The Media Landscape

Who doesn’t like it when cake is brought into the office? It helps celebrate milestones, can boost morale, gets people together, and offers a crumb of comfort during the most trying days. But what about the impact on our bulging waistlines? Our latest blog looks at how a comparison between cake and passive smoking created global headlines. And a big slice of controversy. To read the original blog...

It feels like it has been January for about six months already. It’s cold, gloomy and payday inexplicably remains weeks away. And the news is dominated by depressing stories as the winter of discontent grips. But amid the darkness, there is a story captivating large numbers of people and offering hope and joy. To read the original blog that this audio blog was created from click here . Media First...

Spare a thought for the Elizabeth Arden comms team. The skincare brand has found itself at the centre of an internet storm thanks to some astonishing revelations in Price Harry's bombshell book.   And those crown jewels revelations have also created widespread media coverage.  How has the company responded to the sensational story? To read the original blog that this audio blog was created fr...

How does the thought of giving a media interview make you feel? If it makes you feel jittery, nervous and stressed, the good news is you are not alone. Even experienced and confident spokespeople worry and can suffer from interview anxiety. So, how can you overcome those nerves, sweaty palms and shaky hands, and make the most of your next media interview?   To read the original blog that this audi...

When will they learn? Dodging questions in media interviews is never a good look. The audience hates it. It antagonises journalists. And it does not make the issue go away. It also leaves spokespeople looking evasive and slippery. Just ask Rishi Sunak. His first set-piece interview of 2023 has been undermined by a question about whether he uses private healthcare. To read the original blog that th...

How was your Christmas? Well, hopefully, it was better than that experienced by the doctor surgery – and its shocked patients - that saw a message muddle create panic and damaging global headlines. The practice had intended to send its patients a Christmas message. But instead, managed to wrongly inform them they had “aggressive lung cancer with metastases” In this blog that has been converted to...

What spokespeople stood out this year? Every December, we like to look back over the past 12 months and highlight those who have stood out for the way they have managed their time in the spotlight. This year, the list includes a world leader, campaigners, a sporting star and someone who makes you want to listen whenever they speak. In this blog that has been converted to audio, we look at what mad...

It has been another newsworthy year.  Three Prime Ministers (currently), a war in Ukraine and a cost-of-living crisis are just some of the stories that have dominated the headlines this year and seen Covid slip down the news bulletins.  Some of those who have found themselves in the spotlight have handled the media expertly.  Others have produced interviews that have left a lot to be desired. And,...

On our media training courses, we regularly talk about the power and importance of examples in media interviews. And there is little doubt they enhance interviews, regardless of whether they are for television, radio or print. Not only do they add credibility to proceedings, but they also bring messages to life, help influence the direction of the conversation and enable the spokesperson to connec...

It’s probably a scenario familiar to many of you who work in comms or media. Your pitch has gained a journalist’s attention. Great publicity and widespread coverage are only an interview away. The only problem is the spokesperson has got cold feet and doesn’t want to be interviewed. Or they’ve stopped returning your calls. It is a situation many of us in comms, media and PR have experienced. And i...

It’s everyone’s worst nightmare. You’re in the middle of a presentation or coming to a critical point in a media interview, and suddenly your mind goes blank. What on earth were you going to say? Where are you going with this? What the heck comes next? During our media and presentations training courses, delegates often ask: “What do I do if my mind goes blank?” In this blog that has been converte...

We talk about bridging a lot during our Media First training courses. It is a way a spokesperson can respond to a challenging question they may not want to answer by using a form of words to move the conversation back to the topic they want to talk about. When used well, it sounds natural and can be difficult for most people to detect. But when the technique is used without the necessary subtlety,...

Personality is a crucial component of a good presentation, whether it takes place face-to-face or remotely. It can be the decisive factor delivering something that compels, persuades and hooks your audience. “Let your personality shine through” is advice often given about presentations. But it is not as easy as that, particularly when many of us find being asked to give a presentation daunting. In...

Presentations can be scary. And one of the parts that frighten people the most is answering questions from the audience. On our presentation skills training courses, we often find delegates are worried questions will blow their presentation off course and undo the good work that has gone before. Or they will face a question they won’t know how to answer. And that’s a shame because being asked ques...

When the worst happens, you must respond quickly. And that time frame for responding is constantly changing – the latest thinking suggests organisations have less than 15 minutes to respond to a crisis. One of the keys to meeting this tight deadline is to have prepared holding statements you can easily adapt to cover the incident. An effective holding statement will buy an organisation crucial tim...

Podcasts are going from strength to strength. There are now more than a million active podcasts and 30 million podcast episodes. And in the UK, podcasts now reach an audience of 15.6 million people. So, it is perhaps not surprising we are increasingly asked to provide media training for people about to appear on podcasts. In this blog that has been converted to audio, we explore why appearing on a...

If you don’t have anyone to tell your story, no one will hear it. Spokespeople promote their organisation’s achievements and defend its reputation during crisis media management incidents. But there is a big difference between talking to the media and getting your messages across to the audience you want to reach. Each media situation is different, and every spokesperson will have their unique sty...

Did you see the BBC interview with the Royal Mail boss about the postal workers' pay dispute? Did you spot anything unusual about it? Well, it seems he may have had an aide writing responses or crucial points for him on a whiteboard as he spoke. And it distracted from the message he wanted to get across. In this blog that has been converted to audio, we look at the fallout from the interview...

You’ve secured that high-profile interview, and the journalist is coming to meet you. You’ve had recent media training and worked through the message you want to get across. And you’ve pulled together some human examples. It might seem that you’re well set. But hang on, have you considered the interview location? In this blog that has been converted to audio, we look at an interview where the back...

What are the social media trends you need to know about? Which platforms should you expect to grow in popularity? What content is performing the best? And what will happen on social media in 2023? These are just some of the questions we explored during a masterclass for members of The Media Team Academy. And in this blog that has been converted to audio, we recap what it covered.  We also offer ti...

What did you make of comedian Joe Lycett ‘shredding £10,000’ after David Beckham failed to back out of this World Cup deal with Qatar? The campaign generated huge media coverage. And split opinion between those who believe it has damaged brand Beckham and others uncomfortable with money seemingly being destroyed when so many are struggling. But it also raised questions about how organisations shou...

If you’ve been on our media training courses, you may have heard us say, “just be yourself”. Personality is a crucial ingredient in media interview success – we want to see and hear from people who sound human and warm. And one spokesperson produced a masterclass on how to do this, delivering an interview that was authentic, inclusive and packed with personality. In this blog that has been convert...

It’s been quite a year. There’s the ongoing war in Ukraine, the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and we’ve had three different Prime Ministers. And while global health scares appear to have taken something of a backseat, they’ve been replaced in the headlines by the cost-of-living crisis. Delve a little deeper, and a year that has seen record temperatures has also brought warnings of a ‘climate catast...

Authenticity has become something of a buzzword in recent times. It is a term applied to just about everything, from authentic leaders and marketing to, authentic furniture and clothing. Although everyone seems to seek authenticity, few people can define what it is. Look it up in the dictionary, and you will find terms like ‘genuine’, ‘accurate’, ‘reliable’ and ‘not a copy’. When applied to people...

We’ve already reached the final episode of the first series of The Media Landscape.  Please let us know what you thought about these past 10 episodes by emailing James and Julia at hello@thirtyseven.agency To round up this series, Julia Belle looks at the latest developments surrounding the Royal Family, after a week in which Prince Andrew settled his sexual abuse lawsuit and police announced they...