Media Training

Spokespeople

Select Committee Training

Perform with confidence under intense scrutiny

Appearing before a House of Commons select committee is perhaps one of the most daunting experiences for a spokesperson and requires careful, specialist preparation.

 

Frequently, the subject matter will cover sensitive, complex or crisis issues about which attendees are probed by well-informed MPs asking tough questions for party political, personal profile or public interest motivations. In addition, these encounters are filmed and can become major news events.

 

Our select committee training prepares delegates for this kind of hostile interview scenario, so that they can remain calm and focused during their appearance.

Group 14 Created with Sketch.
Group 12 Copy Created with Sketch.
Oval Copy Created with Sketch.
Group 12 Created with Sketch.

Course overview

Delegates complete two mock select committee exercises which are recorded and played back for critique by a specialist trainer. Theory covered includes:
  • Review of key issues and associated pain points
  • Crafting core and crisis messages
  • Hostile Q&A rehearsal
  • Defusing and managing anger, hostility and aggression
  • Voice and body language coaching
Group 12 Copy Created with Sketch.

Group 10 Created with Sketch.
About our trainers

All our trainers are highly experienced public speaking coaches who work with senior spokespeople to develop robust messaging and articulate, confident performances under intense scrutiny.

 

They are also current working journalists or have held senior editorial or correspondent positions in the UK’s leading newsrooms and have covered select committee stories for national media outlets.

GET IN TOUCH
Group 10 Created with Sketch.

Why clients choose our courses

They are led by real experts
Leading institutions choose Media Training for our exceptionally high-quality training and the expertise of our trainers. We have prepared delegates to appear before select committees and other hostile interview scenarios on issues such as public finances, banking, employment policies, equality, gender pay gap and many more.
Group 10 Created with Sketch.
Group 14 Created with Sketch.
We’re at the heart of the media
PA Media are the national news agency for the UK and Ireland, with a client list which includes all major newspaper, TV and radio groups. This means we know what works and what doesn’t on select committees, so we are best placed to help clients perform in these situations.
Group 10 Created with Sketch.
Group 14 Created with Sketch.

What’s included for delegates?

  • Training with a specialist journalist media trainer
  • Look and sound confident and credible
  • Use empathy to defuse hostile questions and engage audiences
  • Interview steering and control techniques
  • One free place for a member of the communications team to observe and support messaging
  • Lunch for full-day courses
  • Delegate course notes
  • A digital recording of mock interviews for each delegate, shared afterwards via email
  • Post-training evaluation report, shared afterwards via email
Group 12 Copy Created with Sketch.

Group 10 Created with Sketch.
Who is this course for?

Select committee training is for any spokesperson who is expected to be the face of their organisation at a House of Commons select committee and face tough questions from MPs.

REQUEST A QUOTE
Group 10 Created with Sketch.

Get in touch

If you would like to find out more about our select committee training, please get in touch and we’ll be able to provide a proposal based on your exact learning requirements.
ENQUIRE NOW