Solution Manual for Canadian PR for the Real World

Maryse Cardin, Kylie McMullan

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Solution Manual for Canadian PR for the Real World Maryse Cardin, Kylie McMullan

Chapter 8
Media Training

CHAPTER SYNOPSIS

This chapter provides a practical overview of the rationale and techniques behind media training
spokespeople. In the chapter three different aspects of media training are examined. The first is
content, or what to say during interviews. The second aspect is delivery, or how to say it. The
third aspect that is reviewed is how a PR practitioner conducts a media-training session and
prepares the spokesperson for media interviews.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR THIS CHAPTER

1. Explain the role that media training plays in preparing spokespersons to work with the
media.
2. Analyze a story and identify newsworthy interview content in it.
3. Summarize the skills needed to successfully deliver key messages to the media.
4. Develop a custom-tailored media-training session.
5. Critique a spokesperson’s media interview.

CHAPTER OUTLINE

1. Media-Training Fundamentals – Page 235

Great spokespeople are not born, they are made. It is the PR practitioner’s job to provide
the training and coaching to give spokespeople the confidence to speak with the media.
This section covers the fundamentals and explains the importance of media training. It
also discusses journalists’ opinion of media training.

2. Content of Interviews: What to Say – Page 240

This section reviews the importance of key messages and exerting control of the message.
The media often act as the conduit to the target audiences, so it is important that the
spokesperson has clarity around the messaging they want to deliver to his/her audience.

3. Interview Delivery – Page 245

This section reviews the various techniques that spokespeople can use to deliver their key
messages during an interview. Spokespeople often have more control in an interview then
they might believe. Journalists control the questions, but spokespeople control the
answers.

4. How to Conduct Media Training Sessions – Page 257

PR practitioners are responsible for organizing and conducting media training sessions.
Each media training session is custom-tailored to the spokesperson’s experience level and
his/her specific circumstances. This section discusses how to conduct a media training
session and build a spokesperson’s confidence.
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 5. Mock Interviews – Page 259
Mock interviews are conducted in order to allow spokespeople the chance to practice
giving interviews in a safe environment and for PR practitioners to evaluate their skills
and provide coaching. This section provides a practical overview of how a mock
interview is run.

CHAPTER SOLUTIONS

Media-Training Fundamentals: Thinking Like a PR Practitioner (page 240)

1. Explain how media training prepares spokespersons to work with the media.

Answer: This question asks students to examine the numerous benefits of media training,
including preparing interview content and delivery style.

2. In some instances, PR practitioners play the role of the spokesperson. Would you like
to play that role in your career? What are the skills you would need to learn?

Answer: In addition to training others, PR practitioners may be asked to play the role of
spokesperson for their organization or for their clients if they are working at an agency.
Here students are asked to explore what it would be like to play that role, including its
benefits and challenges. They must also consider the different skills involved in doing
something yourself as opposed to teaching someone else to do it. These include
• Staying on message
• Using techniques to manage media interviews such as bridges, hooking, and flagging
• Being familiar with the organization

3. Conduct online research to find two Canadian public relations agencies that offer
media training. How do they describe their services? Compare and contrast the two.

Answer: It is always worthwhile for students to see how real-life practitioners describe the
work that they do and position their services. Media training is a service offered by the
majority of PR agencies. Some include

http://hkstrategies.ca/services/media-training/
www.presentwithease.com/mediatraining.html
http://www.elevenpr.com

4. Do you believe that individuals who are afraid or nervous about working with
journalists are justified? What strategy can the PR practitioner use to help the
spokesperson overcome these feelings?

Answer: This question asks students to ponder the challenges of being a spokesperson and
the reasons why some individuals find it daunting, such as the fear of being misquoted, of
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 being asked questions for which they don’t have the answer, or of embarrassing themselves
or their organizations. It will also make them consider the support and guidance they must
give the spokespersons that they will train in their PR careers. Part of their role is to boost
the confidence of their spokespersons and enable them to appear self-assured in their
dealings with journalists.

Content of Interviews: What to Say: Thinking Like a PR Practitioner (page 245)

1. How much control do spokespersons have over the answers they give in an interview?

Answer: One of the benefits of media training is that spokespersons gain an understanding
of how to manage media interviews. They may not control the questions that will be given,
but they have full control over the answers. The more prepared spokespersons are, the better
they can manage interviews and remain calm and professional no matter what questions are
thrown at them.

2. Read your local newspaper and find a story where a spokesperson is quoted.
Determine the key messages that the spokesperson got across—if any.

Answer: In this exercise students are to first identify an article where a spokesperson was
interviewed and quoted. Next they are to determine if the spokesperson was able to get any
messages across and what those messages might be, and to analyze the type of organization
featured to determine whether the key messages will be helpful.

Interview Delivery: Thinking Like a PR Practitioner (page 257)

1. Explain two tactics that can be used to manage a media interview.

Answer: Students here have an opportunity to review and understand some of the
techniques that spokespersons use in interviews. These include

• Bridges
• Positive body language
• Sound bites
• Remaining calm and professional
• Reviewing key messages prior to the interview

2. Discuss the differences among the four types of media interviews. What do you think is
the most challenging type of media interview and why?

Answer: Interviews must be custom-tailored to each media type as they all have different
requirements. For instance, television is a visual medium, so how you appear is important.
Spokespersons must carefully consider their body language and what they wear. Radio is
fast-paced and the message is limited to what can be heard, so short, simple sentences work
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 best. Tone of voice is also important. Print media interviews are longer, providing more
opportunities to share details, but the spokesperson has less control because the audience
does not hear their words directly. Digital journalists, such as bloggers, are increasingly
breaking stories first and are to be treated with the same respect as other media types.

