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Want to train your staff to speak for success in media or to stakeholders? No training budget or time? Try eLearning.

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The advantages of media and presentation skills training are plentiful.  But we know there are hurdles to gathering a whole team of employees in one place at one time for training.

1. Your people are time poor
2. Your people are geographically dispersed
3. The budget just doesn’t stretch far enough to train everyone face to face

eLearning can be a cost-effective way to provide important training experiences for staff that can also serve to deliver greater staff engagement. Media Manoeuvres offer customised eLearning Media Spokesperson Skills programmes.  

Discover E-Learning

We know that intensive, face to face training is important for key spokespeople in your organisation but eLearning can be a flexible and cost effective first step to train other employees to be ready for the media, and deliver effective business presentations.

eLearning improves productivity as it eliminates the need for travel and reduces time away from the office.

Since visuals are said to be retained by the brain longer, eLearning can improve retention and online material can be revisited many times and reused for multiple staff.

Our courses are simple and easy to access, they are not full of large download files and can be done at any time and in any place.

Every course can be customised for your organisation and, as with our face to face training, the eLearning courses are based on best practice, instructional course design and adult learning principles.

So you can be happy knowing that your eLearning trainees will experience maximum learning and skill outcomes.

This short introductory media training video presented by Sam Elam, Managing Director of Media Manoeuvres, is a customised eLearning module we developed.

Enquire now for further information.

Spokesperson Training for Local Government Mayors and Councillors

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Newly elected members of local government such as mayors and councillors have a passion for their community, their cause and the ability to learn new skills. Often they have experience speaking to a crowd or group of people and have honed their interpersonal skills.  These traits have served them well and undoubtedly that’s why they have been elected.

However, the presentation skills required for a successful media or community interview are different to those used when presenting to a crowd or group. Both settings are a different beast to the speaking platforms they’ve known thus far.

Getting customised Media Spokesperson Skills training for newly elected mayors and councillors is highly recommended, to ensure they are in control of their important messages and are able to hold their nerve in the face of a tough media/community interview, as well as getting the media coverage they deserve.

Customised courses give councillors the knowledge and skills to build and protect their council’s profile and reputation, while advocating on important issues.

Here’s a list of what you can expect to gain from a customised Media Spokesperson Skills course:

  • Learn proven interview skills and techniques for dealing with the media/community
  • Learn to keep your nerves at bay when facing a camera lens
  • Learn proven techniques to be in control of the message in the face of tough questions from the media/community members
  • Learn the difference between presentation skills for media interviews versus those for public speaking
  • Learn the Satisfy and Shoot© technique to adopt when faced with aggressive questions
  • Understand the importance of short and concise points to cater to a variety of community members
  • Learn about media grabs and how you can get the best media coverage
  • Know what to do in the event of a question that throws you off course
  • Be in control at all times and resist the need to fill the silence

Media Manoeuvres can tailor our courses to suit individual councils’ needs. We have a huge depth of experience training mayors, councillors and local government executive teams to build their spokesperson skills and maximise the council’s local community and media opportunities.

CONTACT US TODAY!

CEO videos prove most effective form of communication – do you have the camera skills?

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It might seem easy to create, but there are certain skills required to make an effective online CEO video message. Whether you like it or not, people make judgements very quickly about the quality of your offering based on how you come across on camera. Viewers don’t want to watch a corporate talking head, they want the real you. To present naturally on camera takes specific on-camera training, and lots of it. That’s where we step in.

CEO videos are a formal or informal address conveying important messages to key stakeholders or employees. Examples can include a product launch, internal reporting video, welcome message or any other communication piece.

In this article we present one CEO who’s created a highly successful video message, followed by our assessment of how he achieved this.

Stats and facts to convince you of the benefits of a video message

  • The open rate on video is much higher than the click through rate on text
  • 59% of executives would rather video than text-Forbes
  • Viewers are 10 times more likely to engage, share and comment on videos
  • Almost 5 million videos are watched on Youtube everyday – YT statistics 2017
  • Emotion and tone can be added, making a connection with the audience easier
  • Exposure on video can enhance your public profile
  • Nailing the art of giving a good presentation on camera is an essential skill for all C-suite executives

Being prepared before camera

The following video is an example of how preparation creates an effective message. This CEO comes across as a natural in front of the camera and inspires us to change.

This is an example of a CEO who has really shed the starchy CEO image and instead has developed an engaging and approachable tone, enhancing his and his company’s profile and credibility.

