‪Communicating with the media: So easy to get wrong. Simple to get right‬

Companies contradict themselves. In fact communications companies are often the worst at communicating. Especially the telecoms people.

Similarly, IT companies always boast that they are about agility, reacting quickly and empowering their staff to make decisions. Then they panic if a journalist even asks them for their name, job title or a photograph. Either that or they send out a hapless untrained engineer to do a 'tech' interview.

The journalist then asks said engineer for a simple uncontroversial and harmless piece of information. They stare back at the reporter like a rabbit trapped in the headlights. A little bit of puffing and stammering then ensues followed by some head scratching.

Some companies will have a PR which they use as a crutch and a scapegoat. So in that tricky interview, instead of answering they give pleading looks at said PR who, in turn, wills them not to come out with something disastrous. Eventually, after an excruciating pause, they’ll hit on an answer they’ve seen given on TV such as ‘no comment.’ A little bit of their PR person dies inside. The journalist sighs and points out that he’s only asked about what the new service is called.

"No comment! I’ll have to get back to you. Not authorised to give comment. Could get sacked. More than my job’s worth. Must check with US head office," says the interviewee.

At this point the PR person decides that it’s time to wade in. Cringing inwardly and seeing things are rapidly going downhill, an answer is produced on their client’s behalf. Of course, this isn’t good for either the client or the agency. Both parties look incompetent.

Let's be honest - this just isn’t acceptable. And maybe I'm exaggerating a little to make my point. But if your competitors are getting it right, it also puts you at a huge disadvantage. It shows the company to be plodding, timid and about as agile as an oil tanker. And then there are the scary pitfalls of social media sites. These days you need to make sure that emotive knee jerk reactions or panicky defensive statements don’t end up on your company’s Facebook or Twitter page. One word out of place could be very costly indeed – retweets go on and on.

Media training would help with all of these unpleasant scenarios. Done properly, by real live journalists, it turns every one of your staff into an intelligent ambassador. It conveys the message that you really are a progressive, devolved, fast moving group of decision makers.

The fact is, PR people don’t make good media trainers. We know what we are doing when we deal with the press. Well, the decent ones amongst us do. Judging by the rants from journalists on Twitter there are still plenty of fee-takers who phone up asking, “Have you read my press release yet?” The fact is, however great your PR team might be, you need experienced journalists when it comes to media training.

Before any indignant PRs demand to know how I am qualified to say that, I do include myself in this statement. I have worked in PR for over 25 years, founded a successful PR agency and ran it for 22 years. Now I’m working as the PR Director for a full-service media agency and I still don't feel that media training is my area of expertise.

If people have been prepared to deal with the media, they feel at ease and represent their company far more effectively. And who better to train them? Yes, the very people they are dealing with.