Are our cricketers being media trained?
By Ganapathy Viswanathan on Jan 2, 2009 in clientservicing, mediarelations
The array of news papers, electronic channels, internet, radio and blogs that have emerged over the last decade has given national and international exposure to our cricketing heroes. Our cricketing celebrities are exposed day in and day out but what is more interesting is some of them have really become great spokespersons and are able to handle the media with lot of confidence and intelligent conversations. Do they undergo media training? I am not aware. Or has BCCI got a media manager who coaches them on the finer aspects of facing the media? I am not even sure if celebrity management companies are also imparting training on this aspect so that the brand they endorse is having a right connect and the equity of the brand is well protected. In case they are getting the assistance of the media manager, then that has really helped them and lifted the image of these cricketers.
No matter whether they speak in English or Hindi, it is the confidence with which they deliver matters. On that front, our skipper Dhoni has been improving by the day and the reply that he gave after the last test against England was really apt and powerful. He firstly thanked the English team for returning for the test match after the terrorist attack and secondly sent a clear message to the world that India will not buckle under such cowardly act of terrorism. I have been watching Dhoni from close quarters for the last one year and each time I observe him, he comes out as a thorough professional when he faces the media.
Handling the media has been so important these days as mind games are being played by the opponents before or after the matches. And you need to counter them with good strategy so that they don’t affect your game or the team’s performance. Few years back when South Africa was going through a bad patch, their board quickly appointed Ravi Shastri to coach them to handle the media pressures. So that’s the kind of importance one is attaching to media relations.
Speaking to media is an art and it will only come if one is coached and given professional advice. If you are on a winning spree, the confidence will drive you to speak well and handle the media with ease. It is during crisis and failures one may loose the confidence but if you are trained by a good media coach, you will be able to battle it well and take the media with complete confidence. I finally would like to conclude that handling media and speaking to them with the right tone and message will really help the team to play the role of great statesman and ambassadors for the nation in any part of the world.
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On Jan 2, 2009, Alia Curtis said:
Athletes play an extremely important role in influencing the public. Whether intentional or unintentional they serve as role models and spokespersons. Simply by the nature of their business they immediately have the attention and oftentimes adoration of the public in staggering statistics. To use them to get a political point across is genius, to say the least. Therefore, if BCCI has put dollars into media coaching, it is clearly money well invested. To hear one’s “hero” articulate in a professional manner tends to authenticate as well as sway public opinion.
I highly agree with Ganapathy Viswanthan’s statement, “that handling media and speaking to them with the right tone and message will really help the team to play the role of great statesman and ambassadors for the nation in any part of the world.”
…well stated Ganapathy.
On Jan 8, 2009, kapadiia himanshu said:
i only hope rather than media trained, they should be trained to play cricket or the sport..they represent…..
On Jan 17, 2009, Rohan Mishra said:
as a matter of truth and development Indian sport has picked up the ante matching shoulder to global fanfare.
I would feel india media still needs to play a more important role & senstivie at that in developing Indian sport. More positivity leading to more eyes looking.
The sole means of external specualtion to relaize, initially is media reports.
Indian press needs to play a charitable ( sic) yet upliftng role of indian sports talent & pull up infrasturcture, attitude & confidence a great deal in the process.
As personal noticeables, Indian sportspersons have eveoled a great deal from ‘ finger biting’ azzharuddin to media indifferent leander paes…
Language felxibility & associated dogma as also talent to ride on will help beam a long way….