Our workshops are open to those who identify as women and gender-diverse only.
Informed Opinions is a charitable organization committed to amplifying underrepresented voices in the media. All workshop revenues are invested in future training, research and resources.
How to Position Yourself as a Source with Jacky Habib
Do you want to attract media exposure for your organization?
Are you looking to position yourself as an expert in your industry or field?
Journalists are always looking for story ideas and people with informed opinions to weigh in on breaking news and current affairs. Become a go-to expert for journalists to help others understand the issues you care about, shift conversations and perspectives, and build authority in your field.
This interactive two-part workshop provides an overview of the terrain from a journalist’s perspective, including what reporters and producers are looking for and how they find sources. Register for our workshop and get insider knowledge directly from journalist Jacky, whose contributed to CBC, National Post and more.
Receive up to 50% off if you’re an employee of an NGO with 10 or less employees, self-employed or a student.
Limited availability: To ensure we can provide workshop attendees with personalized feedback and an interactive learning experience, we limit our workshop to 10 attendees.
Develop Your Media Interview Skills with Shari Graydon
Do you feel hesitant about speaking to media?
Are you afraid of saying the wrong thing or being misquoted?
Get the tools you need to take control and stay on message. You’ll gain the confidence to turn media interviews into education and advocacy opportunities focusing on issues you know and care about.
Facilitator, Shari Graydon has spent more than 25 years shamelessly exploiting the media to draw attention to issues she knows and cares about. She’s a former newspaper columnist, TV producer and commentator for CBC radio and TV.
Participants will have the opportunity to do a mock interview and receive personalized feedback.
Receive up to 50% off if you’re an employee of an NGO with 10 or less employees, self-employed or a student.
Limited availability: To ensure we can provide workshop attendees with personalized feedback and an interactive learning experience, we limit our workshop to 10 attendees.
Write Compelling Commentary
This highly interactive workshop builds women’s leadership capacity and enhances their credibility and influence. It provides participants with the confidence and tools to contribute their expertise to the public discourse through compelling, short-form written commentary for newspaper op ed pages and online sites. The session equips women to:
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- Own and articulate their authority as experts (recognizing and addressing the entrenched undervaluing of women’s expertise by both society and women themselves);
- Understand the essential elements and format of newspaper commentaries, including how to build a concise, persuasive and accessible argument that is likely to engage a lay audience;
- Increase their publication prospects by linking their expertise to the news and enhancing the relevancy and timeliness of their knowledge;
- Submit their work to online and print editors.
NOTE: We also offer one-on-one editing feedback to workshop participants who send us a draft commentary within three months of attending the workshop (since this significantly increases the publication rate), and expand the audience for published commentaries by posting them on our site and sharing them through social media.
Masterclass in Public Speaking
What elements help a speaker compel audiences to listen and act? This workshop identifies and unpacks the particular skills that convey presence, offering participants concrete tools and recommended strategies to help them connect with audiences in ways that deepen relationships and deliver lasting impressions. It covers what’s required to show up authentically, overcome reliance on written script, craft and integrate stories, and master the aspects of vocal and physical delivery that support all of the above.
Increase Your Ability to Persuade
Our effectiveness in both personal and professional situations often depends on our ability to convince others to approve our proposal, adopt our approach, or think or act differently. But most of us are never taught the principles of persuasive communication. This interactive workshop shares research-proven strategies that participants can deploy deliberately to achieve their goals, and the opportunity to test their approach in a safe and supportive environment.