A west Cornwall-based media trainer is embracing modern technology as he adapts his business in the current coronavirus crisis.
Scott Hamilton typically travels across the UK to carry out face to face media interview training and crisis communications training, training spokespeople to give interviews to TV, radio online and print journalists.
Current clients range from a top six supermarket to major utility firms, banks, sports retailers and universities, NHS trusts and charities.
However, that came to an abrupt halt with the current lockdown and he has had to embrace the virtual world and deliver his training via Zoom.
“In the first two days of lockdown I adapted my half day media training package and materials to operate as a 3.5 hour virtual session on Zoom,” he explained.
“On the third day I trained fellow trainer Martin Crump from Evolution Development – a free trial that was as useful for me as it was for him – ahead of a Today Programme interview scheduled for the following morning.
“On the Friday of week one of lockdown I trained my first paying customer – a spokesperson for an existing client, a major energy network – and in the two weeks since then I’ve trained three more and begun discussions to train for a prestigious major training provider.
“I’ve always expected, with the climate and my own travel time as key factors, to embrace virtual training at some point, but to have to adapt to it in a matter of days has been challenging – especially with a horrible and worrying pandemic as a backdrop – but also invigorating.
“I’m enjoying the new challenge and this has been a particularly interesting development for me because, as I’m adapting to training this way, spokespeople around the world are adapting to giving interviews this way. Everyone is giving Zoom interviews from home – so to be trained to do it from home, over Zoom, works very well.”
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