Methods of Practice

Here are ways to practice your media training skills to ensure you’re ready for when a crisis breaks.

Simulate a situation/scenario that, realistically, could occur to you/your organization.

Simulate one or more of the types of interviews.

Include some method of recording and playing back performance for self- or peer-critique.

There are a wide variety of ways to simulate interviews realistically enough for spokespersons to practice and improve their skills. These include:

Re-Enact Media Training. Recreate the conditions under which you were media trained (e.g., tripod-mounted video camera of at least moderately high quality, someone to operate the camera, someone to play interviewer).

Practice “Phoner” Interviews. Let yourself be interviewed by telephone, which is the most likely scenario for most interviews, with video becoming increasingly likely when a crisis is particularly newsworthy.