What I Do
We all know the importance of brilliant stories. They are how communities are created and then how they thrive. Stories are what makes us human, helping us communicate with others and form relationships.
But knowing what your story is, how best to tell it or where to tell it so it reaches those it needs to is not easy.
Whether it’s producing great content, building a strong communication and media strategy which makes an impact with thought-provoking stories or being trained to find, write and tell your own, my decades in the newsrooms of national newspapers can ensure your content is impactful, authentic and enhances what you do.
I’ve written hundreds of front page splashes from cutting-edge health and science breakthroughs to news agenda-setting stories and exclusives.
I work collaboratively with all my clients to ensure they get the best of my experience, insight and guidance whatever their comms, content and training needs are.
Content
It takes decades to learn and hone the skills needed to be a brilliant storyteller.
Everyone can write. But not everyone can make that writing become great content which not only delivers on impact but achieves strategic objectives.
And before that storytelling even begins comes the story finding. Cutting through reams of data and corporate noise to find the glimmer of a story is what journalists do every day.
Whether you need a corporate narrative, executive speech, campaign, report, article, newsletter, website content, blog, LinkedIn article or press release, I can ensure on-tone and on-message content. Every single word counts and must be made to work as hard as possible in order to deliver maximum impact and cut-through for your company or brand. I combine a storytelling background with creative thinking to craft hard-hitting messaging and content which will guarantee coverage – and clicks – every time. I know news and the stories people want to read – invaluable insight in an increasingly tough industry where time is tight, space is short, and a 24-hour stream of content means you need to do more to stand out.
Contact me today to discuss how I can help raise your content game.
Strategy
This is all about the thinking. Whether for a PR and media campaign strategy or coming up with a winning pitch for new business, I can deliver media-savvy, creative, strategic thinking across your entire business.
I have supported PR agencies, pharmaceutical companies and charities in the UK and worldwide with their media relations, corporate communication and corporate strategy needs. I know how the media works and how you can maximise the opportunities available with new angles and insightful, targeted strategies.
Training, Workshops and Facilitation
Training
I offer a range of tailormade training packages to help companies and individuals tell their best stories.
Whether you’re being grilled as a company spokesperson or want to upskill your team to better deal with the media to ensure cut-through with client stories, I use my decades of newsroom experience and real-life examples to create highly effective courses.
I provide media training for executives and spokespeople, interview and speech coaching, and PR and comms training for agencies, charities and press offices.
Why train with someone who has never been in a newsroom or at least not for decades? I am still a working journalist. I can help you find your stories – ones you’ve probably not considered before – then write and tell those stories with maximum impact, pitch them to journalists who will want to cover them or put you through your paces with tough lines of questioning so you can be the best possible mouthpiece for those stories.
I make sure that everyone who attends my courses leaves with the confidence and ability to put core skills into action which will drive exceptional media coverage and brand awareness.
I’ve helped individuals and teams at a range of companies and charities including the British Heart Foundation, Virgo, Roche, Sanofi, Bayer, Porter Novelli, the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), now called NHS Digital, and Napp.
Here are some of packages I can deliver, all of which will be specifically tailored to your needs:
Media interview and speech training for executives, spokespeople and academics
This is all about you finding YOUR story and telling it in a confident way whether in front of the media or a live audience.
This one-to-one, in-depth session will ensure you can harness the skills of powerful human and emotive storytelling to feel confident when communicating for you or your company or about your work. I train corporate spokespeople, academics and executives to effectively communicate with the media by understanding what journalists are looking for, learning tips and techniques to handle those interviews confidently and most importantly to ensure they deliver their messages with confidence and clarity.
And remember - media training is a bit like marathon training. The more you do it, the better you get.
PR and comms training
This Ultimate Media Training Day is aimed at agencies, charities and press offices and covers topics including spotting the story (even in complex data), perfecting the press release (and how to write them brilliantly), pitching, maximising media coverage including on social media, and insider insight into the media and what they want/how they work.
This can be run as a full day or half day. Or if you just need a power hour on something specific, I can do that too.
Workshops and Facilitation
Facilitation requires great listening skills and the ability to read and manage groups. But it also needs the ability to help guide discussions, help people express their ideas without fear and encourage new angles and novel solutions.
Whether you’re running a workshop, creative brainstorm session or need a meeting, advisory board, roundtable or event facilitated, chaired or compered, I can ensure the requirements of every meeting are not just met but exceeded. I am an experienced and highly regarded facilitator with a proven track record of getting results.
