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  • Tony Coll
    Tony Coll
    The company name is only visible to registered members.
    Media training to improve international understanding
    Hi everyone

    I have a simple but ambitious mission - to improve understanding between nations and between communities by helping people express themselves effectively in the media.

    As a former BBC TV, radio and newspaper reporter, I am very aware that being interviewed by any journalist in any language can be an uncomfortable or even scary experience.

    But when the interview is in English, and English is not your first language, it can be even scarier.

    Even if your English is very good, you won't speak very effectively on TV or radio unless you are familiar with the conventions of Anglo-Saxon interviewing.

    Compared with journalists from more formal, more respectful media traditions, I know that our reporters can seem abrupt, direct, aggressive, impolite or over-familiar.

    Interviewees can respond to this by being defensive, formal, angry or pompous. They can clam up and say nothing at all. Or they can use complex, cautious, abstract, diplomatic language or speak for too long. So the opportunity to tell the world about their story is lost.

    But English-language interviews are vital. They are the only way to get your point of view heard around the world.

    So it's worth making an effort to make sure they are effective.

    An English-language media training workshop, such as I have been running for many years, will remove the fear and uncertainty from the experience of meeting the media.

    In these workshops you will learn how the media work, and what English-speaking journalists understand by the word 'story'. This helps you to turn your message into a story, and to express it in the most convincing way. You'll then receive guidance on your voice, posture and body language so that they don't distract attention from what you're saying.

    Next come the vital role-play interviews with newspapers, radio or TV as required. The interviews are filmed, then played back and analysed in a supportive group environment. The explanations and the feedback can be in English, German, French or (to a limited extent) Spanish. I say that because my Spanish is basic, but I can try!

    Most of my experience has been in the UK - including advising several politicians who are past or present members of the Cabinet - but as a former BBC World Service sub-editor, I also have an abiding interest in world affairs. Last summer I coached two Ethiopian media executives on how the Western media works, and I'm about to visit a Middle Eastern country, where I will be advising government ministers on how to deal with media interviews.

    Could you help me arrange similar courses for your clients in your country?

    I'd be delighted to talk to any person or organisation, anywhere in the world, who feels they do not receive fair or adequate coverage in the international media, and would like to take action to redress the situation.

    Kind regards

    Tony

    Tony Coll
    International Media Trainer
    Bristol, UK
    tony.coll@btinternet.com
    (+44) 117 987 0442
    http://www.tonycoll.co.uk
    • 27 Apr 2008, 12:51 am