Through a one-day training session and ongoing coaching, two experienced journalists and training consultants, Helen Croydon and Alex Blyth, give  you the skills you need to perform well in media interviews and get the coverage you want in print, on radio, on television, and online.

Why do you need it?

The media can help you promote your company, increase your market share and raise your personal profile. But, if managed incorrectly, it can also destroy your reputation and damage your company beyond repair. No matter how senior, how experienced, every single senior executive should at some point in their career receive training in this area.

This isn’t just about avoiding the sort of gaffes that Gerald Ratner made famous 20 years ago, and Gordon Brown recently reminded us are so easy to make - this is also about giving you the confidence to convey your company’s positive messages clearly, calmly and effectively.

You will develop the skills and knowledge needed to perform well in a media interview. You will be comfortable dealing with the in-depth, challenging questions that print journalists pose, you won’t be thrown when a broadcast journalist puts a camera and microphone in your face, and you will become adept at delivering the sharp soundbites that make you stand out whatever the media.

What does it cover?

In a full-day session we cover the following:

- why performing well in media interviews matters
- what journalists want from you
- what messages you want to convey through journalists
- how to present your message in such a way that the journalist has to use it
- how to control the conversation
- techniques for a clear, calm and successful delivery
- how the broadcast media work
- the 8 golden rules of broadcast media interviews
- how to build long-term relationships with journalists

During the day each delegate puts this theory into practice with roleplay interviews, firstly with a print journalist and then with a broadcast journalist using camera and microphone. After each roleplay we evaluate performance, providing constructive feedback to each individual.

Then, following the training session we do up to four further roleplay interviews by telephone. These are at times to suit delegates and all scenarios are devised specifically to replicate the real situations that executive will be facing.

How are we really different?

We believe that training is most effective when a classroom theory session is reinforced with one-to-one coaching over the longer term.

So, after your day of training with us, we offer up to four free follow-up mock interviews. This gives you a great opportunity to practise your skills way after you have finished the course.

Delegates select the roleplay scenarios they want to do from a list devised specifically for them. All of these mock interviews are then conducted remotely over the telephone. Some are done as if for a print publication and others are recorded as if going out on air for a broadcast interview.

Following each mock interview Alex and Helen will provide detailed feedback that not only is both honest and insightful, but also constructive and encouraging.

There is no time limit on these free follow-up sessions so you can take them whenever you want.

Who are we?

The training is delivered by two practising journalists, Alex Blyth and Helen Croydon who will specialise in the print media and broadcast media respectively.

Print media training – Alex Blyth

Over the past decade Alex has been published in titles such as The Independent, Director, People Management, Media Week, Accountancy, Revolution, Training & Coaching Today, Marketing Week, Third Sector and PR Week, to name just a few. He has written three books - 'How to grow your business for entrepreneurs', published by Pearson, and '365 Ways to Cut Costs' published by the Directory for Social Change, were released in 2009, and "Brilliant Online Marketing", will be published by Pearson in late 2010. For more details see here: www.alex-blyth.co.uk

Broadcast media training – Helen Croydon

After starting her career as a breakfast newsreader and editor at Silk FM, Helen Croydon spent five years at ITN, first as a radio reporter and newsreader, then a video producer, reporter and presenter for online video clients including Telegraph TV, Blinx TV, Canoe TV, YouTube, Yahoo and MSN. She then launched and headed up a news service for Current TV and now freelances as a news producer and reporter for broadcasters including ITN Productions, NBC and ITV London, as well as writing for The Guardian, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, and The Independent. She also writes a monthly column for The Erotic Review. For more details see here:
www.helencroydon.com

Between them, Alex and Helen have many years experience as media trainers and a long list of very happy clients. Here is a selection of what our clients have had to say:

How much does it cost?

We charge £600 plus VAT per delegate with a minimum of two delegates per session.

To discuss further please e-mail or call:

Alex Blyth – ab@alex-blyth.co.uk – 07940 768353
Helen Croydon – Helen@helencroydon.com – 07801 354 566