  • Peter is relaxed immediately and looks natural
  • He is genuine and passionate about what he is saying
  • We believe him because he doesn’t appear scripted at all
  • He uses great eye contact and body language
  • He uses pace and varied tones very well

Top marks for Peter!

 

The key ingredients to deliver an effective on-camera message:

Get off to a good start and grab the audiences’ attention

 The way you start your presentation is critical. You’ve only got a short window of time to convince your audience to stay or switch off. Start with an attention-grabbing opener.

 Take a deep breath …and relax

It’s important to find ways to relax, as when you are not relaxed it’s hard to be

enthusiastic and passionate as you convey your message.

 Boring your audience to death is not cool

 Is there anything worse than a long, boring presentation?

It’s a fact that all great speakers tell personal stories. The audience loves to hear about the triumphs and hurdles of people’s personal experiences. Stories connect people.

Emotionalise the data

Stories help us remember things. An inundation of figures, tables, statistic and charts, doesn’t, and unless you are reporting a huge profit or increased shareholder dividends, you run the risk of people wanting to poke their eyes out!

Steve Jobs from Apple – a great speaker, was great at emotionalising the data, for example, rather than talk about the amount of gigabtyes an Apple device could hold, he would convert this unit of measurement into the number of music files a device could store –much more effective in the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) stakes.

Practice makes perfect

Lots of practise frees up your mind, gets rid of nerves, and allows you to be relaxed.

Smiling, having a persona, and looking confident in front of a camera is no easy task. When we watch media professionals or other speakers present with ease on camera we often wonder how they do it so naturally. For the majority, it’s specific on-camera training, preparation and relentless practising that results in that polished, on air and often times live performance.

Focus on the message

As you prepare your message, think about what your audience needs to hear. What’s the value of your message to them?

Keep it simple and to the point

Leave your audience wanting more. Less is more. The consensus is that corporate videos should be no longer than 2 to 4 minutes.

Use your body and your personality

Use the tools at your disposal. Use tone, facial expression, passion and emotion to its full advantage.

According to Albert Mehrabian’s rule of communication, viewers judge a speaker’s attitude, feelings and thoughts more by their body language and tone of voice than the words spoken.

If words and body language disagree, the audience will believe the body language more.

The benefits of specific on-camera training

Many people freeze when the camera rolls.

Something that seems so easy suddenly becomes hard.   Being unprepared and nervous before a camera can totally change your demeanour and expressiveness – a sure way to lose your audience.

But you’re not alone. Many seasoned presenters feel nervous before giving a presentation both on and off camera.

If you’re planning to create a quality video, make sure you have the skills in front of the camera to come across as authentic, professional and credible. These are easily learned with the assistance of professional journalist trainers, like Media Manoeuvres.

Will you be ready when the camera rolls to make your best online video message?

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It’s fair to say that in today’s digital world, video content is king. With viewers 10 times more likely to engage, share and comment on videos, it’s a no-brainer that you’ve got to be in it to win it! Creating your own video message is an opportunity to boost your public profile and influence your audience. When you create your own video message you have complete control over the message being delivered.

Problem: People make judgements very quickly about the quality of your offering based on how you come across on camera.

Solution: Specific on-camera presentation skills training.

Viewers don’t want to watch a corporate talking head. Specific on-camera training helps enable presenters to project their message with authenticity and credibility.

In this article we present two video examples where we feature a message before, and one after camera training. The benefits of training are obvious!

VIDEO EXAMPLES

Being unprepared before camera. Can we really trust this guy?

This is an example of a presenter who is unprepared before camera. Our assessment of this video follows:

  • Darrell does not start strongly, he comes across as overly casual and unprepared. Yes it’s great to be yourself, but this is too unpolished
  • He is clearly uncomfortable and/or nervous and thus does not make eye contact, giving the impression he is untrustworthy
  • He doesn’t use pace and varied tones well
  • Lack of practise means at one point he stalls to remember details of his business, that he no doubt knows very well
  • He goes into too much detail about his business, he doesn’t keep it short and simple
  • There’s no enthusiasm and passion, due to nervousness and lack of preparation
  • All of the above means he does not come across as confident and engaging and therefore misses the opportunity to convey his important message

Being prepared before camera. This guy we can trust!

This is an example of a presenter who is prepared before camera. Our assessment of this video is as follows:

  • Darrell starts strongly with an attention-grabbing opener, one of the keys to a good presentation
  • He reads the autocue more naturally and makes good eye contact
  • Having controlled his nerves and thus becoming relaxed, allows his passion and enthusiasm to shine through, making for a more engaging video
  • Darrell conveys his core message within the first 20 seconds of his video
  • The video is short, simple and to the point – not enough time for people to lose interest
  • Darrell is professional and polished yet he is still himself on camera

Top marks for Darrell for completing his on-camera training and nailing his video message!

