Mastering the Media Spotlight
Every interview is an opportunity. Most executives aren't ready for it.
The media landscape has never been more unforgiving — or more powerful. A single interview, handled well, can define your reputation. Handled badly, it can define it too. This session gives you the tools, techniques and mindset to walk into any media encounter in control.
Led by two people who have spent their careers on opposite sides of the microphone—a C-suite communications strategist and a former industry editor-in-chief— Mastering the Media Spotlight is two hours that will fundamentally change how you think about talking to the press.
What you'll leave with
The confidence to handle any interview, prepared or ambush, friendly or hostile
A clear, repeatable method for staying on message without sounding evasive
An insider's understanding of how journalists think and what they're actually after
The ability to turn a tough question into a platform for your real message
Practical techniques: bridging, flagging, soundbite construction all practised live
What we cover
The modern media landscape
Traditional journalists, digital outlets, influencers and social platforms all shape narratives differently. We'll show you how the ecosystem works and what that means for how you show up in it.The ground rules every executive must know
On the record, off the record, on background and the career-limiting mistakes that happen when executives don't understand the difference.Preparing for high-stakes interviews
How to build messaging that holds under pressure. How to anticipate the questions you're hoping they won't ask. How to tailor your approach for different outlets and audiences.Handling tough questions with confidence
Multi-part questions, hostile questions, left-field questions. We break down the techniques for staying composed, staying on point and never getting cornered.Commanding the narrative
Bridging, flagging, transitions. How to steer a conversation toward your goals without the journalist or the audience noticing that's what you're doing.Live practice
The session closes with a mock interview or live Q&A simulation, with real-time feedback from both sides of the table: the strategist and the journalist.
Who this is for
Any executive who speaks publicly on behalf of their organisation - C-suite leaders, divisional heads, spokespeople and subject-matter experts across the travel industry. If your name might one day appear in a quote, this session is for you.
Also available: 1:1 executive coaching, customised team programmes, follow-up simulations.
Meet Your Instructors
Sallyanne Heywood, Kintela Partner and Communications Strategist
Sallyanne has led communications at the highest levels of the global travel industry — formerly Director of Communications & Marketing at HRG and VP of Communications at Amex GBT. She has advised boards and senior leaders through crises, M&A, major product launches and transformation programmes. She knows what it takes to prepare a C-suite executive for the spotlight because she's done it hundreds of times.
Sallyanne Heywood
Sallyanne has led communications at the highest levels of the global travel industry — formerly Director of Communications & Marketing at HRG and VP of Communications at Amex GBT. She has advised boards and senior leaders through crises, M&A, major product launches and transformation programmes. She knows what it takes to prepare a C-suite executive for the spotlight because she's done it hundreds of times.
Jay Boehmer
Jay spent more than two decades as one of the corporate travel industry's most respected journalists. As Editor-in-Chief of The Beat, he broke major stories, conducted hundreds of executive interviews and knew within the first thirty seconds whether a spokesperson was prepared. In this session, he shares exactly what journalists are looking for and how to give them what you want them to have.