PUBLIC SPEAKING
Select Committee Training
Learn how to perform with dignity and poise under televised, pressured questioning by MPs.
Learn how to perform with dignity and poise under televised, pressured questioning by MPs
This half-day select committee training course helps spokespeople to prepare for tough questioning on-camera by MPs
What you'll learn
A grilling by MPs in a select committee is a particularly challenging experience for spokespeople and can cause serious reputational damage if the encounter goes badly. Our specialised training prepares delegates to put their case before an intimidating panel of powerful, elected individuals who won't hold back from asking bruising questions for democratic, party political or career reasons. The full spokesperson range of skills is explored and deployed in this course, including evidence-based messaging, crisis messaging, anticipating lines of attack, emotional control, appropriate tone, empathy, projecting confidence with voice and body language.
How you'll learn
Courses for individuals and groups pairs take place at our central London training centres or your own offices. Sessions are led by two senior broadcast journalists who are also specialists in hostile interview training. You'll complete a series of recorded Q&As, fielding tough questions from both trainers. Each grilling is followed by playback and trainer critique. After training, you'll receive full course notes by email and a link from which to download copies of your recordings. Each delegate also receives their own, personalised post-training evaluation report from the trainer, assessing their performance during the course and providing suggestions, exercises and tips for continuing to improve and develop.
Who this Select Committee Training is for
This course is for you if you are preparing to represent your organisation in an accountability appearance in front of a parliamentary select committee. If you are looking to build your public speaking skills more generally, you may like to try our Public Speaking Training or our Panel Speaking Training.
Course Modules
Module 1: Select Committee Training Theory
Select Committee member motivations
Anticipating lines of attack
Techniques for answering hostile questions
Technique for answering crisis questions
Defusing hostility with tone and empathy
Voice and body language techniques for projecting confidence
Module 2: Practical exercises
Q&A 1
Trainer critique of Q&A 1
Q&A 2 – recorded
Playback and critique of Q&A 2
Breathing exercises for overcoming nerves
What our students say
I honestly thought that the whole day was fabulous!!! You really couldn’t have done anymore for us. The combination of practical exercises and feedback was particularly useful, it was a challenging day (in a very good way) in that we really had to think, learn and adapt quickly. I know the team are significantly better prepared for media interviews after this training.
The team is flexible, slick, well-resourced and overall simply first class. Their expertise and knowledge have been invaluable. I was delighted with our choice, so I’d have no hesitation in recommending them
The lifelike interview settings and tasks that PA Media Training deal in replicate perfectly the real-world feel of a tough media interview and help the delegates come out of the day feeling much more confident that they can play an active role in representing their organisation.
What a great session we had on Communicating with Impact. Bridgid shared practical techniques to enhance and develop our communications skills so we can present and speak publicly or to senior stakeholders with confidence and impact. I speak for my whole team in highly recommending Bridgid Nzekwu if you are after effective and fun communication training.
The training scenarios are as real to life as you could possibly get. They took considerable time to research our current plans and issues and used these to design a series of true to life radio and TV interviews. The team is outstanding, and their expertise and knowledge has been invaluable. Book them – you’ll be glad you did.
PA Media Training were efficient, well organised and genuinely lovely people to deal with and, importantly for us, able to provide flexibility around our needs to create the bespoke training we required. I wouldn’t hesitate to use them for further training or to recommend them to other organisations.
The small class sizes nurture a comfortable environment where everyone supports and learns from each other. The staff helped me hone in on my writing skills and develop the confidence to feel comfortable on camera.
Interested in this course?
Talk to the Press Association Academy team about dates, fees and bespoke options.