The standard media training course runs two days, or one full day followed by two half days. The program is modular, and can be tailored to the needs of specific clients. It is also progressive, with each module building on the lessons of earlier sessions. Descriptions of optional add-on modules and additional courses follow below.

SAMPLE 2-DAY AGENDA FOR MEDIA COURSE:

Day One:

9:00am-11:00am     Learning Session: Answering Questions Effectively
We develop our unique, copyrighted model that allows you to answer ANY question in a compelling, informative way. We show you how to organize your thoughts and think on your feet. During this session, participants will work collectively to answer a question often asked of their organization, or that is relevant to their issues.

11:00am - 1:00pm     Practice Session
On camera, each participant answers two questions on his or her specific issues. Coaching follows from consultants and peers. Participants re-do one question for improvement, then view their tapes privately to gauge their performance.

2:00pm 3:00 pm     Learning Session: Difficult and Dirty Questions
We explore the four most common types of difficult and dirty questions, and learn techniques on how to defuse them without sounding defensive, and bridge back to your message. We talk about questions NOT to answer, and how to answer them gracefully without saying "No comment."

3:00pm - 5:00pm     Practice Session
On camera, each participant answers relevant difficult and dirty questions with coaching from consultants. Participants view their tapes. Consultants advise on body language tips and how to dress for TV.

Day Two:

9:00am - 10:30am:     Learning Session: Making Allies with the Media
How to prepare for interviews so you get the coverage you want, and how to anticipate a journalist's angle so you can strategically deliver your message. We'll discuss how to package information differently for TV, radio, and print journalists, and look at differences in international and regional media.

10:30am 1:00pm     Practice Session: Live Interview on Camera
Participants get a live interview on their specific issues. Coaching and private viewing follows.

2:00pm - 2:30pm     Learning Session: Advanced Interview Strategies
We look at techniques for handling aggressive or hostile journalists, and how to take control in an interview. Participants learn how to avoid getting defensive and stay on message.

2:30pm - 4:00pm     Practice Session: Tough Interview on Camera
Participants get a tough interview on their specific issues. Coaching and private viewing follows.

4:00pm - 5:00pm     Graduation Exercise: Press Conference
We look at techniques for preparing and participating in press conferences, panel discussions, and press briefings. Participants hold a mock press conference, in which some play spokespersons and others play journalists and critics.

Post-Course Support:

1. Consultants keep a progress sheet for each participant. Post-course, we send each participant an individual assessment of strengths and areas on which they need to keep working.
2. A media ‘dos and don’ts’ sheet is included for quick reference.
3. Participants are invited to write or call for ongoing support and advice as needed.
4. A half-day review/advanced course is an option.

Workshop Includes:

• Four or more individual practice sessions on camera, with feedback from consultants
• Five-step model for answering any question effectively
• Learning to detect and defuse the four types of Difficult and Dirty Questions
• Skillfully avoid the four Questions Not to Answer and bridge back to your message
• Blueprint for preparing for an interview or press event.
• Body language and dressing for TV.
• Differences in preparing for radio, T.V., and print interviews
• Attention to the specific media environment of each individual participant (whether he or she works in Manila, Rio, Nairobi, Prague or Washington D.C.)
• Media dos and don'ts.
• Working with interpreters (optional).

Participants leave the course with:

• A videotape of all their practice sessions on camera
• A pocket card containing Intermedia's copyrighted communications models for easy reference
• Nine handouts containing the essential lessons of each session
• A written assessment of their strengths and areas on which to improve, e-mailed to each participant shortly after the course.
• Option of a half-day refresher/advanced course.

Pricing options:

• Standard two day course -- $1,650 per person
• One day ‘Basic Media’ course -- $1,000 per person
• One on One 3 hour ‘Intensive’ Session for Senior Management -- $3,000

Optional modules:

The Key to Effective Presentations and Public Speaking:

This module cuts straight to the heart of the matter: how to hook your audience and keep their interest throughout your presentation. It includes tips on style, body language and visuals.

On Camera Practice: Participants deliver a prepared presentation. Coaching and critique follow by consultants. Participants present a revised version on camera. Participant and consultant view improved performance.

This module can either be integrated into the two day course, or held as a separate half-day option.

Advanced Media Course:

After basic training, graduates become Media Communicators, able to handle tough interviews well and get their messages across effectively. The Advanced Media course pushes graduates to the next level, Media Masters.

Objective: how to use interviews strategically to help shape public awareness, and thus alter the policy environment in which they work. Among other skills, graduates learn how to work in a hostile environment, how to use ambush interviews to maximum advantage, and how to control journalists by using "symbolic facts". This course is a half-day session.

Strategies for Finding Opportunities:

How to engage in dialogue when you are seeking opportunities of mutual benefit. This session includes: how to ask the right questions, active listening, reading the body language of others, verification and empathy, and discerning blocks to agreement.

Clarity:

When you achieve clarity, your audience grasps your meaning fully, and your message remains with them as memorable and even inspiring. We remove blocks to clarity, namely: negativity, the inner critic, conceptual language, and lack of trust.

Leadership Communications:

How to inspire and motivate as a leader. We explore the qualities inherent in great communicators, such as authenticity, congruence, courage, and vision. Participants will learn how to express these qualities when they speak, and to adapt them to their individual styles. We will point out communication blunders that lead to perceptions of weakness or undermine your message. Graduates will come away with practical techniques that will boost their confidence and abilities.

Leadership for Women: How to Speak with Authority and Confidence

Women often face obstacles to being heard as figures of authority. We teach the basics of how to speak with greater confidence and power, including body language tips and choosing the right verbal communication techniques. We also highlight the common mistakes women make that weaken their messages, and detract from their authority.