Atherton Associates have teamed up with award winning television journalist
Graham Smith and Ragged Trouser Productions to offer tailor-made media training.
Training can be provided in studios, on location or delivered to the
clients' own offices.
Day packages can include practical tuition on meeting media needs, appearances
and making the media work for you. Each course is designed to meet the specific
requirements of each client, whether that be preparing to deal with local and
regional media or the intense glare of a live press conference.
The session is then privately viewed and analysed and an edited DVD shared with
other participants at the end of the day.
Graham Smith is a journalist and television producer of more than 30 years
exprience and the winner of several international broadcasting awards.
All packages are extremely competitively priced....Scroll for Testimonials!
Below is feed back from our media training. It's unedited!
Candidate feedback on Ragged Trouser Media Training Course - Bristol 9/9/09
Was the media aspect of the training course what you expected?
The training was more focused on film than I expected, however this was very useful and what I learnt will apply to a range of situations including face-to-face meetings and dealing with queries over the phone. What I learnt will also help with drafting press releases, particularly the idea of getting 3 key messages across.
Yes, hugely, even though I felt we went into being in front of the camera a lot quicker than expected, I think it worked well with managing any pre conceived concerns and nerves. That said, for those who hadn't had any media training or experience before, they may have felt it was too quick and would have benefited from some live and pre recorded examples and group discussion about the do's and don'ts before being put in front of the camera.
I thought that we might be given an overall talk covering all aspect of media relations ie. responding to incidents, drafting press releases, holding a press call etc.
Yes it was. It was very informative and yet not too much 'chalk and talk' and we were pushed in front of the camera very quickly which I think was a good thing.
Do you now feel more confident to deal with the media, stakeholders etc?
I feel much more confident in dealing with the media and stakeholders following the training. I thought the course was well balanced in terms of being challenging, constructive and encouraging. Prior to the course, being in front of a camera is something I would never have imagined myself doing, however having completed the course it is not something I would automatically shy away from, especially if it is focused on something I am familiar with (eg a project I have been working on for a while and am very interested in - like London Tunnels).
Yes, even though I left frustrated on the first day as I didn't do as well as I was hoping to, I sincerely hope that I can improve on my weak areas for the next round of training or live situation. I am very comfortable with speaking with people on the phone and in person, but the camera does make me go wobbly at the knees, however, I think the second day helped a lot to dissolve any frustrations I had with myself on the first day.
If I get the opportunity to do broadcasting work specifically I would feel less daunted by the experience.
Definitely yes.
Would you attend another course run by Graham and his team?
Yes - I thought it was very well run and they were very approachable and helpful. It was great to hear everyone's experiences, including Laura's and yours - you were very good at giving examples which related clearly to our everyday job. I really enjoyed it and am delighted that I was able to participate.
Yes, they obviously know their stuff and conveyed this well. For consistency, it would be good to revisit the training with the same media team, but, they may need to pitch their own presentation differently depending on the pre media experience of those attending the course.
Absolutely!
Yes, I found them all very professional and very approachable. There knowledge levels was also just right and input and feedback very fair.
Were there any other aspects you would like to have covered or spent more time on?
No: what I learnt can be applied to a range of situations (as explained above in answer to Q1). Although there was some discussion about whether it was best for us to all be in the room while others were being filmed, I would say that although this perhaps added to the pressure, at the same time it was very useful to see how others dealt with the situation, and it was a very supportive environment.
As discussed on the course, and with appreciation that we weren't given that much of an upfront brief (not your fault), it may have been better to have done the fun stuff on the first day and the serious interviews on the second day. Given that I stumbled during my interviews on a few occasions, I would have probably benefited from doing the serious interviews again. It's all about practice and I could have done with more of it.
I think the things listed in question 1. It would have also been great if we could spend more time practicing in front of the camera after seeing ourselves.
No
Any other comments?
Thank you very much for the opportunity. The course was of great benefit to me and was a fantastic and memorable experience. Thank you to all who helped organise and run it.
This is very picky, but they didn't introduce everyone properly at the beginning. It would have been polite and worthwhile doing a round up of those at the table, just to give basic intro's and backgrounds. The media training was a really fantastic once in a life time opportunity which I really enjoyed! I'm not sure if broadcaster training will be something I use as a Project Manager but it was very helpful to learn about different techniques when having to respond to controversial questions and the importance of body language, which can certainly be applied to Local Authority and/or protestor meetings.
It would have been helpful to get a steer of what was required for the internet section as we spent quite a lot of time discussing expectations and it would have been better spent using the equipment. Overall, it was a really great team building exercise and I wish more people could have come because I know they would have loved it. Graham and his team were extremely professional and I loved every second J
I think the second days activity would make a great team building event for us.
