Handling the media can be tricky for those in the public eye, so I’m always impressed to see successful examples of great media training at work. Sportsmen and women – not always the most natural of communicators – have to face the media on a regular basis and some most definitely do it better than others. But as a Moto GP fan, I think that some of the best in the sporting world at handling a press conference are the riders of the Moto GP World Championship.
Each week, they face the same banal questions from the media on rivalry, tyre selection, safety, injuries. You can see sometimes see their expressions change and then fix as they try to avoid glazing over.
But these are young men, averaging early to mid-20s (apart from the ‘old boy’ legends in their 30s), of nationalities ranging from Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Czech, Australian to American. Not only is their standard of English across the board impeccable, but the way in which they use language and media training techniques to respond to tricky, complex and sometimes controversial questions is nothing short of a masterclass.
This week’s pre-event press conference at the Brno GP was no exception. Some weeks ago, many of the top riders had expressed their intention not to attend the Japanese Grand Prix in October, through fears that the radiation threat and infrastructure problems resulting from the earthquake would present a safety concern (an odd reaction from those who make their living flinging themselves around a racetrack at 250kmph).
It has since transpired that all riders are contractually obliged to attend all the GPs and that some of them will be even more motivated to race to avoid missing out on crucial championship points. Hence when the question of the Japanese Grand Prix was mentioned at this weekend’s press conference, a massive U-turn was required.
But as well-briefed and media-savvy professionals, Stoner, Lorenzo, Abraham and Rossi deftly responded using the A-B-C method. They (A) acknowledged the question, (B) bridged with a recap of their previous position, and then (C) communicated their points clearly and concisely. Such a change in position would automatically expose them all to criticism, but they were all so articulate none of the attending media could really find any points to argue.
I hope that I can instil even half as much confidence in my clients before they face the media as these riders show every week – the Moto GP PRs are definitely doing a great job!
Emma Theron - A PR professional by day, a Suite101 contributing writer by night, I enjoy writing about a wide variety of subjects including motoring, ...
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