Training by videoconference

WHAT MAKES OUR TRAINING BY VIDEOCONFERENCE DIFFERENT?

The media landscape has changed dramatically as the coronavirus crisis has intensified.

As social distancing continues, in-person television and radio studio interviews have been replaced by down-the-line interviews, using video channels like Skype and FaceTime and videoconferencing platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom. Our online training reflects these changes and prepares spokespeople for the specific challenges they present.

But the skills learnt are also transferrable to post-lockdown media interviews. You’ll still learn crucial media training techniques like bridging and signposting, which are just as important in face-to-face interviews.

Of course, a lot of media training companies are suddenly scrambling to make their training available online, but online training is not something new for us. We have been delivering courses online over the past five years as clients have asked us to train their employees all over the world at the same time.

This has put us in a good place to meet the challenges posed by the coronavirus crisis, as Rebecca Gillick, a senior communications executive at the Institution of Engineering and Technology recently found out.

So, what else makes us different?

• Since each course is bespoke, we can include elements of crisis communication, message development and testing, presentation skills, leadership communication, social media or communicating better online to help you meet your training aims.
  
  
• We can also adapt course times and session length to delegates’ new home-working environments, challenges and commitments. Our online sessions are typically shorter, with more breaks between face-to-face training and a greater focus on one-to-one coaching.
  
  
• Our brilliant online tutors all have professional video, audio and lighting setups and high-speed internet and they are fully supported by our in-house technical teams who can separately handle the delegate interaction and messaging.
  
  
• Our online courses are typically delivered on Business Zoom or Microsoft Teams platforms, which offer the most advanced video conferencing features. And we use the ‘breakout room’ feature of the video conferencing software to split larger groups for practical sessions. We can also use your own video conferencing software if that is your preference.
  
  
• We know that comms teams often like to observe our training, so we’ve made sure you can dip in and out of the online training at your convenience. And rest assured, you will still receive our detailed written feedback on each delegate a few days after the training has been completed.
  
  
• As well as being able to access their broadcast interviews from the training and tutor feedback through our secure library, delegates are also supported by a range of ‘out the classroom’ learning materials, including short videos presented by our tutors and eBooks specific to your sector. This helps to ensure they continue to develop after the course.

Here's what Matt Brocklehurst a branch transformation manager, from Nationwide, had to say after taking part in a recent Media First online presentations skills training course.

We’ve always believed that communication training courses should be more than just a training day. And the same is true for our online courses.