PR & media training delivers confidence for This Land
Company
This Land
Sector
Services
The Brief
Housebuilder, This Land, creates homes to deliver new communities across Cambridgeshire and the surrounding counties in the east of England. The nature of their work involves communicating with various stakeholders at different stages of the project. This can often encompass engaging with the media, including local and national as well as trade, TV and radio. This Land wanted to feel confident dealing with the media, in particular interview scenarios, so Fabrick delivered some valuable media training.
The Solution
It was important to make the training as authentic as possible, so Fabrick planned and delivered a one-day course utilising a professional TV studio located near the BBC in the heart of London.
Working closely with a former journalist - who had presented on BBC News, Sky News, BBC World, Five News and written for The Times and the Guardian – we planned live scenarios that were specific to This Land’s business requirements. And the renowned journalist offered the perfect balance between tutor and interviewer and provided invaluable insights and advice.
A morning of training was followed by a series of ‘live on air’ face to face and direct to camera interviews. With the facility to watch recordings back, it provided This Land with the ability to have direct critique.
The training looked at media interviews from the perspective of the interviewer, the audience and the interviewee. By understanding the role of each, it highlights the importance of the interviewee preparing key messages in advance and understanding how to seamlessly knit these in to an interview.
These key messages are also invaluable when interviewees are using the pivoting technique – where you avoid answering difficult questions by refocusing your answers to your key messages / talking points – which was also addressed during the media course.
The Results
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1 This Land’s management team is now better prepared to deliver key messages in interview scenarios.
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2 They have experience at live interview scenarios.
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3 This Land has been able to understand the thinking and potential format of questions an interviewer may ask.
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4 This Land’s key personnel now have the skills needed to address difficult media questions, professionally and eloquently.