| Training and Coaching Services Media Skills Training Media interviews call for a combination of abilities -- speaking with confidence, thinking on your feet, and listening carefully. Suppose it's 4 pm, you have a long list of things to do before your day is done, and now there is a reporter on the phone. You agree to do an interview -- do you have enough training and experience under your belt to feel sure that you can field any of the questions thrown at you? Or -- you've done about a million interviews and are never nervous, if you are sitting comfortably in your own office or in a broadcast studio chair. But when ten reporters approach and surround you, or when you don't have advance notice that a journalist is going to talk to you, you have the urge to cut and run. Media skills training is a program of guided practise that results in a constantly increasing level of communications competence grounded in experience and control. Like working on a golf swing, a tennis serve, musical scales, or the perfect omelet, you have to practice until the motions become second nature. At WindWord Communications, we work with you to determine whether you need: The Basics - for those who have had no previous experience with media appearances An Intermediate Program - for those who want to step up their game Advanced Techniques - for those with substantial media experience or for those who coach spokespeople within their organizations. This program features our media skills coaching presentation, Boost your Media Smarts™, which combines media training fundamentals with insights gleaned from recent studies of the psychological concepts of emotional intelligence. Media Skills in a Crisis - for those who want to prepare for intense media scrutiny in the context of crisis conditions for their industry. Can also be addressed within a full-scale crisis communications planning workshop.
Broadcast Coaching is available for radio or television news reporters and hosts. Work on the basics or build on your experience or that of your staff, in developing voice, image, style, and presence. Speeches and Presentations You are facing an audience of your colleagues and professional peers in less than two weeks and you have no idea whether your speech will meet their expectations or send them off to sleep within 10 minutes. Your assistant says it's good - is that enough to go on? Or suppose you are at the top of the short list for the position you want -- and you take yourself out of the running when you find out that it will mean that you'll have to deliver frequent presentations. Our program Working the Front of the Room gives you the tools you need to stand up in front of any audience of any size. We work with you on sharpening your ideas and your phrases, on building your comfort level with microphones and stages, and on using your voice, your posture, your gestures, and your facial expressions to achieve your communications goals. We can also be your "shakedown cruise" for an upcoming speech, and give you honest feedback on what's working and what's not, or attend one of your speeches and provide post-presentation evaluation. Make the most of every opportunity to speak or present -- prepare (with effective, systematic training), focus (with coaching for each specific event), deliver (a compelling presentation), and evaluate (to lay the groundwork for the next time). Meet, Greet, and Speak It's not a full-scale speech, and there are no television cameras, but you'd still rather face a deep-sea dive with no oxygen tank than a situation requiring you to speak to a group. It may be making the toast at your daughter's wedding, asking a question at a conference, or rising to thank the guest speaker at a meeting. It's in public, it's speaking, and it's terrifying. Or -- you may have committed thousands of dollars to setting up an exhibitor's booth at the trade show of a major conference but have doubts about the ability of your staff to greet potential clients passing by and bring them "off the carpet" and into your booth. We can help calm that nervous feeling and put a steady tone into the voice with our workshop or coaching series Well Said: Public Speaking and other Fundamentals. Voice and Visuals Concentrate on two of the most important elements of a speech or presentation. We can help you improve your sound and/or the impression you leave with the visual part of your presentation. And if a podcast is part of your online presence, we can help you achieve the right sound. Podcasting is a tremendous development. Where once only those who had a million dollars (or several) could set up a broadcasting station, now the Internet has made it possible for those with far fewer resources to take part in putting ideas and entertainment out into the world. You don't have to get a job with a station or catch the attention of radio and television decision-makers -- you can learn to podcast and bypass the "middleman". Give your production an edge that many don't have. We'll help you to develop your broadcast skills so that popping 'p's, sibilant 's's, and monotone voice patterns don't drive your listeners away. All four of our Coaching Services can be booked in each of the following formats: 1. Workshop - Small group -- 2 to 6 people. Theory and practice, with numerous exercises, demonstrations, and opportunities for participation. 2. Workshop - Large group - 7 +. 3. Speech or presentation 2. Private coaching - one-to-one. Theory and practice, videotaping, consultation on individual communications challenges, feedback on message development and speechwriting, preparation for specific presentations. Guidance on dealing with habits such as uptalking, speaking too quickly, avoiding eye contact, and taking audible pauses. - FINE TUNING -- In all circumstances, clients may also arrange for on-location coaching just before a presentation, speech, or media interview and/or an evaluation report, immediately following.
For more information, email info@windwordcommunications.com |
