A Guide to Media Training Companies

Media training companies help you gain greater influence over your message and the confidence to make it land as you intended – no matter the medium.

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WHAT DO MEDIA TRAINING FIRMS DO?

They offer a specialized approach and immediate results.

Media training companies primarily work with executives, spokespersons, and subject matter experts – though training can benefit anyone who interacts with the media – to focus on their media interview techniques and nonverbal communication.

That’s because the way we communicate in everyday life doesn’t automatically translate to a two-minute live media interview or a tightly edited quote in a newspaper article or magazine feature.

Media training builds on the communication skills and talents you already have and provides you with the tools and techniques to convey your message the way you intended and to the audience that matters most to you.

Those media training tips include strategies to help you answer tough and challenging questions with poise and confidence, as well as project effective body language – which can enhance the impact of your words. These are skills that can help you to work with any medium.

During a media interview skills training, you can expect to learn how to:

  • get the headlines you want
  • cite data in a compelling manner
  • spot (and avoid) reporters’ tricks
  • identify your true target audience
  • avoid a PR nightmare
  • manage adversarial and hostile questioning
  • tell a more compelling story
  • get back on track after an off-topic question
  • … and more.

The best media training workshop will focus on individualizing these strategies to your personality and approach to media interviews, so that your authenticity shines through.

When you energetically deliver a credible and memorable message that you genuinely believe in, you are more likely to connect and engage with your audience, become a “go-to” spokesperson, and reach a wider audience for the business or organization that you represent.

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OUR GIFT TO YOU

An Essential Guide for Media Interviewing Success

In this free e-book, you will learn how to develop a compelling media message, deliver it effectively, and modify your approach to meet the medium.

An Essential Guide for Media Interviewing Success

Why Work with a Media Training Company?

Enhance your media presence

It is true that some people are naturally captivating communicators, but not every savvy spokesperson is  born that way. They constantly refine and reinforce their messages through training, practice, and preparation. By nurturing their communication skills and adjusting their approaches, they improve over time.

When you work with a professional media training company, you can become a better spokesperson, subject matter expert, or interviewee by learning the valuable media skills that allow you to best convey your message, remain authentic, and stay in control of your media interviews. In the process, you build and enhance your media presence.

When we work with clients, we provide beginners with a set of media training tips and techniques they can apply to future interviews, and we offer more experienced spokespersons advanced techniques to improve their existing skill set. When you work with a media trainer, you will learn how to:

  • Use the specific best practices for all forms of media, including online interviews and live streams
  • Identify and prepare for the questions the media are likely to ask
  • Field questions that are unexpected and challenging during real-to-life practice sessions
  • Tailor your techniques to your specific style and content
  • Reduce fear and anxiety during your media interview
  • Learn how to comment when you can’t
  • … and more

Working with a media training company provides you with the tools to get the job done, the feedback to use those tools most effectively, and the practice and real-time application to wield them immediately.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A MEDIA TRAINING AGENCY

Media training companies that genuinely want their clients to succeed focus on immediate improvement and long-term growth. When looking for a specialist who will take your media communications skills to a new level, look for a firm that customizes proven and field-tested practical advice to your particular challenges and goals, and sticks with you after the training is done. Here’s what you also should look for:

  • Up-to-date knowledge

    A media training company should focus on tips, techniques, and commonsense recommendations that are rooted in up-to-date research, practical theory, and best practices that can easily be adapted and implemented for traditional and emerging media platforms. The media training tips and techniques should also be tailored toward your distinct corporate, nonprofit, or governmental culture, unique industry standards, the audiences you are likely to face, and the current challenges and opportunities of your professional community.

  • Proven track record

    A professional and knowledgeable media training company’s proverbial calling card will include high-quality references and satisfied clients – the comments of which will likely be on their website and company literature. If you require a deeper dive into credentials, call, or email some of the firm’s clients. Also, read everything you can by the firm – its blog, published articles, and/or books. Make sure their approach to training matches your personality and learning style.

  • Follow through

    Once the media training ends, and you are encouraged to take what you learn for real-life applications, how will you know if you are growing those media training skills over time? Mastery of any skill takes superior instruction and ongoing commitment. Your training partner should be with you long after your training session is through and provide post-training education. Seek media training companies that offer follow-up consultations and training materials that will help you learn, practice, and refine new skills throughout the year.

  • Language experts

    Our language is constantly evolving to reflect shifting cultural beliefs, norms, and values; political trends; societal behavior; and geo-political changes. Your media training firm should be aware of the changing linguistic landscape and provide guidance for the use of appropriate words, terms, and phrases so that you do not unintentionally alienate your audience, damage your credibility, or harm the reputation of the organization that you represent.

WHAT MAKES THROUGHLINE GROUP'S MEDIA TRAINING DIFFERENT

Our proven teaching methodology features a diverse mix of relevant activities designed to help participants grow their skill set meaningfully—often dramatically—right away. We do this through:

  • Full customization

    Relevant practice interview questions. Tailored agenda. Extensive clips review prior to your training. We’ll know you before you walk in the door.

  • Deeper curriculum

    You’ll learn the most essential media interviewing skills — but you’ll go deeper than the basics. We’ll teach you the subtle points that often get overlooked — but can make a huge difference.

