Over the last year I have conducted media training with approximately 75 people. I think it’s fair to say that every one of these individuals benefited. And I think it’s fair to say that the vast majority, if not all, would hire me again. Certainly the parent organization that’s paid the bill has received very positive feedback.

But ultimately what I do is pretty simple, which is probably what makes my brand of media training better, frankly, than most. I have one basic goal for every media training session: give the “subject” one or two suggestions that will make them more comfortable and confident in dealing with the media and communicating, whether that communicating is on television or in a conversation in the grocery store line. That may be giving the person a specific interview skill, giving them permission to be themselves on the air, or offering a “mental paradigm” they can use to approach an interview (for example, viewing the interview as a conversation in which they are delivering their messages).

Here’s what I don’t do: I don’t try to change somebody’s communication style. I don’t try to make somebody who is dry into somebody cracking jokes. I don’t do what I’ve seen some media trainers do – teach dull people how to use humor, for example. Rather, I help them fine tune their natural communication style so they are an effective communicator. That dry individual? I embrace it. I don’t try to erase it. I help them inject their own personality into that style, helping them be “real” on camera, all while teaching them how to deliver their message and use the interview to pursue their communications agenda.

Here’s the most important tip I can give when hiring a media trainer (there’s a number of tips, but this is the most important): ask how they work with the trainee’s natural communications style. If they can’t answer that convincingly, don’t hire them. Because what you’ll get is an exciting media training session that has the lasting power of snow in Phoenix.

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