Director at the agency “Fabula Rud Pedersen Group.” With many years of experience in the media, Viktorija specializes in corporate and integrated communication. She provides clients with reputation building and management services, consults on communication strategy and tactics, and conducts media relations training.

Get the digital publication – a guide to effective communication with media