Refresher Media Course
So you took part in a media training course 15 years ago when VHS was all the rage, we had 5 TV channels in the UK, Satellite TV was still in it's infancy and the internet was something used by university geeks and the Government? Of course you'll be able to handle any media encounter. . . or perhaps not! In the space of just a few years, news gathering has changed dramatically and the methods that reporters and journalists use to glean information from you and about you has also moved on.
The idea that citizen journalism would become a valuable resource for news editors would have been dismissed as fantasy but that is no longer the case.
Most news editors will gladly run "today" pictures provided by members of the public or uploaded to YouTube, twitter or Facebook. This could result in your company being misreported or in the media spotlight before you or any of your spokespeople are available to engage with the press so keeping the skills 100% up to date is vital.
How often should we run refresher courses ?
One common question we are asked is "How often should we run refresher courses?" and the simple answers is - as often as you can!
In reality, every 12 to 18 months is fine for senior management and dedicated media spokespeople and 18 months to 2 years for security, reception, front of house and first point of contact. In the case of relative support and media telephone responders we suggest a half day refresher every 9 to 12 months as they really will be in the front line of media enquiries during the early stages of a major incident.
Business support team leaders, CEO, Chairman and MD level spokespeople should also look at putting aside a half day every 6 to 9 months concentrating on different media interview disciplines each time. The format for a full day refresher is similar to the new course and applies to media, telephone responders and relative support courses and this full day refresher is recommended for participants who have not undertaken any training in the past 2 years. Obviously the newspaper headlines and video examples are 10% up to date and, after 2 years almost everyone will have forgotten the basic skills and techniques from the original session.
We include different interview disciplines including down the line, one to one and 3 way radio interviews and this full day refresher moves at a quicker pace than the beginners course. It is only suitable for participants who have undertaken previous media training and there is far less theory and much more practice.
The half day regular refresher for media training includes at least 5 interviews for each participant with ambush, media crush, radio, down the line and press conference all within a 3 1/2 to 4 hour session. For up to 5 participants who have been trained within the last 18 months, this fast paced refresher cuts to the chase straight away and is 80% practical with only brief reminders of techniques and theory. In the case of media telephone responders, the full day refresher will follow a similar format to the original course but will include more role play and practical experience.
Once again, it's important to refresh the theory and bring the latest techniques into play but this is a fast paced day suitable for up to 10 participants who have previously taken part in the beginners course. A half day refresher for up to 6 participants will include "live exercise" mode normally located in the actual media responders room using the equipment that would be set up during a real incident. External media from our Norwich and Aberdeen bases run a series of calls followed by feedback then a further session of non stop media enquiries.
This course is suitable for participants who have been trained within the last 12-18 months and always receives very positive feedback!Relative support refresher training includes external calls from role players who have been given very basic information. These are highly experienced callers who will re-create the pressure and urgency during exercise play.
Each responder will will receive a series of calls using the actual response room or similar call centre, be expected to keep log sheets, flag up areas of concern to the team leader and maintain a calm, accurate and constant flow of information for concerned relatives. Courses can be run as a full day for up to 12 participants or half day for up to 6 people and the refresher is 80% practical and only suitable for participants who have been trained within the last 12 months Security and front of house should put aside a half day for telephone calls and doorstep style interviews as these are the most likely media encounters. Although you would not expect security, reception or facilities staff to engage directly with the press or undertake formal interviews, they are the front face of the company at the earliest stage of the incident and need to regularly prepare for the unexpected media enquiry.
As with all refresher training, this course is based on practice and interviews.