What is the Vocal Point Media Workshop?

It’s a double-barreled program that teaches professional motorsports personalities how better to present themselves in media opportunities and before live audiences.

This powerful interactive workshop also covers how network television race coverage works, what drivers need to know to increase their television exposure and how to make the most of those opportunities.

Why is this training so important?

There are two answers to that question. Racecar drivers have spent the majority of their lives learning how to race, but virtually no attention has ever been paid to learning how to speak with the same kind of high performance they expect from their race machines. For most, speaking with energy, enthusiasm, passion, wit, and genuine emotion is unfamiliar ground. A driver who understands television, what the TV producers want, and how to tell engaging, compelling stories when given a media opportunity opens the door to increased exposure and more promotional horsepower for his sponsors and team.

Secondly, developing those skills invariably leads to more opportunities for lucrative commercial appearances, product endorsements, and future invitations to move to the broadcast booth following their racing careers.

How effective is the Vocal Point Media Workshop?

Very. Based on a program he created in 1986 to train sales and customer service personnel in the corporate world, Bill Stephens has combined his vast experience as a network television host and interviewer for countless racing and motorsports telecasts with his comprehensive understanding of voice and presentation skills.

The Vocal Point Media Workshop is a fast-paced, upbeat, innovative, and a thought-provoking concept that changes the way professional racing personalities approach their media opportunities… in a remarkably short period of time.
 

How is the Workshop structured?

With several professional racing series competing across the country on any given weekend during racing season, the Vocal Point Media Workshop is structured in an extremely flexible format which will allow drivers from those specific series to take fullest advantage of the program.

The Vocal Point Media Workshop comes to the events, usually the day before official competitive activities begin, and conducts the initial interactive workshop at the venue. Designed for groups as small as five and no larger than ten, the opening workshop is a two-hour presentation that participants will find extremely informative and highly inspiring. Each participant will be videotaped during the workshop and key areas of their presentation skills will be diagnosed, with powerful tips and techniques provided to begin the process of improvement.

How network television approaches motorsports coverage, what TV producers want from drivers during an interview situation — and what they DON’T want, are all covered in this insightful presentation, along with how to increase and maximize media opportunities, attract valuable television feature time, and create a proactive operation that's more “media-aware”.

By itself, the initial two-hour Vocal Point Media Workshop is tremendously valuable as a stand-alone training tool. But what makes this program most unique is the subsequent six-part, One-On-One sessions, typically one-hour in length, scheduled at pre-determined events as the season continues, providing participants with invaluable follow-up, ongoing guidance in creating television-friendly storylines, and inventive strategies for increasing media exposure.

The two-hour Workshop without the subsequent One-On-One sessions can also be conducted as a stand-alone presentation for large groups of up to 100. Please give us a call for more information.

What does the Vocal Point Media Workshop cost?

Just like the structure of our program, the fee structure for the Vocal Point Media Workshop is equally flexible.  While other so-called media consultants which have no familiarity with motorsports charge exorbitant “door-to-door” fees, the cost of the Vocal Point Media Workshop is much more cost-effective and is based on whether you're an individual driver, a group of drivers, a race team, or a sanctioning body hoping to offer the workshop to those competing in your series.

Call or e-mail us, and we can discuss our fee structure and how it can fit into your bottom line.

What’s the next step in scheduling a Vocal Point Media Workshop?

After you’ve had a chance to view this entire website, including the “Mini-Workshop” page, give Bill Stephens a call at 508-889-9703, so you can tell us more about your specific needs and how we can address them. Or you can e-mail bill@VPointMedia.com.