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Personnel from the 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs office hosted a media training event for the 435th Contingency Response Squadron during a Mission Planners Course Aug. 4 on Ramstein.
The training prepared Airmen from the 435 CRS for interviews with the press by having them participate in mock interviews and watching the taped answers afterward.
“In public affairs, we often meet with different organizations to teach them what we do and how they should engage with the media,” said Kelly Sanders, 86 AW Public Affairs chief of media operations.
According to Sanders, the 435 CRS’ robust mission draws external media attention, thus creating the idea for them to train on talking with the press.
“We want to ensure they feel confident and have the tools to be credible spokespeople if a media opportunity arises, wherever their missions take them,” Sanders said.
The media training prepared Airmen for interviews with the press by making them aware of common nuances in areas such as body posture, speech volume and delivering the message of the U.S. Air Force mission.
“Media is our biggest conduit to external audiences, and we owe it to the American taxpayers to engage with the media and provide information about what the Air Force is doing,” Sanders said. “It isn’t always comfortable to be on camera, so we like to give Airmen a taste of what that feels like so it isn’t as intimidating when it happens in the real world.”
According to Tech. Sgt. Joshua Bell, 421st Combat Training Squadron course director of the Mission Planners Course, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, the training was well-received by Airmen participating in the media course after they learned what they needed to be aware of the most in an interview.
“The biggest thing the course wants Airmen to take away is self-awareness,” Bell said. “Most Airmen have no clue how they are going to react when they have a camera in their face. We want to show them what they look and sound like.”
Telling the Air Force story to media is an important aspect not only with the 86 AW/PA or 435 CRS but with all of Team Ramstein. If you have any questions in regards to this, contact the 86th Airlift Wing media office at 480-2458 or 06371-47-2458.
