There are many ingredients in the recipe for successful media training: structure, practice, and feedback. But the “special sauce” is often-overlooked, the communication between your organisation’s media team and the media trainer before the session even begins.
That pivotal relationship and pre-course briefing can mean the difference between elevating your spokesperson’s performance or just going through the motions of another generic training day.
Why pre-session communication matters
Every organisation, every executive, and every spokesperson comes to media training with different motivations and pressure points. Without discussing these in advance, training risks becoming little more than a cookie-cutter exercise, a box-ticking exercise that fails to build lasting skills.
When organisations take the time to brief their trainer properly, the training gains a clear focus and measurable objectives. It stops being generic and starts being tailored, relevant, and effective.
Key considerations before media training begins
At least a week before your media training session, take time to prepare and share with your trainer:
- Structure and detail of interview scenarios
- Key message format and structure currently in use
- Most feared questions likely to be asked by journalists or stakeholders
- Brutal but accurate assessment of spokesperson strengths and weaknesses
- Clear objectives for what success should look like after the training
This level of preparation ensures the training isn’t just about practice, but about deliberate improvement in the areas that matter most.
The value of impartial and realistic feedback
One of the biggest advantages of bringing in an external media trainer is their ability to deliver frank, constructive feedback to spokespeople, even senior executives.
Internal politics, reporting lines, or performance appraisals can cloud feedback when it comes from within. A trainer acts as a buffer, giving professional, impartial, and realistic guidance without the weight of position, politics, or personality clashes.
That kind of feedback is critical to helping spokespeople grow, not just survive their next interview.
A team approach to Media Spokesperson Training
A skilled media trainer will quickly identify strengths and weaknesses as a session progresses. But if they’ve been properly briefed ahead of time, you save valuable session time and ensure the focus is on your priorities.
This makes the training more strategic, efficient, and relevant, and gives you the “special sauce” that elevates media training from standard to exceptional.
In short: when organisations and trainers work in partnership, the training doesn’t just build skills, it builds confidence, resilience, and credibility.
Why cookie-cutter Media Training doesn’t cut it
Generic, one-size-fits-all training may look cost-effective on paper, but it rarely delivers. Online masterclasses and self-paced modules can cover theory, but they cannot replicate:
- The pressure of live questioning
- The nuances of hostile or unexpected interviews
- Feedback tailored to your industry and spokesperson
That’s why investing in professional, journalist-led media training, tailored to your team, your organisation, and your challenges, is the only way to get results that truly stick.
Get Media Training that you can actually use in the real world
At Saltwater Media, our training is not about ticking boxes, it’s about transforming spokespeople into confident, credible communicators.
Whether it’s Media Training, Media Spokesperson Training, or advanced Crisis Communication Spokesperson Training, we work with you before the session begins to understand your organisation’s needs and objectives. That preparation becomes the special sauce that ensures training is practical, relevant, and impactful.
Sessions are delivered one-on-one or with small teams, and tailored to your industry, whether government, mining, energy, corporate enterprise, or beyond.
Don’t risk wasting time and money on training that goes through the motions. Invest in training that prepares your leaders for the reality of the media spotlight.
About Luke Waters
Luke Waters is a communications consultant, media trainer, and former journalist with deep experience preparing spokespeople for high-stakes interviews and public communication. He has completed specialist training in Crisis Communications at the University of Technology Sydney and holds a Certificate in Leadership and Strategy in Stakeholder Engagement from the Australian Institute of Management.
Luke blends his newsroom background with structured training frameworks to help leaders and organisations build credible, confident, and resilient communication skills. His programs are tailored to the needs of each organisation and include:
- Media Training
- Media Spokesperson Training
- Crisis Communications Training
- Crisis Communications Spokesperson Training
- Incident Management Spokesperson Training
- Corporate Presentation Training
- Stakeholder Engagement Spokesperson Training
- Community Engagement Spokesperson Training
For a confidential, obligation-free discussion about your organisation’s training needs, contact us.