There’s a lot going on in the news.
But one of the stories that seems to keep bubbling up over the past few weeks is how much money the Government has spent on media training.
The latest story reports that more than £18,000 of taxpayer’s cash has been spent on the training.
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And that figure is being framed against a party that decided to axe winter fuel payments for pensioners.
We don’t know who the media training was with – it wasn’t us – and it is unclear how many delegates were trained.
What we do know is that four departments – the Treasury, Department for Health, Foreign Office and the Scotland Department spent the money over a six-month period on media and voice training.
The majority of the money was spent by the Treasury.
The information came to light through a series of questions posed by Conservative MP John Cooper.
He said: “What sticks in the craw is not the amount that's been spent here.
"Arguably, it's relatively small, but at a time when money is tight, and households are having to trim back on their budgets, it seems quite remarkable that the Treasury of all people should be spending money like this."
The Government has said that it is “perfectly routine” for ministers to receive media training.
And a “source” has pointed out that the previous Government spent more on the training, saying: "Tory MP John Cooper who is complaining about this spending is the same John Cooper who worked as an adviser in the last Government when it spent vast sums on media training, including handing a £110,000 contract to Rishi Sunak’s TV debate coach."
The figures have, however, created a series of headlines.
Gaffe-prone Labour spend £17,000 on media training The Spectator
The cost of Labour’s media training for ministers – despite series of gaffes The Telegraph
Rachel Reeves spent thousands on media training while hiking taxes and removing Winter Fuel Payment GB News
Treasury ministers spent thousands on media training while hiking taxes and removing winter fuel payments HuffPost
Ultimately, the story feels like little more than political point-scoring and mischief-making.
And some of the ‘gaffes’ highlighted in the coverage don’t feel like significant or memorable slip-ups.
But the story raises questions about the value of media training and the perception of whether it is money well spent.
Media training can sometimes be an easy scapegoat, and there can be misguided criticism about it teaching people – politicians mainly – to ignore questions.
That isn’t what our media training is about.
Our training helps delegates learn practical techniques to answer difficult questions from journalists and bring messages to life in a way that resonates with the audience and compels them to take action.
It enables them to overcome the fears that often surround being asked to give a media interview. And avoid making interview blunders and damaging remarks
In simple terms, it is about ensuring spokespeople are prepared to face the media so they boost your visibility, build trust and increase brand awareness.
Media awareness
Media skills training also improves understanding of how the media works – something that can often feel alien.
It increases knowledge of what makes a story newsworthy, what a reporter needs to tell a story and how stories can move up and down the news agenda - that brilliant media interview you've given could be reduced to a sound-bite clip because of factors beyond your control.
Delegates also develop an understanding of how news organisations can report a story differently. The more your people understand the news process, the more likely they are to come to the comms team with realistic story ideas and PR opportunities and push comms up the priority list.
Raised profile
Media training also presents leaders with the opportunity to raise their profile, be seen as 'go to' industry experts, set the agenda and raise the profile of their organisation.
There is no better way to increase your profile and showcase your knowledge and thought leadership than by giving regular media interviews.
Journalists have large contact books. But they tend to turn to those they know will help them tell a story and share thoughts that will keep their audience interested.
Horizon scanning
Media skills training can help identify potential problems on the horizon and possible reputation risks.
The current working journalists who deliver our training courses carry out detailed research and can uncover areas that may not play out well in the media and catch an organisation off-guard.
That could be issues around executive pay, business practices, diversity or sustainability, to give a few examples. It might be a senior leader's thoughts on an issue impacting the sector or government policy.
Identifying these issues can help prevent them from turning into a crisis or public relations disaster.
Hidden benefits
But the benefits go beyond the media.
One of the lesser-known benefits of good media training courses is that the skills and techniques don’t just help with TV interviews, talking on the radio or when speaking to print journalists. They are transferable.
We often hear from our clients that they help in other settings, such as meetings, handling difficult questions from colleagues and giving presentations.
Empathetic leadership
Click here to get you free media interview briefing template. The handy guide ensures spokespeople are best prepared for that crucial next media appearance. It covers media interview essentials, developing key messages and making them resonate, anticipating difficult questions and expert tips for success.
Empathy has become an increasingly crucial leadership skill as people face more stresses and challenges.
Interviews are about speaking to people you care about. That may be existing customers, potential new ones, investors or policy makers.
And they need to know you care.
The audience-first approach taken by our experienced journalist tutors puts leaders in the shoes of the people they want to reach so they better understand their challenges, problems, hopes and dreams.
They can then adapt what they want to say to ensure it resonates.
And these empathy skills can be used in internal communication, where they can boost employee engagement, build trust, and increase productivity.
And with those and many other benefits, surely investing in media training sounds like money well spent.
Media First are media and communications training specialists with nearly 40 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers.
Click here to find out more about our media training.
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