Media Engagement Workshops

Our workshops provide training and support for participants to confidently add their voices to public discourse.

Participants gain the skills and knowledge they need to effectively engage with the media and share their perspectives on important issues. 

 

---

INSIDER STRATEGIES TO BECOME A GO-TO MEDIA SOURCE

Many experts do great work under the radar and like it that way. But others who have the ability to help the broader public make sense of current issues can be invaluable sources for the news media.

This 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. Facilitator and freelance journalist Jacky Habib draws on a decade of insider knowledge, reporting and producing for CBC, The National Post and others.

“It was something I was totally unfamiliar with so all of the content was informative.” – Concordia University Participant

---

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. 

Learning outcomes include:

• 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.

“It is very effective and very encouraging! I usually feel self-conscious about the value of what I want to say, but the workshop make me feel like I should totally write an op ed”  – University of British Columbia Participant

 

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.

The people we have trained and supported have published hundreds of commentaries. Click here to read some of the analyses they’ve contributed.

---

DEVELOP YOUR MEDIA INTERVIEW SKILLS

This workshop provides practical tools to enhance participants’ capacity to turn media interview requests into education or advocacy opportunities, becoming more effective at crafting and delivering their key messages.

Each participant will do a customized mock interview and receive individual feedback. We offer this content in both interactive group workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions tailored to the client’s particular communications needs.

“I hadn’t felt confident doing interviews before because I felt like I was doing something wrong but couldn’t pinpoint what. Doing the mock interviews with Shari helped me learn that a) I’m not doing as poorly as I thought I was and b) know what to improve on exactly!” – Institute for Public Research on Public Policy Participant

---

Workshops are delivered in half-day intensive sessions (4 hours) for cohorts of up to 10 participants to maximize interaction and individual feedback. We also work with larger groups and can tailor our content accordingly.  

Email Samantha at info@informedopinions.org to discuss or fill out the form below. 

---

---

Case Studies

Concordia’s Public Scholars program, which began in 2017, was designed with the Montreal Gazette to “bridge the gap between academic research and the community.” Each year, 10 selected graduate students receive extensive training in social media, government relations, public speaking and op ed writing. Informed Opinions has delivered the latter workshop — and offered detailed editing feedback on participants’ draft commentaries — since the program’s inception.

Simon Fraser University launched its Emerging Thought Leaders program to provide sustained support to a small cohort of women scholars who have the capacity to contribute their informed opinions on significant issues with demonstrated relevance to a broad audience. Since the program’s inception in 2017, Informed Opinions has been instrumental in developing and delivering the curriculum, supported by the university’s media relations staff.