Core skills

After attending introductory-level media skills training delegates are able to:

• recognise a media interview as an opportunity to promote your agenda;
• understand what the news media want and how journalists approach interviews;
• prepare effectively for interviews at short notice and, if necessary, without support;
• define the purpose for each interview, setting out clear, concise and effective messages, anticipating likely questions and identifying the right lines-to-take;
• project a positive and confident image;
• apply key skills and techniques to control the direction of the interview and deliver strong key messages to achieve maximum impact;
• identify and deal with potentially contentious issues and media traps.