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Description

Media Training: Preparing Interviews, Structuring Messages and Holding Your Line

Two days to face a journalist's microphone without losing the thread of what you came to say

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

A journalist calls at the end of the day and wants a reaction by tomorrow morning. The spokesperson knows the subject but is drawn along by the follow-up questions, speaks for too long and lets slip one sentence that will be quoted on its own. The intended message disappears behind the unfortunate phrase.

These 14 hours of training focus on preparing for and holding an interview. Participants build their key messages, work on the short answer, and learn to handle a hostile or off-topic question and return to their point. Exercises are filmed and then reviewed as a group: every intervention is replayed until the message holds.

Learning objectives

  • Build three key messages that can each be delivered in under a minute
  • Distinguish the working logic of print, radio and television journalists
  • Answer a hostile question without repeating the terms of the attack
  • Bring the exchange back to your message after an off-topic follow-up
  • Prepare an interview under time pressure using a reusable framework

What makes this programme different

Filmed interviews reviewed with freeze-frames on the passages that lose the audience
Questions prepared from the sensitive topics brought by participants
A key-message sheet finalised and tested by the end of the second day

Programme

1Understanding the Journalist's Request

Angle, constraints and format

  • Identifying the angle behind an interview request
  • Differences between live, recorded and written interviews
  • What will survive the edit and what will be cut
  • Questions to ask before accepting an interview

2Building Your Messages

From the brief to three sentences

  • Selecting the two or three ideas to convey
  • Phrasing short, self-contained sentences
  • Choosing evidence, examples and orders of magnitude you can defend
  • Preparing fallback wording on sensitive points

3Holding the Interview

Voice, eye contact and pace under pressure

  • Managing breathing and pace in front of the microphone
  • Posture and eye contact in studio or on video call
  • Handling silence and persistent follow-up questions
  • Giving a short answer then returning to the message

4Managing Tense Situations

Trick questions, sensitive topics and crises

  • Responding to a question based on a rumour or incorrect data
  • Declining to comment without appearing evasive
  • What to do when the information is not known
  • Coordination between spokespersons during a sensitive period

Who is it for

Executives, spokespersons, communication managers and senior staff required to respond to the media.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.