THE final workshop of three organised by the Ownership Department of Horse Racing Ireland has taken place.

The workshops educated trainers and those involved in the racing industry on how best to use social media and online platforms to benefit their business.

They were chaired by Carey-Ann Lordan from Red PR and were set up as interactive group discussions rather than as lectures.

CATERING TO OWNERS

The workshop addressed how to understand the needs of owners. Participants were encouraged to think about their owners, what motivates them and who else has contact with them?

Lordan pointed out some of the main barriers to communication which can occur between trainers and owners, and advised on how best to avoid them. Understanding what can cause communication to fail and the risks of failed communication should help avoid it from happening again in the future.

Lordan advised participants how on best to give and receive information in order to avoid confusion and miscommunication. She emphasised the importance keeping things simple and clear.

How to improve

communication

with owners:

    • Think about your objectives before you begin
    • Put yourself in the receiver’s shoes
    • Choose the right medium of communication
    • Consider context
    • Organise and express your ideas clearly
    • Check for feedback

    • How best to receive

    information:

    • Give messages your full attention
    • Interpret them carefully
    • Keep an open mind
    • Record any information you are likely to forget
    • Respond appropriately

    • Trainers should always be looking to expand their base of owners and for this they need to be aware of potential owners. Lordan outlined the importance of knowing who potential owners are, knowing how long the process of turning them into owners is likely to take and how to keep them interested.

    In each of the workshops there has been a focus on knowing what technology and apps can help you and how.

    This final workshop looked at apps which can help communicate with owners. Two of the apps Lordan recommended were the TeamApp and the Racing Manager App (UK). As in the case with almost every aspect of mobile technology, these apps are being constantly developed and features are being added all the time.

    MEDIA TIPS

    Knowing how to deal and interact with the media is a vital skill and if you can utilise the media it can very much be to the advantage of your business, however, this does come with the risk that if you struggle with the media it can have a negative impact on your business.

    Understanding the different agendas and how to act in different situation was the first point Lordan made on this topic.

    When talking to journalists it is important to remember that quotes need to support the angle of the article and all of the information you give has to be concrete.

    If you are giving an interview it is important to keep in mind what is the one thing you would like the audience to take away from your interview.

    HOW TO GIVE GOOD

    QUOTES

    • Have a strong point, don’t be complicated and express your view with conviction and enthusiasm.
    • Start with your conclusion, make your point and then back it up. Don’t build arguments.
    • Try to use shorter, clearer sentences. Don’t ramble on with sentences that will have a lot of commas throughout.
    • Practice your quote but do not memorise them, know the main points you want to make.
    • Trust yourself – the best quotes are unexpected, so be yourself.

    • For those not trained being interviewed by the media isn’t always easy, and aside from the pointers Lordan gave for how to give good quotes, she also discussed how to deal with tricky questions.

    First, you breathe, smile and pause. Remain conscious of your body language while you do this because it can often give away more than you expect! The next step is to stall, this can be done by asking the interviewer to repeat the question or by filling the gap yourself, saying things like “that’s an interesting question,” or “it’s something we’ve given a lot of thought to” can work well.

    The final step for dealing with difficult questions is the bridge the gap with information you are more comfortable with and the question.

    Saying things such as “a more significant question” or providing background information will bridge the gap and allow you to move on to the next question. For some questions you might not be the best person to ask so suggest to the interviewer that they would be better off asking whoever you feel is more suitable or qualified to answer the question than you are.

    THINGS TO AVOID IN

    INTERVIEWS

  • Being forced to make a choice between two things.
  • Being ‘bracketed’ into giving a figure.
  • Answering a hypothetical question.
  • Don’t give an iron-cast guarantee.

    • It’s easily, especially if you are working outdoors, to become less conscious about you image, however, when it comes to interviews image means everything. Carefully consider your clothes and make-up. Wear something that is neat, clean and comfortable and that matches your role. Always avoid wearing distracting patterns, stripes or bright colours. Make sure to trim facial hair neatly.

    Body language should be considered for all interviews, not just for television. Practice how to sit and stand for interviews, remembering you want to look relaxed but energetic. If you are sitting down for an interview don’t swivel or fidget. Never cross your arms as it will make you look defensive and closed off.

    BRANDING

    Building a brand is not always easy but if it is done correctly it can be a huge benefit to your businaess. Lordan started by explaining to the participants the importance of determining your brand’s target audience and having a well-defined brand mission statement. From this you should create a brand logo and tagline, as well as forming a brand voice. You should integrate your brand into every aspect of your business and always make sure to stay true to it. You are your brand’s biggest advocate and your staff, owners and supplier for foot soldiers.

    Consistency is key when it comes to branding. Unless you are making a change to your branding, it should always be consistent and very clear for customers.

    COMMUNICATING NEWS

    News can be communicated in a number of different ways. A simple database for all media relating to the business is an effective way of keeping on top of what news is going where.

    Sending out press releases is a standard means of getting your news to different outlets. When writing press releases it is important to remember the five Ws and H: Who? What? Where? When? Why? And How?

    Always put the information in the pyramid of content with the most important information at the top. The more general information should go towards the bottom of the press release.Participants were also taught how best to structure and format a press release.

    The three workshops organised by the Ownership Department of HRI linked a number of key concepts relating to social media, marketing and having an online presence together over the course. The participants received a lot of practical and hands-on experience, enabling them to put their new skills into immediate use.

    The Ownership Department is hopeful the course will help improve the quality racing and thoroughbred social media content. They also hope it will increase the number of trainers using online platforms, which should be a great benefit to the industry as a whole.