I recently attended two training courses in a week. Par for the course for many aspiring managers committed to continuous development, but unusual, these days, for someone long in the tooth like me. As a former trainer, I have always been committed to the view that we always have something to learn, and that if we rest on our laurels, we will certainly turn to compost. The two events I attended were concerned with senior management behaviour and media performance. The first was bound to be uncomfortable. I am all too well aware of how my behaviour affects others, and to have this confirmed through objective analysis and peer feedback does not make it easier to live with. The real test, of course, is making my behaviour more effective and task-focused. If anything, the media training was even more daunting. It concentrated on radio and television interviews, and the coaching was superb. We have to accept that most people's views are determined these days by the broadcast media, and local government is rarely the sexiest of subjects. A great deal of the input was very sound advice – detailed preparation, clear and unambiguous messages, avoidance of acronyms, and complex statistics. The challenge for me is that people expect me to perform well, a legacy from the fire dispute four years ago when, for a series of reasons, I ended up as the familiar if uncultured voice on the nation's airwaves. The advantage of ‘doing it real' is that once it is done, it is gone. People remember that you have been on, but unless a major mistake is made or something outrageous is said, it is the effect rather than the content which counts. In training, everything is deliberately torn apart forensically – with freeze frame and endless repetition, as an aid to learning and development. We were fortunate in learning from superb trainers – six of the most intensive and profitable hours I have spent for a long time in investment in the future. The lasting impression with me is that we live in a 24-hour, electronic media goldfish bowl, and as public servants, have a duty to explain to citizens what we are doing and why. Broadcasting is an essential skill for all of us, so we should be familiar with it and never take it for granted. I will try to be better at explaining complex issues clearly, and smile appropriately while doing so.
