Most media training still teaches techniques built for scheduled press conferences and next-day print deadlines. That world is gone. Reporters now file across multiple platforms simultaneously. A 15-second clip can travel further on social media than the original broadcast. Podcasters, YouTubers, and citizen journalists request interviews alongside legacy outlets. And the time available to prepare a spokesperson has compressed to near zero.
This full-day media training workshop is built for the people who will actually face the questions. You will learn how to develop and deliver key messages under pressure, handle hostile or unexpected questions, and present yourself credibly across broadcast, podcast, and social media formats. The day balances applied theory with extensive hands-on practice, including recorded mock interviews with direct feedback from a veteran media training professional with more than 25 years of experience across the public and private sectors. This is not a course about managing media relations from behind the scenes. It is for the person who sits across from the reporter.
Public sector and non-profit professionals who serve, or may be called on to serve, as spokespeople, subject matter experts, or organizational representatives in media-facing situations. This includes communications directors, program managers, executive-level leaders, non-profit executive directors, and anyone preparing for an upcoming media opportunity or building readiness for unplanned media contact. No prior media training experience is required.
During this workshop, participants will gain insights into:
- What Canadian reporters, producers, and editors are looking for in story ideas and sources right now
- How TV, radio, print, podcast, and live social interviews differ in structure, pacing, and what they demand from you
- How to build clear, memorable key messages that hold up under pressure and fit the time constraints reporters work within
- How to bridge from a difficult or off-topic question back to your key messages without sounding evasive
- How to handle hostile, ambiguous, or “gotcha” questions while maintaining credibility
- How to adapt your approach for non-traditional media: podcasts, YouTube interviews, and live social broadcasts
- How to prepare for and communicate during emergencies and crisis situations
- Body language, vocal tone, wardrobe, and managing on-camera nerves across virtual and in-person formats
- Mock interview practice across multiple formats with recorded playback and direct instructor feedback
All workshop participants will receive:
- A PDF copy of the workshop presentation slides
- A pre-interview preparation checklist for use before any media interaction
- A key message development worksheet
- An official CEPSM Workshop Certificate of Completion