Why Media Training Isn’t About Being Boring: Our response to the Rest is Entertainment Podcast

A recent episode of the Rest is Entertainment podcast - a podcast we normally love and hosted by two of my favourite people - got on to the subject of media training. And it led to a lengthy discussion.

Host Marina Hyde, who is also a renowned Guardian journalist and columnist, claimed it teaches people to “be boring”.

She said: “It is the enemy of fun discussion."

She used how tennis star Emma Raducanu dealt with a question about voting in the general election to show how she feels spokespeople are trained to identify and avoid potential interview pitfalls.

She said: “Do you remember a few weeks ago during Wimbledon, they said to Emma Raducanu ‘Will you be voting today?’ and she said, ‘Thanks, I didn’t actually know it was the election’? People were like, ‘That’s awful’, ‘How disengaged’. But I’m not sure.

“The question ‘Are you voting?’ and you say ‘Yes’ – she knows very well what her next question is going to be.

“What they are trying to do is entrap you’.”

Emma Raducanu says she did not know general election vote was on Thursday The Guardian

NEW BALLOTS PLEASE Emma Raducanu admits she didn’t know the General Election was happening as she snubs vote for Wimbledon practice The Sun

Let's assume the comment was an attempt to sidestep a potentially political question, rather than not knowing an election was on at that time. A better approach would probably have been to say something like: "I am. I think it's important to vote. But I also like to keep my political views to myself." It would have prevented the 'ignorant' reaction. 

Anyway, the host then went on to discuss an example we’ve previously highlighted in our media training blogs.

She said: “Now, I spoke to another sportsman who had just been through some media training. And he gave me quite an interesting example of what the firm he had used had told him.

“It was all about trap words, and they did a real case study of something that had actually happened. Chris Woakes, the cricketer, was being interviewed by the BBC and was asked for his views about Jofra Archer, who was born in Barbados, being added to the World Cup squad.

“He was asked if it was fair that had occurred. And he said, ‘Fair is probably not the right word. It wouldn’t be fair morally, but at the same time it is the nature of international sport’.

“Then we cut forward to Charis Woakes, which you can still see on Twitter saying, ‘I’m not sure this is the exact context of all these stories’. All these stories had come out saying, 'It would not be fair morally says Chris Woakes for Jofra Archer to play for England'.

“He’s repeated the word ‘fair’. He’s also added the word ‘morally’, and now he’s in a terrible pickle. It’s not his fault, by the way.

“So, what they are now trying to say to you is, ‘Don’t say those certain words’. Again, they are trying to make you boring. You are trying to take the heat out of every question and not repeat words.”

Chris Woakes claims Jofra Archer World Cup selection would be 'morally unfair' Mirror

Chris Woakes claims Jofra Archer World Cup selection would be 'morally unfair' BBC Sport

Marina's views were shared by co-host Richard Osman, who is also an author and television presenter.

“There is an industry there that is waiting for you to say something they can clip out for a headline,” he said.

“I do a lot of interviews for the book and all sorts of things, and I’m always incredibly aware of anything they can use as a pull quote, which is where they take half of one of your sentences, put it in bold, and that’s their storyline.

“Having been in the business for a long time, I’m listening all the time and thinking, ‘Maybe clip that out’ and occasionally you will say something and go ‘Oh no, that’s what they are going to go with.

“So, it does mean you can’t talk openly.”

And he offered an example of how he feels journalists try to catch out interviewees.

He said: “If you get interviewed by the Radio Times, they are always trying to catch you out. They will spend an hour with you talking about the book and the House of Games. And then, right at the end, they go ‘There’s a lot of pressure on the licence fee at the moment, do you think it should be abolished?’.

“And you are like, ‘This one is not for me’. That’s not because you don’t want to give an opinion. You just think, ‘I’ve done a whole interview. I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve said some things that are quite funny and represent me, and I’m not just going to say something that will be the front cover.”

He added: “The other side of media training which is really interesting – and you get it a lot with young footballers – is they sit and watch it with you and say, ‘Have a look at how you are speaking’, ‘You’ve just spoke over them there’, ‘You’ve said ‘you know’ three times in the sentence.

“People who do media training with footballers love it because footballers are incredibly good at taking instruction. That has been their entire career. You tell them what to do, and they do it.

“That side is fascinating, seeing how you come across and how you play with others.”

It is an interesting listen.

But it is also annoying. And it misrepresents media training – at least the training we provide.

We don’t want spokespeople to be boring. Nothing could be further from the truth.  For us, effective media spokespeople express feelings, show emotions and tell personal stories and anecdotes.

We want to see passion and enthusiasm in interviews. And – with good training – you can do that and still choose your words carefully and avoid pitfalls, like repeating the journalist’s loaded language, which effectively allows them to put their words in your mouth.

The fear of saying something you shouldn’t - and it ending up in headlines and social media posts - is perfectly understandable.  We hear it a lot at the start of our courses.

But we tell our delegates that if your main aim in an interview is to avoid saying the wrong thing, you will appear evasive, defensive and dull. And are then more likely to face difficult questions.

A much better approach is to have a positive, more ambitious aim. Think of a headline you would like to create from your interview or the one message you would want the audience to take away.

Even when dealing with a negative story or a crisis media management incident there will be a message you want to get across.

Richard’s anecdote about the final question in a Radio Times interview is also worth exploring.

During our training, we refer to this as the ‘while you are here’ or ‘while I’ve got you’ question.  

You’ve discussed all the issues you have set out to talk about and have answered all the questions on the topic. And then suddenly, the journalist asks something unexpected. It’s topical and vaguely related to what you do but has little to do with what you arranged to speak about.

This type of question is sometimes asked simply because it is a topical issue, and the journalist feels you may have something to add to what is already known. At other times, it is asked because they don’t feel they have got a strong story. Or because they think the spokesperson is being robotic, boring and scripted.  

These ‘unexpected’ questions can often be anticipated. They are normally always on something topical. So, spokespeople can prepare for them in advance and work out what to say so it does not become a distraction from their message.

Ultimately, media training is about creating spokespeople who feel confident, prepared to face the media and able to tell your story. Not just survive in interviews. It builds their confidence. It also gives them the tools to control media interviews, navigate potential pitfalls, and get key messages across successfully.

It also removes the mystery surrounding the news media, which can often feel alien, and ensures spokespeople understand what journalists look for in a media interview.

We could go on. We believe the benefits of media training are endless.

We’ve even got courses to help spokespeople with podcast appearances.

Media First are media and communications training specialists with over 35 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.

Subscribe here to be among the first to receive our blogs.