Expertise

Media training forms the foundation of any communication program. From the handling of an interview and the launch of a new product to the reporting of quarterly financial results, companies that manage themselves well in the media arena gain huge benefits in building their brands and strengthening their corporate reputations. But companies that communicate poorly risk losing their market share and damaging their standing, sometimes irreparably.

Ketchum's Communications Training Network assists public spokespeople in navigating today's ever-evolving media landscape to address a wide range of public situations. Our strategic approach to training ensures that our clients identify communications objectives and develop targeted messages that resonate with their audiences. This process helps them craft messages that meld their goals with the values and concerns of their audience -- whether media, analysts or regulators.

Our trainers know the tough questions the media prefer to ask because they've been on the other side -- as reporters, anchors and producers. They know how to counsel media spokespeople on the firing line because they've been there. And they can guide clients to make successful presentations because they've been there as executive-development consultants, speechwriters and senior advisers to top officials.

Based on this experience, Ketchum's Communications Training Network has developed its range of services around six core competencies: 

1. Media training - The power and influence of the media have raised the stakes for interviews and make media training a necessity for many clients. With years of experience on both sides of a news interview, Ketchum trainers show clients how to make their messages more compelling and how to prevent interviews from becoming interrogations. Realistic on-camera role-playing and expert critique give clients the skills and confidence necessary to master any interview.
2. Presentation skills training - Effective presentations combine compelling content with persuasive delivery. Our training sessions focus on both preparation and practice. Ketchum trainers help clients hone their delivery skills and target presentations to specific audiences -- from analyst meetings and rating-agency reviews to U.S. Food and Drug Administration presentations and medical meetings.
3. Executive coaching - Our high-level, intensive coaching aims to prepare executives for challenging communications situations -- typically, a mission-critical speech, press conference, media interview, hearing or stakeholder opportunity. Sessions focus on techniques for effective and strategic communications -- from message development and issues management to realistic, on-camera role-playing and rehearsals.
4. Crisis communications - Our highly customized training seminars show clients how to avoid the most common mistakes organizations make in crisis communications. Intensive role-playing exercises help clients develop reassuring answers to the questions everyone wants answered in a crisis: What happened? How did it happen? Who was affected? What have you done to solve the problem? What steps have you taken to make sure it won't happen again?
5. Testimony training - Combining elements from both presentation skills and media training, Ketchum's testimony training prepares clients for high-stakes appearances before Congressional committees and other federal and state panels. Experienced trainers help clients prepare their testimony, coach them on their delivery and question them in the manner they can expect from both panel members during the hearing and later from reporters.
6. Celebrity spokesperson training - Clients seeking to cut through today's cluttered media environment often turn to celebrities to gain attention for their messages. Ketchum's training ensures that clients' investment in these marquee personalities pays off. Our trainers prepare athletes, musicians and actors for high-stakes national media interviews, satellite media tours, local market tours, press conferences and special events. 

Articulate and insightful spokespeople have never been more important in today's public arena. Ketchum's Communications Training Network prepares public spokespeople to move on this stage with poise and proficiency.