Let the team at Media Manoeuvres empower you with Presenting to Camera skills to step boldly in front of the camera to make a powerful, authentic and memorable impression.

What To Do If Your Executives Don’t Think They Need Media Training

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By Media Manoeuvres Director and Media and Presentation Skills Expert, Sam Elam

It’s fair to say that most executives are well equipped when it comes to general communication skills, interpersonal skills and usually, presentation skills.

Unfortunately, this type of expertise isn’t always transferable to the interview skills required when dealing with the media, particularly in times of crisis.

Many executives don’t realise the difference though, resulting in a general reluctance to undergo any type of media training.

Add to that the old-fashioned notion that PR employees should be the ones handling communication relating to crisis management training, and you’re left with the difficult challenge of convincing executives that they do indeed require media training to develop appropriate interview techniques and media presentation skills.

So, what do you do when your executives don’t think they need media training?

Convince them otherwise! Here’s how.

Ask them to explain why

Sometimes, asking an executive explain why they don’t think they need specialist media training can expose the very reasons that they do. See if they’re able to identify the skills required to master the necessary interview techniques to avert a crisis when dealing with a clever reporter. During the course of the conversation, your executives will no doubt realise just how little they know about the intricacies of media communication.

Role play (and record it)

Set up a variety of role play scenarios, requiring your executives to respond to questions from a reporter. Don’t give them any detailed information other than the general “crisis” and see how they manage. Simulate a press conference, with multiple questions being fired from different directions and see how they handle it. Your executives will soon discover the difference between planned communications, of which they have total control, and the impromptu nature of dealing with the media.

Demonstrate the consequences

Provide case studies to your executives, showing them examples of crisis and reputation management done right, as well as others that demonstrate the consequences of poor reputation management due to a lack of training. There are plenty of examples of both.

Appeal to their ego

Remind your executives that the days of relying on media spokespeople to deal with reputation management are long gone. These days the public want to hear from the top executives, anything else can be perceived as insincere and staged. It’s up to them to deliver the right message, at the right time, the right way.

Media Manoeuvres conducts Media Training for many leading organisations in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth. Contact us to find out how our media training can maintain and improve the reputation management of your organisation.

 

So why exactly does that reporter want to talk to you?

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Whenever a senior executive is scheduled to talk to a journalist, there’s typically a certain amount of planning about purpose, key messages to remember, and topics to be covered (as well as maybe topics to avoid).

But there is usually not much thought given to what the journalist wants and expects. Now, new research from Europe provides insight into what journalists really want when they talk to a company or organisation’s spokesperson.

A media interview is not a throw-away conversation with a friend. It’s an opportunity to speak on behalf of the organization as part of planned reputation management. It’s just as important as any public speech or presentation, and probably more important, given the potential size of the audience.

However, it is a common misunderstanding that in a media interview, the journalist is primarily just a channel to that bigger audience. The journalist is in fact a key element in your audience and he or she needs to be part of the same sort of audience research you would do for a major speech.

It’s a given that you need to know
• who the reporter is
• what they have written about your organization in the past
• what is their specialty area of interest
• what will they already know about the subject to be discussed
• what you think is the most difficult question they could ask

But this new research gives us a fresh perspective on what they really want from the interview, and what you had better be ready to provide as part of the broader corporate communication strategy.

The Public Relations Global Network partner agencies conducted a survey last year* which involved 165 economic journalists in a total of 14 European countries.
They found:
• The top research sources are annual reports (64%), press releases and past media coverage, with social media ranked only 10th
• The preferred locations for interviews are in the company’s office (67%), well ahead of in restaurants or on the telephone
• Journalists’ key expectations of spokespeople are outstanding knowledge of the company and market (92%) as well as personality and track record
• The top interview turns off are arrogant behaviour (75%), closely followed by not answering critical questions and talking in platitudes.

Maybe none of this will come as a surprise, but it is a powerful reminder of the media interview skills top executives need to be properly prepared as well as undertake media training. Executives who know how important it is to plan and practice for a major speech often fail to give the same attention to an interview.

Sadly, the resulting gaffes and slip-ups can go on to become the boardroom legends of what not to say.
*The full study report can be seen here.

Do you feel that your executives may not be leveraging opportunities and representing your organisation in the best possible way during an interview? Would you like to know how to use a media interview to positively influence public perception of your firm? Media Manoeuvres are experts in Media Spokesperson Training, contact us to find out more!