  • Greater focus on your message

    Many media training workshops over-emphasize body language. While the manner in which you deliver your message is vitally important, your delivery rests upon the quality of your message. We’ll give you detailed feedback on both.

  • Extensive practice and practical feedback

    You’ll have the opportunity to practice, experiment, expand your range and receive personalized feedback, whether during in-person media training in NYC, at your location, or via remote live online training. There’s no delayed gratification here—you’ll be able to implement the feedback you receive immediately and watch your confidence soar as your skills grow in real time. We’ll give you the direct feedback you need to grow, but in the warm and encouraging environment you deserve.

  • Continual refinement

    We are constantly assessing industry trends and best practices to ensure our clients have the strategies and techniques they need to navigate current and future communication environments. We’ve offered live, virtual media skills training online, and tips on online and live streaming interviews, for the past decade - well before the COVID-19 pandemic hit at the beginning of 2020. As we adjust and adapt, we share those insights and recommendations with our clients.

  • Highly experienced trainers

    Since 2004, our trainers have helped media guests prepare for the world’s biggest stages, including virtually every major broadcast and cable news outlet, radio network, newspaper, website and more. We’ve prepared members of Congress for national prime time interviews, top executives for interviews with hostile reporters, and advocates publicizing lifesaving safety campaigns. Whatever your communications challenge, we’ve likely seen it—and have the experience to help you meet it.

Wayne Bloom, Commonwealth Financial Network CEO, reviewing Throughline's workshops

WHAT CLIENTS ARE SAYING

"I consider them an extension of our senior management team."

We’ve worked with the Throughline team for more than a decade, and I attribute the dramatic rise in the quality of our presentations and media relations directly to their guidance. I continue to rely on them for their invaluable perspective on both the style and substance of my most essential communications and consider them an extension of our senior management team.

Wayne Bloom, CEO, Commonwealth Financial Network See More Reviews

TIPS ON VETTING MEDIA TRAINING FIRMS

  • Look for individualized attention

    Your media training should be completely customized. The trainer you select should conduct deep research into your industry, review previous media clips and identify your biggest media challenges, in order to develop relevant practice interview questions that have real-life application and value.

  • Consider your comfort level

    Research media training companies until you find the one whose teaching approach aligns with your style, content, and specific presentation needs. Good trainers are high on the EQ (emotional intelligence) scale — that is, they are able to sense the vulnerabilities of their trainees and adjust their styles to match the needs of the group. It’s necessary for trainers to deliver straightforward feedback to trainees — but in an approachable manner that leaves participants receptive to feedback (and often asking for more).

  • Assess best practices

    Is the firm constantly evolving and keeping up with trends in the industry? For instance, was the firm providing media skills training online before the COVID-19 pandemic?

  • Seek references

    Because larger companies don’t always send the firm’s principal to do your training, find out about their media training guidelines. Who will do the training? How often do they train? Also, get references for the trainer and the firm. One important question to ask: “Did you see substantial improvement in your trainees’ speaking skills during the session?”

  • Consider industry reach

    Is the firm a lone wolf or an industry thought leader? Are they a regularly cited expert source? Do they publish white papers or challenge outdated industry advice? A quick online search often answers some of these questions. And don’t be afraid to ask the firm to talk about the role they play in the industry.

MEDIA TRAINING COMPANY FAQS

Here are some of the top questions we receive:

Can I expect to see improvements after just one session?

Yes. Media training companies should be focused on your distinct needs and audience so that you can see immediate improvements after just one media training session. We believe you gain fluency in your media communications when effective tips and techniques are delivered through immersion and practice using real-life scenarios. We’ve seen how practical guidance can result in significant and noticeable improvement within hours (or less).

Does the trainer have to be an expert in my industry?

Too much specialized industry knowledge can prevent a trainer from seeing the 35,000-foot level, meaning both trainer and trainee spend too much time in the weeds. However, trainers should conduct solid research into your industry so the training can be personalized to the media questions and requests that you typically receive. Your media training seminar should be focused on the issues that matter most to you, your industry, and your audiences.

Should the trainer be a former journalist?

While experience as a journalist can add depth and expertise to your team or executive media training session, simply having journalism in your background does not necessarily make you a strong media trainer. A media trainer should have the experience and resources to help you work more efficiently and effectively with the media, as well as a solid background in public speaking, strategic communications, and sound teaching and coaching skills.

Is there one teaching style that works better than others?

We’ve found interactive exercises and multiple practice rounds are the best and most effective way to identify the training methods that will lead to lasting results. The most efficient training is a tailored approach that aligns techniques and strategies with your style, content, and specific media needs.

Is media training only useful for spokespersons and subject matter experts?

Media training is especially important for company executives, government officials, nonprofit leaders, spokespersons, and subject matter experts. But anyone who interacts with the media or who prepares others for media interviews can benefit from media training.

What’s more effective, live online or in-person training?

We’ve offered live remote training for more than a decade and have found live online and in-person training to be equally effective – and our clients concur. Our online media training workshops are specifically designed for the online learning environment. That means shorter and more frequent highly customized online sessions with our coaches.

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