Do you have a big interview coming up with a reporter that you’re a little nervous about? Perhaps you’ve conducted ground-breaking research that you’d like to share externally but you’re not sure how to go about it. Relax. The university’s media training team can help you ace that interview and spread the word about your research.

Shawn Wright and Ted Montgomery, two members of the university’s PR team, offer free media training to all faculty and staff who feel the need to brush up on their interviewing techniques. The first part of a media training session involves a discussion about the media and interview best practices. A mock interview is then recorded on a topic the participant could potentially be interviewed about, and then it is critiqued.   

“Our experience has been that those who receive the training feel more comfortable and confident being interviewed by reporters,” said Wright, a former journalist himself. “We really put them through their paces during the training so that we’re able to provide useful, constructive feedback.”

The training is offered to both those who have media interviews scheduled in the near future and those who are just interested in refreshing their media skills. The training takes about an hour and can be done in person or remotely.

“Most of the folks to whom we’ve given the training have a basic knowledge of media interview best practices, however it’s not something most people do on a regular basis,” said Montgomery, who has 25 years of media relations experience. “Our job is to reinforce their strengths and identify areas that could be improved so that the experience is mutually beneficial to the reporter and the interviewee.”

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) Dean Stephanie Hartwell took the media training and found it useful. "Part of my job as a dean is to talk about the important work we do in CLAS and to serve as an expert when called upon by the external media. The media training team did a great job helping me hone my interviewing skills and reminding me of best practices when being interviewed by a reporter. I recommend it for anyone who is called upon to talk to the media."

To schedule a free media training session email Wright at shawn.wright@wayne.edu or Montgomery at tedmontgomery@wayne.edu.