The television interview is often considered the most challenging because you must focus
not just on the message, but very much on the delivery and how you will appear to your
audience. For instance, if the spokesperson looks worried during an interview this will instill
worry in the audience.

3. You are the spokesperson for the launch of a new electric car by a leading car
manufacturer. Determine three key messages and then turn them into sound bites.
Practise the sound bites in teams with one person playing the journalist.

Answer: It is one thing to understand sound bites and the delivery of messages theoretically.
It is another thing entirely to exhibit those skills. This exercise enables students to come up
with key messages and then turn those messages into sound bites and practise them. As in
real media-training sessions, the more questions a spokesperson is asked, the better prepared
they will be for interviews.

4. How can bridges help a spokesperson stay on message when an interviewer is asking
questions on a different topic?

Answer: Bridges are a way to bring a wandering interview or a negative question back to
the subject area the spokesperson wants to discuss. After the question is asked, the
spokesperson says a bridge statement and then proceeds to the key messages. Some bridges
include

A question I am often asked …

Let’s talk about the bigger picture …
What is important to remember is …
There is more to the story, specifically …
Have you considered …

How to Conduct Media-Training Sessions: Thinking Like a PR Practitioner (page 259)

1. Explain how to conduct a media-training session. Give five examples of what needs to
be organized.

Answer: Media-training sessions are a combination of theory, where spokespersons learn

how the media work, and hands-on practice with mock interviews that are recorded, played
back, and critiqued. In addition, the practitioner must provide counselling and boost the
confidence of the spokesperson. The practitioner conducting the media-training session is in
charge of all elements, including

• Developing questions to ask the spokesperson

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 • Preparing all the theory that will be covered in the session
• Securing and setting up a room where the spokesperson can be trained without
interruption and in privacy
• Organizing audiovisual equipment such as a camera and computer or a television to
view the interviews
• Drafting an agenda
• Preparing take-home documents for the spokesperson that discuss the theory around
media interviews

2. Preparing spokespersons also means building their confidence. How can a PR

practitioner do that, especially if a spokesperson is consistently making mistakes
during the media-training session?

Answer: It is key that practitioners find a way to help spokespersons learn and correct their
mistakes in both delivery and content. At the same time, practitioners need to make
spokespersons feel confident that they can master the skills and do well in interviews. They
do so by encouraging the spokespersons and pointing out what they do well. While
reviewing mock interviews, it is particularly helpful to begin by complimenting the
spokespersons instead of focusing just on areas of improvement.

Mock Interviews: Thinking Like a PR Practitioner (page 261)

1. Do you think you are capable of asking your spokesperson challenging questions?
Why or why not?

Answer: This can be hard for even experienced practitioners and is the reason why they
sometimes hire journalists to conduct the mock interviews. In order to be well prepared,
spokespersons must be asked gruelling questions covering every potential situation. They
must be pushed and tested. These challenging sessions are conducted for two reasons. The
first is to develop answers to the difficult questions. The second is to ensure that
spokespersons can remain calm and professional under duress. However, sometimes
spokespersons can become upset by the questioning and forget that practitioners are only
doing their job. That’s why sometimes its better to have a third party conduct the
questioning.

2. Watch the evening news or a news program such as W5 or 60 Minutes that contains
interviews with spokespersons. Select one and judge how well the spokesperson did
overall. Give two reasons for your opinion.

Answer: Media training involves analyzing and critiquing interviews, and here students can
put these skills to the test. When analyzing the interviews it is important to consider how
well the spokespersons handled the questions, if they remained calm and professional, and if
they used any techniques to stay on message.

Case Study: The Cookie Incident: A Tale of Warning (page 261)

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Solution Manual for Canadian PR for the Real World Maryse Cardin, Kylie McMullan

1. Go to YouTube and look at the video of the cookie incident (key words: Duckett
cookie). Analyze what happened and how Duckett handled the media inquiries. What
steps could he have taken to work with the journalists in this case?

Answer: In this question students can ponder an alternative strategy to what actually
occurred. As in most cases where media interviews go wrong, a few simple steps could have
generated a very different and a likely more positive outcome. Even though he was in a
hurry and a media conference was scheduled for later, Duckett could have given a short,
impromptu media conference on the steps. His first step should have been to put the cookie
away and address the concerns that the people of Alberta had over this issue. When a
spokesperson refuses to speak to a journalist, it looks to the public as if they are refusing to
speak to them. The whole thing could have been over in five minutes and Duckett would
have been on his way.

2. Write three key messages that Duckett could have used in this situation.

Answer: An example of three key messages Duckett could have used are

1. We are very concerned with this issue and are working hard to solve it.
2. We understand the concern that the people of Alberta have and we take this very
seriously.
3. A media conference will be held shortly and we will provide more information.

3. Was Alberta Health Services justified in terminating Duckett for his poor performance
with the media? Why or why not?

Answer: Losing your job over a media interview that’s gone poorly is the worst nightmare
of every spokesperson. It is a rare occurrence, however, as most media interviews do not go
so badly as the Duckett cookie example. Students here have an opportunity to consider the
pressure that spokespersons may experience, especially under duress from journalists. They
can also consider the ethical argument of terminating an individual who makes a mistake.

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