The Media Landscape

Imagine if employees in your organisation found out they were losing their jobs through an automated email telling them to hand back their laptops.   That bleak scenario just happened to one large bank.    And it was plunged into crisis mode.  Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Media First  are media and communications training specialists with more than 35 y...

Your organisation is getting media coverage it doesn’t like, or feels is unfair.   Bad coverage can be bad for the brand.   How do you react?   Would you blacklist the media outlet, refuse to let its journalists speak to your spokespeople, and vow not to send them any press releases? Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Media First  are media and communications...

There's a lot of advice about the things to avoid saying.    But not so much about the language that can make interviews more impactful, signal to the audience that they need to pay attention, and help steer spokespeople away from dangerous ground.   Until now. Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Media First  are media and communications training speciali...

Talking in generalities is a mistake many media spokespeople make.   And it is an error that saw one high-profile journalist become increasingly frustrated with his interviewee this week.   “Why don’t you put some definition on these terms?” he asked. Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Media First  are media and communications training specialists with more t...

Christian Horner described his sacking as the principal of Red Bull Racing as “a shock”.   But was it that much of a surprise for anyone else?   Or was it inevitable he would go after a turbulent time in the hotseat of the Formula 1 powerhouse?  Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Media First  are media and communications training specialists with more than 35...

So, your organisation has just been slapped with a £21m fine by a regulator. How would you respond? Would you apologise? Or would you attempt to draw a line under the issues and show they are in the past? Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Media First  are media and communications training specialists with more than 35 years of experience. We have a team of t...

Yes, you read that right.  Not only is the strawberries and cream sandwich real, but it has also gone viral. And it has generated some much-needed positive coverage and PR for a brand that has been in crisis media management mode for a long time. Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Media First  are media and communications training specialists with more than 3...

It’s been a little over a week since we gave you our analysis of a high-profile media interview disaster. And yet there has already been another one with almost identical failings. The interview even featured the same exasperated journalist. Ready to find out who grabbed our attention for all the wrong reasons this week? Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Med...

Fancy handling the crisis comms around escaped bears?   Or maybe being the spokesperson who has to answer journalist questions about the escapees?   It sounds like a dramatic and intense crisis scenario, doesn't it?   And it was one faced by a charity last week.   Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Media First  are media and communications training speci...

It’s an interview that has been labelled as a ‘humiliation’. It has also been described as ‘toe-curling’, ‘embarrassing’ and a ‘meltdown’. And at one point, the exasperated journalist asked if there was “much point continuing this’. What can you learn from it?  Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Media First  are media and communications training specialists w...

How would you or your organisation’s spokesperson feel about being asked to appear on BBC Breakfast? The programme attracts millions of viewers and presents a brilliant opportunity to catapult your organisation and its story into the spotlight. But a high-profile interview like this can also feel daunting. The interviews are almost always live. And they are often requested at short notice – as one...

“Sorry, my phone was on silent.” We’ve all been there and used this excuse at times. But how many have used it during a high-profile crisis comms incident? Media First  are media and communications training specialists with more than 35 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers.

Repeated threats to end the interview early. Telling the journalists what they should and should not ask about. And accusing the presenter of not being a journalist. These are just some of the many remarkable moments that came during an extraordinary radio interview. Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Media First  are media and communications training special...

Using too many filler words is a topic that often comes up during our media training and presentation skills training courses . Delegates watch recordings of their initial performances and are often surprised by how much they use them. But does it matter? And if it does, what can you do about it? Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Media First  are media and c...

You know that crisis management training is the foundation of your organisation's ability to respond quickly and effectively when the worst happens. Whether it is a workplace accident, product failure, a data breach, supply chain issues or the behaviour of senior leaders, all businesses need to prepare properly, so they can act swiftly and communicate with clarity. If they do, they can limit...

“Rats the size of feet”, “rats the size of dachshunds” and “rats the size of cats”. Birmingham’s ongoing bin dispute has given the city an image problem, with the narrative dominated by rodents and their size as piles of rubbish built up. The city’s reputation has undoubtedly taken a hammering. How can it recover from this ongoing crisis? Click here to read the original article this audio blog was...

Customers unable to use contactless payments to buy goods or collect items bought with and click and collect services. This is not just any cyber crisis, it is an M&S Easter cyber crisis. Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Media First  are media and communications training specialists with more than 35 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each...

Whether speaking to the media, using social media, creating a presentation or working on internal communication, you need compelling messages that cut through the noise and engage your target audience.   That can all feel a bit overwhelming.   How do you know what makes a good message? How do you know your message will drive desired outcomes? How can you ensure your message will resonate? Click he...

Do you fancy learning some media training advice from a former White House press secretary? Jen Psaki was Joe Biden’s spokesperson for 16 months Now a host at MSNBC, Ms Psaki has just shared what she believes is the worst media training advice. Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Media First  are media and communications training specialists with more than 35...

Who fancies a more positive story to look at this week? After giving you our thoughts on the Heathrow shutdown and everything that has gone wrong at Tesla , we didn’t want to offer another crisis media management blog. Instead, a brilliant bit of social media PR grabbed our attention. Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Media First  are media and communication...

It's a crisis with some remarkable numbers - more than 270,000 disrupted air passenger journeys. Europe’s busiest airport was plunged into full crisis media management mode after it suffered a power outage because of a fire at a nearby electricity substation.   But now the dust has settled, what crisis comms lessons can you learn from the shutdown? Click here to read the original article this...

Is a sudden IT outage in your crisis communication plan? Do you feel prepared to handle the social media outrage and media scrutiny it could bring? Outages are a hot topic currently. And even a brief one can cause a reputation hit. Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Media First  are media and communications training specialists with more than 35 years of expe...

What do two of the country’s leading banks, a powerhouse advertising company and high-profile business leaders have in common? Well, they have all been making headlines over changes to working-from home-arrangements. Alterations to home and hybrid working policies are increasingly gripping the news agenda and leading debate. And how those stories are handled offers crisis communication and media t...

We are often asked, “How do you make the biggest impact in media interviews?”  It's a question that is posed a lot during our media training courses.  So, we thought we would get one of our brilliant trainers to answer it. Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Media First  are media and communications training specialists with more than 35 years of experien...

Have you heard the story about the people stranded in Britain’s highest pub? While that may feel like a dream scenario for many of us as we battle through January, six staff and four guests were actually stuck at the Tan Hill Inn, in the Yorkshire Dales. And the story provided a brilliant example of newsjacking. Click here to read the original article this audio blog was created from. Media First...