When we spoke to former Olympic triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards he told us that being able to deal effectively with the media was an important part of an 'athlete’s armoury’.
Now part of Channel 4's presenting team for the Rio Paralympics, he was one of three athletes we interviewed who knows what it is like not only to compete at the highest level, but to also face the full glare of the media attention which that success can bring.
Training and practice
The point in his quote is that if an athlete is worried about talking to journalists it can play on their mind and adversely affect their sporting performance.
The key to resolving this is media training and practice. The training will give you the tools to feel confident talking to the media and control the nerves and the more interviews you do the better you will feel.
It is the same for a corporate spokesperson – media interviews can be daunting, but the more experienced you become the more assured your performances will be.
Storytelling
For Alex Danson, part of the gold medal winning Team GB hockey team, engaging with the media offers athletes the opportunity to tell their story and encourage more people to take up sport.
Someone who has had recent media training is more likely to be conversational when put in front of the microphone and not afraid to express emotions and feelings when telling their story.
An organisation’s story may not have the same emotion as that of an Olympian or Paralympian, but it still has a story to tell through good quality spokespeople.
And crafting stories into interview makes messages much more memorable.
Self-promotion
For Olympic gold medal winning sprinter Jason Gardener, media interviews offer athletes the opportunity to raise their profile.
Whether or not you are an athlete, taking part in media interviews is the best way to raise your profile in an organisation or sector. Joining in the conversation with engaging and intelligent interviews, delivered with clarity and confidence, will ensure you are viewed as an expert in your field.
These interviews we carried out shortly before the London Olympics in 2012, but the messages are still relevant today. While we were there we also had a brief chat with Spice Girl Gerri Halliwell. Her advice? Be yourself and make it about your passion.
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