Crisis Media Training
Prepare your spokespeople to communicate clearly, calmly and with empathy when your organisation faces difficult questions.
During a crisis, media attention can develop quickly while the facts are still emerging. Your spokespeople may need to explain what is known, respond to concern and face challenging questions without making premature statements.
Hawkeye Media provides bespoke crisis media training built around the situations your organisation could face. We combine journalistic insight, realistic interview practice and constructive feedback to help your team prepare before the pressure arrives.
Discuss crisis media training for your team
Prepare for the situations that matter to you
A useful exercise reflects your organisation, the people it serves and the issues that could attract scrutiny. Before the session, we work with you to understand your objectives and develop relevant, challenging scenarios.
These might explore a service disruption, an operational incident, a difficult organisational decision or concerns raised about your work. The focus depends on your brief and the interviews your spokespeople may face.
We consider the media questions alongside the concerns of customers, employees, service users and other stakeholders. This gives delegates a practical setting in which to test their messages and judgement.
What your team will practise
Your crisis media training can help delegates:
- Understand how a crisis story develops and what journalists are likely to ask.
- Identify the information they can communicate accurately at each stage.
- Build clear messages around the situation, its impact and the response.
- Answer challenging questions while acknowledging uncertainty.
- Communicate concern and empathy for people affected.
- Handle doorstep questions and press conferences where relevant.
- Review their interview delivery and apply individual feedback.
We pitch the exercises to your delegates’ experience, whether they are preparing for their first difficult interview or refreshing established skills.
Clear messages when information is incomplete
Spokespeople can come under pressure to provide answers before every detail has been confirmed. Preparation helps them distinguish between established facts, information that needs checking and matters they cannot yet address.
Training gives your team the opportunity to practise explaining those limits clearly, responding to the question and setting out what the organisation is doing. We explore how language, tone and delivery can affect the way an answer is received.
The aim is to develop a considered response that takes people’s concerns seriously and stays grounded in accurate information.
Realistic interviews in a supportive setting
We use relevant scenarios and challenging questions to make the practice meaningful. Depending on your objectives, exercises can reflect press conversations, radio or television interviews, doorstep encounters or a press conference.
Delegates have space to try an approach, review it and make improvements. Recorded interviews allow us to examine both the content of an answer and how it comes across, with individual feedback on clarity, composure and delivery.
You receive recordings to revisit afterwards, and we can discuss further preparation ahead of an important interview. The training is designed to support practical learning in a constructive environment.
Journalistic experience and relevant client work
Hawkeye Media is run by journalists and PR professionals with experience across newspapers, radio and television. Founder Helen Glanville’s BBC career included work on Watchdog and Panorama, bringing insight into how interviews are prepared and how difficult stories develop.
Our published client feedback includes crisis media training for senior management through OCTO’s work with Novartis Emergency Management, alongside simulated news bulletins and training material.
Read our client feedback or explore the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority case study for another example of bespoke media and crisis training.
“The crisis media training sessions with senior management were engaging, relevant and memorable.”
Training shaped around your team
Crisis media training is relevant to senior leaders, communications teams, technical specialists and other people who may speak for your organisation. We have trained organisations across sectors including health, education, transport, public services, energy and charities.
Sessions can take place in a TV and radio studio or at a suitable location near your offices. Discuss your preferred setting, delegate experience and practical requirements with us so we can recommend an approach. You can also explore our training facilities.
For broader interview preparation across positive stories and challenging subjects, see our media training.
Planning your crisis media training
Can the training use our own crisis scenarios?
Yes. We work with you in advance to develop scenarios that reflect your organisation and the situations you want to rehearse. Raise any sensitive information or confidentiality requirements when discussing the brief.
Can experienced spokespeople benefit?
Yes. Experienced delegates can use the session to test their responses to unfamiliar questions, practise a demanding scenario and review how their messages work under pressure.
What determines the cost and format?
Your objectives, scenario preparation, delegate requirements and delivery setting shape the proposal. Tell us what you need to achieve, who will attend and any deadline when you enquire.
Give your team the opportunity to rehearse
Tell us about your organisation, the people you would like to train and the situations they need to prepare for. We will discuss your requirements and develop a proposal for relevant crisis media training.