It's a set of skills that has become important for the modern manager as companies come under greater scrutiny from shareholders and the public. "It's amazing how many senior people get to their positions without going through media training," says Tan May Lin, founder of Singapore-based Communications Training. "It's just like learning how to swim or play golf: training and practice help."

Media trainers hope to replace the mindset that an interview with a journalist is a crisis situation to be avoided, with the concept that it's an opportunity to convey a point of view or get a corporate message across. They also tell clients that getting information out to the public in a press interview is a lot cheaper than taking out an advertisement in a newspaper or paying for a television commercial. A half-page advertisement in a local newspaper in Singapore can cost anywhere from S$7000 to S$16500 (US$4,000 to US$9100). That would get a dozen people trained who can go out and talk about their company, says Tan. Of course, media training doesn't come cheap. Charges vary, but can range from as low as S$1000 per participant up to $4000 to $7000 or more for a full-day group workshop.

The industry, which has a long history in North America, is now making inroads in Asia. London-based Kingstree Group says its Asian revenues have been growing by about 75 percent annually for the last three years. It opened a Hong Kong office earlier this year and a Singapore one last. "People recognize that communication opportunities will pay serious returns if they get it right," says Managing Director Lee Bowman.

Training involves videotaping mock interview sessions and working on communication skills and techniques. The drill includes everything from how to improve body language and choice of words to where to put one's hands. More substantive issues include how to be concise and authoritative, how to handle tricky questions that the company isn't prepared to answer, how to emphasize points the company wants to make and what to do when you don't have an answer. So-called "bridging techniques" are always a favourite--these allow interviewees to move or "bridge" from a sensitive subject to one on safer ground.

WHAT NOT TO SAY
"It's important to know what to say, but it's probably more important to know what you shouldn't say," says Tan, whose clients have included DBS Group Holdings, Indonesia's Bank Mandiri, and TPA Strategic Holdings, a supplier of aircraft parts and services. "I tell them what are career-limiting statements and to speak them at their risk."

The training also includes "ambush situations" where executives are presented with a crisis situation. Scenarios can range from a plane crash to an oil spill or a factory fire. The ambush is videotaped and executives get feedback on how they handled the situation from other participants in the class. Richard Tan, an associate director at property consultants Jones Lang LaSalle, who completed a course run by public relations firm Weber Shandwick, says the course improved his confidence and his comfort level. "It sharpened our ability to handle questions," he says.

But media training isn't just about what to say and what not to say. It's also about appearance. "I'll tell businessmen not to wear big rings, take off the Brylcreem and cut their nails," says Tan. "They have it tough in my workshop but when they go out they're going to fly".