Kemp Communications has conducted media training sessions for: the Fearey Group; JayRay and its clients, including the City of Tacoma, Weyerhaeuser, Multicare, Frank Russell Company and others; the Keller Group and client NW Center Foundation; Seattle Public Schools; the Bartlett Group, etc.

It's widely acknowledged that the best and most realistic media training is performed by those who know the news media best--current or former broadcast journalists. That's one of the reasons Kemp Communications media training is so effective.

Kemp Communications media training sessions are conducted by Jerry Kemp, a veteran broadcast journalist. Jerry worked as a TV news cameraman at NBC affiliate KING-TV for four years, and as a reporter at Seattle's KSTW-TV for fourteen years before starting Kemp Communications.

OVERVIEW: THE IMPORTANCE OF MEDIA TRAINING: 

The value of media training lies in the opportunity to learn how to:

Those who truly understand the power of media exposure not only have a much better chance of surviving a crisis, but of also deriving potentially invaluable benefit in non-crisis times by helping shape positive news coverage. Effective media training helps immensely.

Our goal is to provide our clients with a set of skills that they can use to make certain that encounters with the media go as smoothly as possible-and to ensure that the outcome is as positive as possible. We do this by conducting highly realistic on-camera interviews combined with superior instruction. 

TRAINING SESSIONS:

--3 to 5 hour sessions (length tailored to clients' availability and needs) 
--up to five trainees 
--each session combines training segments, on-camera interviews, and critiques of the interviews

CURRICULUM (including but not limited to the following elements):

--how to avoid media disasters AND maximize opportunity for positive media coverage
--developing key messages
--the importance of always having key messages current and ready to deliver
--"bridging" and "flagging" techniques for transitioning to key messages
--print vs. electronic media interviews
--maintaining control during interviews
--the importance of NEVER lying or saying "no comment"
--preparing for interviews 
--handling hostile questions
--avoiding "off the record"
--framing issues 
--nuts and bolts (body language, gesturing, eye contact, projecting energy, etc.)

SAMPLE MEDIA TRAINING PROJECTS

Client: Bartell's Corporation.
Public relations agency: Bartlett Group.
Reason for training: Bartell's was recently sued by Planned Parenthood over the company's health plan for its employees. On the day the lawsuit was announced, we trained Bartell's management for the news conference that was held that afternoon.

Client: Onyx Software Corporation
Public relations agency: Internal.
Reason for training: General preparation of Onyx CEO Brent Frei and other senior management for ongoing print and electronic coverage of company’s activities and growth.

Client: St. Joseph’s Healthcare System (Albuquerque)
Public relations agency: JayRay.
Reason for training: St. Joseph’s recently announced cutbacks in certain healthcare programs that served a largely senior population. Media training sessions in advance of the announcement helped prepare St. Joseph’s management for electronic and print media coverage.

Client: Northwest Airlines (Seattle).
Public relations agency: Ingham Communications.
Reason for training: General preparation for future news stories on topics such as checkpoint security, flight delays, and/or any other topics.