Who in your company needs media training?

It’s tempting to focus your media training only on your organization’s CEO and other C-suite executives. After all, the leadership team is most likely to interact with the press when making a public announcement or giving an interview.
 
However, including other employees, even ones who are unlikely to ever act as official spokespeople is good practice. Here’s why:
 
1️⃣​ Leave room for escalation
During a crisis, sending out the big guns could signal that a situation is worse than it really is. If the CEO heads a press conference, the media, employees, investors and other stakeholders could assume that the company is dealing with a significant issue.

However, sending out someone slightly lower down the corporate ladder indicates that the situation is not quite severe enough to demand the C-suite’s full attention.
 
Of course, it’s crucial to gauge the scenario accurately. It might absolutely warrant the presence of the organization’s leader, especially if there’s a death or significant incident.
 
Another benefit of not opting for the CEO as your initial spokesperson is that it gives you the freedom to move up the chain of command if needed.
 
2️⃣ Let the experts speak
When you know that tough technical questions are coming during an interview, press conference, or public hearing, your spokesperson better be able to answer them. That often means working with your CEO to ensure they have an excellent working knowledge of the technical details.
 
But it can also mean subbing out your CEO for a subject matter expert who can answer even the most complex questions and explain complex technology in layperson’s terms.
 
Having a handful of technical experts with the media savvy needed to face a roomful of journalists can be immensely useful and it can save your CEO the embarrassment of responding to technical questions with vague answers that make them look incompetent.
 
​3️⃣ Prepare frontline employees for an ambush
Journalists know how to get their hands on a juicy visual or soundbite. For instance, they know that showing up at your HQ with a camera crew will likely cause a stir.
 
Imagine all the ways in which things can go wrong. Security personnel might push an overeager camera operator aside or clasp a meaty hand over a lens. An ambushed employee might shout “no comment” over his shoulder as he bolts for the elevator. A flustered receptionist might struggle to get hold of a senior leader and accidentally say something they shouldn't.
 
Reporters occasionally avoid ‘official’ channels in an effort to get more candid, less scripted responses from staff lower on the org chart.
 
To prevent the above, all employees across the organization should receive media training. They don’t need the in-depth, on-camera training of spokespeople, but they should know the basics and be savvy about the media.
 
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