Media Training for tech companies – why it’s more important than ever
Pity the poor tech billionaires. Pavel Durov, boss of Telegram has been arrested in France while Elon Musk has suffered brick bats in recent weeks because of various comments and his soft-soaping interview with Donald Trump. Mark Zuckerberg seems to be out of the limelight at the moment but it’s only a matter of time before one of the Meta companies is dragged into some new controversy.
As the leading provider of media training for tech companies we’re more aware than most that these fast growing, dynamic but often maligned businesses need to work harder than ever to communicate with the media and, ultimately, with the public.
We partner with the PR companies and in house Comms teams of a wide range of tech companies, both large and small, to help them to do better media interviews and engage more effectively with journalists.
So here are four things that tech companies need to do to improve their media relations – and their public profile:
1. They need to display some humility
This really goes against the grain for Musk, Durov and others but when we’re doing media training for tech businesses, we find that the people we’re training aren’t arrogant and superior. They’re passionate and excited about what they do, and they want to share that enthusiasm.
Some of them are very clever people who find it difficult to relate to others who don’t pick up things as quickly as they do. Others are so excited about their products or services and the potential, as they see it, for these innovations that they can’t understand why anyone else either doesn’t understand them or is sceptical about them.
Media training workshops for tech
During our media training workshops for tech, we put people through realistic role play media interviews (all of our trainers are working journalists operating under strict NDAs). This allows them to understand, in a safe, confidential space, how the media – be it tech, business or general outlets – will interpret what they say and what journalists will make of their comments.
The participants on our courses are sometimes quite surprised by our questions, assumptions or conclusions. This helps their PR companies and in house media relations teams for tech companies to understand the work they have to do with their clients or colleagues.
In this media coaching for tech leaders, we also look at how tech company bosses can demonstrate humility and empathy by admitting that this is a rapidly evolving field and that advances in the use of tech are throwing up some difficult issues for society.
Company founders and business leaders can also demonstrate some humility and empathy by sharing their personal stories. In our media training courses for tech businesses we look at how they can use the ups and downs of their personal and professional lives to sound human and authentic during media interviews and presentations.
2. Emphasise the practical benefits they offer.
In our media training courses for tech companies we emphasise the importance of thinking about the benefits rather than the mechanics. Most audiences don’t know and don’t care about how something works, whatever it is, they just want to know how it makes their lives better.
This is a great opportunity for some storytelling. A case study or an anecdote about how the technology can bring practical benefits – even something hypothetical – works very well with journalists.
This also shows the importance of thinking about the audience. If you’re a tech company spokesperson the kind of stories that you tell and examples that you give will vary depending on whether you’re doing an interview with a business journalist, a tech specialist or a general news reporter. We journalists love the granular and the tangible so any specific benefits that you can quote, including the problem that you’re solving, the better.
3. Use natural language
As we point out in our media training for tech companies, the world of technology, like any sector, has its own language and acronyms. As part of their preparation for the role play press, radio, podcast and TV interviews that we put our course participants through, we encourage them to think about whether their audience will understand the language and acronyms that they’re using.
Even if they those readers, listeners or viewers do understand it, is it the kind of language that they would use themselves? Language is very personal and it’s closely connected to identity. You need to ensure that, without patronising your audience, you’re using words and phrases that will resonate with them and add that all important element of empathy.
4. Prepare for difficult questions
Tech companies might feel as if the media has it in for them at the moment, but really, it’s not that we’re out to get you. It’s just that we need to test your truth and your arguments. We often play devil’s advocate to verify what you’re saying.
We’re also thinking about the questions that our audience will want us to ask but most of all we just want a story from you, as we explain in our media coaching for tech leaders. Ideally, you’ll be giving us enough information that tells our audience something they didn’t know that is relevant to them for us not to have to throw a difficult question at you.
There are still so many tricky issues in tech at the moment that we’re bound to ask you something challenging. Very often tech bosses come unstuck during media interviews because they haven’t anticipated this or they get tetchy because they believe that the media is out to get them.
The solution is to prepare for these questions and have answers ready for them. We look at a number of ways of handling difficult questions in our media training courses for tech companies so that interviewees from the tech industry, or any other, can regain the initiative and get back to their key messages.
Media Training for tech companies
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