Handling The Media For The Benefit Of Your School

The way your school deals with the media plays a crucial role in how it’s perceived by parents and prospective pupils.

How you answer questions from journalists makes the difference between whether you get horror headlines, acres of positive free publicity or are completely ignored.

Michael Dodd Communications helps leaders in education to give more effective answers in media interviews and in other critical conversations – with parents, pupils, Ofsted inspectors and potential applicants for enrolment.

A Bespoke Programme For Your School

Michael works with educational leaders through conference keynotes, master classes and in one-to-one coaching sessions.

Here’s the menu of options for communications-boosting sessions with your education team. They typically involve sessions running over one or two days.

A bespoke programme can be drawn up – concentrating on what your school needs most.

Winning Over The Media On Behalf Of Your School – Fostering an understanding of what makes news; what education providers need to give the media in order to maximise positive coverage; pro-active and reactive tactics for dealing effectively with the media; Doing great media interviews for TV, radio, newspapers and news websites – especially your local papers.
Writing Effective School Press Releases – Identifying the positive newsworthy aspects of your school; structuring press releases that maximise the chances of being used; setting up attention-grabbing photo opportunities.
Media Interview Coaching – Concentrating on maximising good interview response techniques through a series of practical one-to-one sessions or with a small group; this can be for head teachers, the senior leadership team and other staff. It can also include pupils who are likely to be doing media interviews on behalf of the school.
Dealing With Media Emergencies – Preparing key school personnel to deal with the media when something goes wrong; limiting damage; turning crisis to opportunity;
devil’s advocate interview training for tough situations.
Drawing Up or Upgrading a Public Relations Plan for Your School – Working with key members of the school to foster a strategic approach to establishing or improving relations with the media and other target groups such as parents and the families of prospective students; developing your Public Relations aims and objectives; identifying core school or local authority educational values; timetabling forthcoming press releases and photo opportunities
Presenting with Confidence and Positivity – Senior teachers can be great at talking front of the classroom, but still find it daunting and very different when it comes to speaking to an audience of parents and potential pupils at open events and elsewhere.

Michael Dodd works with his professional speaking colleague, Nicci Roscoe, to help teachers wow their audiences outside the classroom.

Give your education leadership teams invaluable communication skills they can put into practice day after day, week after week, year after year.

For Bookings and Information telephone:

Call: 44 (0) 7944 952835

or use the form on our contact page here