Media train with
me for half a day.
Give great
interviews forever.
I’ve trained hundreds of people – including C-suite executives, corporate spokespeople, on-screen talent, scientists, authors, doctors, PRs, one Olympian and even a few journalists.
Every session is bespoke. But each one also includes stress-tested tools, which I’ve developed over those 13 years of training – and which build on my experience as a Daily Telegraph journalist and broadcast pundit.
I can tailor sessions for:
C-suite execs and board members
Corporate spokespeople
Crisis readiness
Presentation skills on Zoom
Promotional interviews (eg for actors, authors and sportspeople)
Expert pundits
Conference appearances
Specific upcoming media interviews
Training can be delivered in person or online, for individuals or small groups of up to 3 people.
Testimonials
“I benefited so much from the experience that we decided to extend the training to all senior execs across the group”
– CEO, Entertainment Company
“I have worked with Neil over several years to train some of the highest-profile figures in the creative sector, and I can safely say he is the best in the business”
– Director of Communications
“Neil’s training was like having Andy Murray on the other side of the net serving at me – slightly terrifying, but very effective”
– CEO, Media Organisation
“Neil is our go-to person – he has handled sensitive situations and subjects with great intelligence and professionalism”
– Publicity Director
Training
Because I work closely with your communications team ahead of time, I can tailor the training session precisely to your requirements.
A half-day in-person session is often a great start, with top-ups afterwards by Zoom if necessary to prepare for particular interviews.
Our session can focus on:
Presentation skills – polishing your visual and verbal delivery, so that your audience naturally focuses on what you’re saying (rather than how you look and sound).
Messaging – putting together a journalist-friendly soundbite, and remembering it reliably when you’re under pressure.
Tough questions – how to give great quotes to even the most hostile of journalists, using tried and tested strategies.
Crisis readiness – you can gain public trust and set the media agenda even when you’re under fire, and I can train you to be ready to do just that.
It’s only possible to influence journalists successfully if you understand what they’re looking for in an interview. I’ll take you (very briefly) to journalism school, so that you understand what makes news – and how stories are put together.
We’ll do practice interviews on camera, and you’ll get punchy written materials to take away and use for real-life interview preparation.
About me
I deliver media, communications and presentation training in both London and Brussels – with clients including corporations, international organisations, trade bodies, charities and individuals.
My training is informed by 20 years of experience as a journalist – mainly for the Daily Telegraph, where I was TV Editor and then Media Editor. I frequently chaired high-profile on-stage sessions (for BAFTA, ITV, the RTS and many more) – and was a regular on-screen pundit for BBC News and Sky News.
Prior to being a journalist, I worked as a corporate lawyer for 7 years (at firms including Linklaters and Debevoise & Plimpton). I’m also an Oxford University-trained mindfulness teacher, so I try to help even the most apprehensive training participants to feel safe and supported.
As well as media training, I work in corporate communications – most recently as Group Communications Director at YMU.
In 2022, I spent 10 months in Poland, working with a local start-up charity to run shelters for Ukrainian refugees. And outside work, you can often find me at the gym (fruitlessly trying to turn back the years) or at Romford ice rink (fruitlessly taking figure-skating lessons).
