Last week OG staff went to join media trainer Lisa Mangan at the London Broadcast TV & Radio Studio to learn the tricks of the trade of broadcast media. From refining your message to fielding thorny questions, Olivia, Aqila, Kirsty and Dominika picked up some top tips and came out expert spokespeople. Here’s their reflections.

Kirsty Mitchell, Legal Manager

Media training is invaluable for our work at Opportunity Green. In the legal team, we are working on interventions that seek to influence decision-makers and shape public narratives. Having the skills to effectively communicate our work and meaningfully engage with different audiences is key to making an impact – so this training day was a brilliant opportunity to sharpen those skills in the broadcast media world!

Throughout the day, Lisa interviewed us in different media formats replicating real scenarios – from pre-record and live radio in the studio, to live TV on location. At the beginning, my default interview responses tended to focus on legal arguments or technicalities. However, Lisa taught us how to reframe and deliver our overarching key messages in a way that reaches a broader audience and makes a lasting impression. Being able to practise and make use of Lisa’s training on the spot really built up my confidence, and it was great to do so alongside such supportive colleagues!

Dominika Leitane, Legal Officer

For me, the most insightful part of the training was learning about the unique features of different kinds of broadcasting. Preparation is key to success in almost any context, but I was so oblivious to the world of broadcast media that it never really occurred to me that the approach to preparing for a live interview, for example, would be completely different to getting ready for a pre-record.

Lisa’s accessible and engaging tone, encouragement, and enthusiasm made the day fly by. The studio itself was also an incredible place to be – seeing all the equipment and experiencing what it’s like to be interviewed fully immersed me in the process. It was great fun to train alongside my amazingly supportive colleagues, whose performances I also learned a lot from!

I left the training with a much better understanding of how the industry functions, and what the needs of the broadcasters are for different media formats. Lisa really helped us to feel more in control in an unfamiliar territory. I feel more confident and – dare I say – even excited for any future media appearances!

Olivia Moyle, Legal Assistant

As someone who hadn’t received any formal media training before, I was ready to learn the tricks of the broadcasting trade in order to feel more prepared to take on my first interview. To begin with the studio set-up seemed daunting, but by the second practice run I was more in control of the delivery of my key messages, and by the end of the day I felt I could confidently convey my points even under the pressure of difficult questions. This is testament to the non-judgemental and collaborative space Lisa created for us, and the support of my lovely colleagues!

Lisa also put a big onus on the art of storytelling. I learnt the importance of contextualising a climate story in the world we see around us, not only to captivate an audience but also more effectively communicate why the work we do at OG really matters.

I thought a full day of media training would push my social battery to its limit but I was left feeling ready to take on an interview then and there – so a big thank you to Lisa! I would recommend the training course to both those who are just starting out and seasoned pros who want to sharpen their skills in great high-tech facilities. I feel determined to be the latter one day!

Aqila K. Indra, Project Assistant

The training was my first intro to the media and broadcasting world, and I didn't know what to expect when I first stepped into the studio. Thankfully, Lisa was an amazing trainer who effortlessly introduced us to various media insights and tips. She was full of encouragements and patience, and it made our practice runs much more exciting and a lot less intimidating. It was also really interesting to see the variety of work that goes on behind the scenes when it comes to the broadcasting world.

The thing that stuck out to me the most was that even though this was a 'media' training focusing on skills such as speaking live on broadcast and answering on-the-spot interview questions, I picked up an array of underlying soft skills as well, such as self-confidence, quick decision making, and how to keep an ease of mind in the face of unexpected situations. All these are greatly valuable skills I can implement in my daily life, and I had no ideas just how much I would learn from a single day.

It was definitely an unforgettable experience and I'm deeply thankful to both Lisa and Opportunity Green for giving me this opportunity!

If you’re looking for media training, get in touch with Lisa Mangan for a superb workshop.