SPEAK Media Training

SPEAK: COMPREHENSIVE, PRACTIAL MEDIA TRAINING FROM FORMER BROADCAST JOURNALISTS WHO ACTIVELY PITCH

Our media training program, SPEAK, aims to help companies speak to, engage with, and be heard by their target audiences. We work with clients – from early stage to established brands – to design, align, coordinate, and humanize external communications efforts that propel them forward, always with an eye on business goals. SPEAK is about effectively engaging with audiences – including media – through clarity, practice, and preparation.

Committed to Relevance

One of the things that differentiate our approach is our commitment to relevance. We do not simply rely on our experience dealing with the media over the years (although that does inform and influence our work.) We proactively and consistently connect with and engage reporters, editors, and producers to discuss the changing media landscape, their preferences, goals, and how we can continue to be the best resources for them. Over the past few years, the news industry has undergone a dramatic shift; therefore, relying on how things used to be can be not only ineffective but harmful.

Another example of relevance is that we have begun to include training for virtual interviews, including a virtual environment assessment to ensure that you project the best image when video conferencing with media.

1:1 Training

After an overview of and discussion about working with today’s media – including common reporter personas and tactics for handling each, we walk through a series of examples and mock practice interviews that are recorded and reviewed with you. We go beyond the basics, tips, and techniques; we focus on real practice so participants can see and feel for themselves what works and identify areas for improvement.

Message Review and Counsel

What you are saying is as important as how you are saying it. We don’t just help executives prepare for their moment in the hot seat; we help ensure that what they are saying resonates with their audience.

Follow-up and Ongoing Counsel

The SPEAK Program doesn’t end when we walk out the door. We provide formal written feedback and recommendations to clients within a week of our training. We also provide a PDF with “helpful hints” clients can refer to before interviews and/or print out as an easy reference guide. And, of course, we offer ongoing counsel and are available to help prepare executives for future interviews or speaking opportunities.

Learn More

If you want to see the SPEAK training program in action, click below to read a case study.

Read Our Case Studies

Coverage Highlights

“A Debut Venture Fund Makes a Drawn-Out Fundraising Process Work to Its Advantage | Wall St. Journal

(For Benchstrength) "Fundraising is a slog for many new venture-capital firms in today’s market. One firm has employed an art-of-the-possible approach to reach the finish line. Benchstrength, co-founded and managed by former General Catalyst investors Ken Chenault Jr. and John Monagle, held a final close on its debut fund earlier this year at $62 million after more than two years in the market." READ MORE

"Miles From Silicon Valley, This Small Company Is Building A Booming Tech Sector" | MarketWatch

(For Fund For Armenian Relief) “More than a quarter of a century since gaining its independence following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Armenia has built a thriving tech sector that encompasses Western technology giants and a slew of local startups." READ MORE

"MIT startup develops new kind of camera that sees in the dark (and around corners)" | Boston Globe

(For Ubicept) “We think that this technology is going to replace a large part of conventional imaging,” said Bauer, who earned an electrical engineering doctorate at Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. “It’s a paradigm change." READ MORE

"Eco-Friendly Holiday Spending: How to Be Green and Frugal" | US News & World Report

(For Alchemy Global Solutions) "If you'll be shopping for electronics this year, your first step should be to explore trade-in options, said Stephen Wise, global marketing director at Alchemy Global Solutions in the United Kingdom...“Trading in old devices and purchasing refurbished ones can save a ton of money; up to 70% on smartphones and 50% on laptops,” Wise said. READ MORE

"Using Open-Source Tech to Transform Healthcare and Housing for the Homeless" | Healthcare IT Today

(For PathCheck Foundation) “The number of people experiencing homelessness (PEH) continues to rise…While the situation is complex, one promising solution lies in the integration of digital technology, specifically open-source platforms like those developed by the PathCheck Foundation, to improve the coordination of care and support for this vulnerable population.” READ MORE

"Empowering Armenian Women Through Technology" | Cheddar TV

(For Fund For Armenian Relief) Fresh off of speaking at the UN, Amalya Yeghoyan, Executive Director of FAR’s Gyumri Information Technology Center, discusses her work to empower women through tech. WATCH HERE

"ChatGPT and AI are the next worker recruitment and retention game changers" | CNBC

(For CEIPAL) "From screening resumes, scheduling candidate interviews, and supporting onboarding, AI can help at each stage of the candidate experience, says Sameer Penakalapati, CEO at Ceipal, an AI-driven talent acquisition platform." READ MORE

"Everything you know about computer vision may soon be wrong" | TechCrunch

(For Ubicept) "Computer vision could be a lot faster and better if we skip the concept of still frames and instead directly analyze the data stream from a camera. At least, that’s the theory that the newest brainchild spinning out of the MIT Media lab, Ubicept, is operating under." READ MORE

"How creative power of 4 can make teams more productive" | Fast Company

(For Ideasicle) "...When you limit the team to four people and strategically pick exactly who those people are, you will greatly accelerate idea generation, and have fun doing it.” READ MORE

"Contact Tracing with Your Phone" | New York Times

(For PathCheck)"... Lots of new app ideas are emerging to track Covid-19, but each has issues around privacy, location accuracy and how much appeal it will have to the public and to health officials." READ MORE

Invested in diversity, equity, and inclusion? You better be ready to prove it | INC.

(For Scratch Marketing & Media client Ovia Health) "Given the focus of our work at Ovia Health, passion is foundational rather than auxiliary, and the drive for equitable access to care is embedded in Ovia's products, in our culture, in the fundamentals of who we are." READ MORE

What should you do with your money to prepare for a recession? | CBS NEWS

(For Sagewell Financial) "...If you have inflation and a recession combined together, it's a whole different beast," said Sam Zimmerman, CEO of Sagewell Financial, a banking company geared toward seniors. WATCH HERE

SPEAK Media Training PROGRAM