Media Skills Training and Development for Civil Service and Government Communications

Course Aims

The course aims to improve the skills and effectiveness of press officers and other government media professionals by sensitising them to modern practice in the field of government communications and to develop specific skills and perspectives. In particular, it aims to explore:

  • Freedom of Information Practices: Clarify the formal and informal roles of the press officer; and to introduce and explore the concept of strategic communication and the alignment of all government communications work to the wider aims and needs of the government and the state;
  • Media Behaviour: Understand the nature of the media, including the technological and commercial drivers, the shape of the news cycle and the roles of journalists, editors and owners, that can help explain and predict their behaviour;
  • Government Transparency: Examine the ethical and practical dimensions of the interplay between the media, the government and the citizen in the context of openness and transparency; and consider the likely shape of this interplay and the wider development of the media and government communications in Vietnam in the next five years;
  • Media Management Strategies: Understand the role and effectiveness of modern techniques in media management; and develop skills and experience in all forms of media interviews.

Consultant

James Humphreys is a leading consultant in government and public communications in the UK and worldwide.

Until 2003 he was Head of Corporate Communications to Prime Minister Tony Blair.

His recent projects include the communication of public service reform in Zambia and on the restructuring of all aspects of government communications in Trinidad and Tobago.

He is also the Director of the Master of Arts in Political Communication, Advocacy and Campaigning at Kingston University London. His research interests include public and national brands and the inner workings of the Offices of Presidents and Prime Ministers.

Programme

Introduction to the Course

The Role of Government Media and Communications Staff

  • Media Handling
  • Public Information
  • Building Acceptance and Engagement

Strategic Communications

  • Social Marketing and Political Communications
  • Understanding Audiences and Setting Objectives
  • Research and Evaluation

The Media

  • National and International Media
  • The Roles of Journalists, Editors and Owners
  • Commercial Pressures and Technical Developments

The News Cycle

  • The News Day
  • Media Templates
  • The Shape of a Story
  • Existing Media and Audience/Market
  • Likely Changes over Five Years
  • Impact of International Media
  • Impact of the Internet
  • The Next Big Story

Open Government

  • Transparency and Scrutiny
  • Freedom of Information
  • The Limits of Media Freedom

Media Management

  • Planning and Scheduling
  • Presentation and Manipulation
  • Crisis Management

Interview Techniques

  • Press Conferences
  • Print and Broadcast Interviews
  • News and Documentary Interviews
  • Location Interviews and "Doorsteps"

Practical Session

  • Individual Interviews on Camera
  • Group Interviews/"Doorstep"

Contact +44 (0)8456 034 054 or email us for course schedules and prices.