Intensive Communications and PR Programme

Course Outline

Day 1: Essential Media Relations

This one-day module covers the key concepts and techniques that effective PR professionals use to get stories covered positively and prominently in print, broadcast and online media.

• The media landscape: how to map out the full range of forms of news media, and how to engage effectively with different media
• Journalists: how to understand and work with journalists to influence and shape coverage
• News judgment: understanding how journalists decide what makes news
• Pitching stories: how to sell-in stories to journalists by creating and executing effective pitches

Day 2: Creativity in Communications and PR

This one-day module delivers inspiration and practical tools with which to create distinctive PR ideas that will outshine the competition, stick in people’s minds, and achieve results.

• Creativity in PR: principles of creativity and its importance for PR
• Creativity showcase: a case-study driven rolling workshop in which learners examine the key success factors behind creative PR campaigns and extract practical lessons
• Facilitating creativity: a toolbox of practical creativity techniques and processes
• Creativity in practice: an in-class creativity workshop applying all of the creativity concepts and techniques covered during the course

Day 3: Strategic Media Engagement

This one-day module covers sophisticated approaches to media relations that will enable PR professionals with some media experience to take their career to the next level.

• Creative news and media management: how to generate creative news angles and secure prominent coverage even for borderline stories
• Innovative media engagement tactics: how to engage journalists using innovative techniques
• Online media relations: how to conduct media relations on the Web and align your media relations work with online social media
• Preparing and coaching spokespeople: how to brief and debrief spokespeople so that they perform effectively in media interviews

Days 4-5: Media Training

This two-day module builds universal skills for speaking with journalists in any kind of media encounter. You will practice realistic on-camera interviews with positive and supportive coaching. Topics include preparation, confidence, dynamics, body language and difficult questions.

• Effective preparation for interviews
• Body language, such as appearing engaged
• Voice – including tone, projection, variation and emphasis of key points
• Confidence and clarity (ability to be understood and avoidance of jargon)
• Avoiding tricks, traps and pitfalls

Day 6: Advanced Communication Strategy

This one-day module covers strategy at manager and director level, including creating and deploying sophisticated strategies for complex situations, large organisations, multiple countries and brands.

• Evidence-based communication strategy: how to measure and prove the value of communication
• Advanced strategy tools and concepts: specialised techniques for developing complex PR strategies
• Justifying strategy: securing management support: how to get support from the top for ambitious PR strategies
• Rolling out and managing a communication strategy: the systematic process of creating and deploying a PR strategy

Day 7: Speech Writing

This one-day module covers the art of creating memorable speeches. You will learn to create powerful and natural language fit for the speaker and occasion. Topics include planning, structure, flow, rhetoric, transitions and other key components.

• Speech planning
• Structure and flow
• The spoken word
• Key elements and delivery

Days 8-9: Internal Communication

This two-day module covers employee communications from strategy to execution. You will learn best practice in building internal communication strategies that raise motivation, productivity and collaboration.

• Core principles and defining concepts that underlie practical and strategic internal communications
• How to create an internal communication strategy complete with organisational systems and a practical action plan
• Internal communication platforms and channels: a toolbox of practical internal communication techniques and channels
• Internal communication campaigns and programmes: a how-to guide to launching internal communication programmes, based on case studies of award-winning campaigns from around the world

Day 10: Advanced Communications and PR Management

This one-day module covers best practice in designing communication departments, managing PR teams and directing campaigns.

• Strategic management for communications and PR departments
• Operational communication management: policies, processes and resources
• Programme management, measurement and evaluation
• Managing and leading a PR team