Every day we’re asked the question, what exactly is media training and is it worthwhile doing such a training? So, below you’ll find the most common questions and answers. First, but most importantly: in a media training you’ll learn the skills to tell your story briefly and succinctly in a journalistic interview. You’ll learn to take the lead, so that you have more control over the questioning, so that you are the lead character – not the journalist. Media training will increase the effectiveness of your media appearances.

All media are reviewed in the training. We record all the interviews. This might give the impression that the training is focused on TV appearances. But every interview in our training is representative of any type of journalistic questioning. Whether it is TV, radio or newspaper, the form is the same and rules are too.

Our tips and tricks won’t turn you into another person – a common misconception about media training. Authenticity is paramount. You must be and remain yourself. The point is that you will be more in control in an interview situation, that you can take the lead and tell your own story. To the extent that it is also useful for a journalist and that it reflects what you think is important. We will provide you with simple and easy tips that will help you do this.

Certainly, and we advise you to do this. The interview subjects in our media training are always related to the participants’ fields. This also makes the interviews realistic. You can also practice with your communications policy or the organization’s Q&As. Prior to every training, there is an intake meeting so that we can customize the training to your needs. Each participant can also specify personal preferences, both in terms of content and the skills to be addressed.

Our media trainings are given by TV journalists with years of experience in news and current affairs. The best foundation for a media trainer. Especially TV journalists interview intensively and their story depends on the interviewee making clear statements. Most of our trainers also have experience as communications consultants. Consequently, they are able to advise and train from both disciplines. The trainings are led by Leo de Later. When you receive our offer, we will also inform you which media trainer(s) you will work with. You can also choose yourself from our select group of media trainers. Group trainings (minimum three people) are run by two trainers as standard.

The training is, in principle, at our office in Amsterdam, where we have access to our own training space and studio facilities. Of course, the training can also take place at any location of your choosing. We recommend that you do the training outside of the office, so that you are not disturbed during the session. We can, if you wish, arrange a suitable location in your area, so that you can really get away from it all.

We recommend that you set aside a whole day for a group media training. Skills training is time consuming, because you learn by doing. It is not, therefore, something that can be learned in an hour. A private training for one or two people can be done well in three to four hours.

The frequency of media training largely depends on the frequency of your media appearances. If you are only dealing with the media occasionally, then it makes sense to have training once a year. This is the best way to keep your skills and knowledge current. If you are doing interviews regularly, then it can be useful to do a training once every two years. You can brush up on your knowledge and evaluate your media experiences with our trainers. We recommend organizations that may have to deal with a crisis, and which have a crisis plan ready, to have training at least once a year. This increases crisis resilience, certainly in the area of media appearances.

Media training is primarily a skills training – you learn by doing. You can do this training individually or in a group. An individual training session is the most efficient. In just a few hours, you’ll learn the most important lessons and train intensively with one or two trainers. One session is usually sufficient. If you’d rather train with colleagues, then the group training is obviously a good option.
These are one-day trainings. Led by two media trainers, you will work with each other. It is advisable not to make the group too big, a maximum of five people. The bigger the group, the less possibility there is to practice individually. The effectiveness of the media training is therefore directly linked to the size of the group. Of course, you can learn from each other in a group – you can see how others do it. In addition, you can also consider team building as a secondary goal of the training.
Important for management teams, communication departments and Executive Boards.

It is wise to do the training away from the office and not in your own working environment. Then you can really take a break from the daily routine and concentrate fully on the media training. All the trainings can be done on our premises. If you’d have a ‘day out’, that we can arrange a suitable location in your area. In Amsterdam, we work together with two excellent meeting locations in a rural setting.

Our training can also be given in English. We have a number of native speakers with journalistic experience available.

We can provide proof of participation in our media training on request.

The price depends on the sort of training you follow, i.e. individual or group training. We are happy to provide you with a free, no-obligation quote. Click here to send us your message.