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Lights, Camera, Action. Ulster & Connacht Prep For The Press

For many players dealing with media can be a nerve-wracking task. Facing an army of press after a tough game or before a make or break match can be very daunting. Practice makes perfect so with that in mind, Rugby Players Ireland arranged for Kieran File from Reactive Sports Media and a Senior Lecturer at The University of Warwick to visit Ulster and Connacht to put the guys through their paces.  Kieran has worked with Player Associations across the globe providing such services to help sports professionals master media interviews.

In Ulster, the Academy players really enjoyed and valued the chance to practice in front of the camera as well as experience a press interview first hand. A vital part of the workshop looked at the use of social media and its use in building your personal and your Clubs brand.
Michael Lagan, Rugby Players Ireland’s Ulster Academy Rep said that “as a young player trying to break into senior professional rugby you need to spend time developing off-pitch skills that are vital in today’s game. Even at this early stage in your career you don’t think you have any real profile in the media but Kieran was able to demonstrate that what we do put out there, as in with Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, really does matter!”

Workshops delivered covered basic reactive media training to ensure that both Senior and Academy players were confident and fluid in answering questions. The following were also addressed in the workshops:
• Dealing with nerves
• Displaying good body language
• Engaging the listener
• Deflection tactics
• How to prepare for interviews
• Understanding context and awareness of bigger issues within the game
• Avoiding loaded words or phrases and throwaway comments
• Building on the team message through personal points
• Show good knowledge and analysis of the game

Kieran will be running his media skills workshop with the Munster squad in the coming weeks.