Overview
While you can usually anticipate when the media will come calling, sometimes your window to influence the conversation is tight. Identifying and training media-friendly spokespeople before you need them helps ensure the news reported about your brand is shaped by your key messages.
At the conclusion of our extensive media training program, participants will understand media channel nuances and be able to prepare and prioritize concise messages, confidently deliver compelling talking points, employ strategic answering techniques and effectively guide the conversation about your organization.
Project Money is a very literal expression of just how life-changing Summit Credit Union’s financial resources are for its members. The competition follows four teams over seven months as they reduce debt and increase savings in an effort to win $10,000. Project Money participants’ friends, families and neighbors are encouraged to follow along and learn from their financial journeys. But to keep them engaged, participants need to clearly communicate their experiences, not only in writing (on their social platforms and in blog posts), but also through in-studio interviews on Madison’s NBC affiliate.
Each competition cycle, we join participants to explain the program’s requirements and arm them with a variety of tools to communicate their stories. Many of the teams have limited social media experience, and, to date, none have done TV interviews prior to Project Money, so we provide a safe forum to practice. Over the course of an afternoon, we host icebreakers, share messaging templates, discuss social media tips, offer tried-and-true presentation pointers and conduct live-camera practice.
At the end of our session, participants walk away with a clear sense of what’s in store for them over the coming months, but more importantly, they’re confident that they’ll be able to share their experiences and inspire others to also take control of their finances.
To help prepare new franchisees and managers for the challenge of running a restaurant, Culver’s invites them to participate in a 16-week training course aptly named ButterBurger University. In-restaurant training is the main focus, but some sessions warrant classroom instruction. One class we help teach: media training.
Franchisees are often called upon to participate in interviews, so we begin the day-long training by explaining the importance of developing relationships with media, then teach participants how to develop compelling messages. With a footprint the size of Culver’s, it’s also important that franchisees understand what to do—and not to do—when a crisis strikes in traditional or social media. All 30+ participants navigate two realistic interview scenarios through live camera practice. They receive a copy of the presentation and an open offer to revisit the training anytime they need a refresher.
As a result, owner-operators walk away with a roadmap for building relationships with their local media and strengthening Culver’s reputation within their communities.
