Taylor-made Communications

Our media training prepares spokespeople and managers to face the print or broadcast media, enabling them to become effective advocates for their organisation and to build strong relationships with journalists.

We help you make sure that when you create a media opportunity, your spokespeople are ready to exploit it. We work with trainees to define sharp and clear messages, and then give them the tools to communicate those messages with confidence during a variety of interview situations - from telephone and radio interview to press conference, "down-the-line" and TV panel discussion.

Our media training courses

Our courses are run by Robert Taylor, managing director of Taylor-made Communications. Robert is one of a select group of media trainers approved by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, and has trained executives throughout the world. He has media-trained executives from London 2012, the UK's Foreign Office, Orange, Oracle, SAP, BEA, British Airways, Starwood Hotels, Cadwalader (the law firm), CareerBuilder, EMC, eMusic, Lawson Software, Marshall, NetIQ, OnAir, SITA, SAS and Yellow Roadway.

Robert's media training courses are suitable for anyone who ever speaks to the media on behalf of their organisation, particularly when that organisation is confronting negative issues. He has trained CEOs who do interviews with BBC TV, directors who do interviews with the national press and managers who deal only with their own trade or local media. Nearly all the people he has trained say that the lessons they learned also helped them communicate more clearly and effectively with customers, colleagues, suppliers, and anyone else they speak to at work.

Robert trains delegates individually or in groups (up to six people in a session) - either at client premises or in a dedicated studio - working with cameramen Dan Rack and Nigel Blackman.

There are three key attributes that lead to the success of his media-training courses:

1. Detailed preparation
   Every simulated interview is based on the issues that participants will deal with in real media interviews. For us, working up the questions for these interviews requires extensive research - we never stint on this preparation as it is vital to the success of any training course.
2. A searching interview style
   Robert makes the simulated interviews as realistic and tough as necessary - the sort of interview that Jeremy Paxman or John Humphrys might conduct. Trainees always appreciate this, and revel in the challenge, knowing that they are then prepared to face the most hostile and awkward media interviews with confidence and a set of robust messages.
3. An inclusive style of facilitation
   Many media trainers have great credentials but lack the ability to facilitate a day-long course. They may also fail to empathise with the various needs of a wide range of individuals and to give simple lessons that people will remember and act upon. Robert's media-training courses are founded upon excellent facilitation.

"Robert Taylor's media training session has to rate amongst the best half days that I've spent in a classroom environment during my working career. I appreciated the brisk pace of the session, the use of technology as a learning tool and the benefit of an experienced team of individuals, who all had something to offer due to their varied backgrounds. I walked out of the session knowing that I'd learned something new and understood my weaknesses, but had also confirmed my abilities. All in all, the morning we spent with him and his team was a fantastic mix of anecdotes, insight, guidance, education and enjoyment. More of the same please."

Simon Cripps, PR and Communications Executive, British Airways World Cargo