About Simon

Simon has 25 years’ experience in communications training and development. He is a media interview and presentation coach, as well as teaching both presentation writing and delivery.

How Twitter tastefully revelled in the downfall of Facebook and Instagram: A crisis malmanagement hack!

The Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp outage has brought chaos not just to those of us who use it to keep in touch with family and friends, but businesses that rely on social media apps to communicate with colleagues to promote themselves. At Communicate Media, we provide media training courses and crisis media training courses to [...]

By |2022-01-20T11:43:13+00:00October 7th, 2021|Crisis communication, Media Training|0 Comments

Why Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s dress at the Met Gala made the news

We start most of our media training courses with an exploration of what makes a story for the media and why journalists might pick up on one event and cover it rather than other happenings around the world. This morning one of our media coaching course participants mentioned the controversy around representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s visit [...]

By |2022-01-20T11:43:42+00:00September 16th, 2021|Crisis communication, Media Training|0 Comments

What Beyoncé’s Tiffany diamond tells us about luxury brands and crisis management

Tiffany & Co’s new campaign “About Love” featuring Beyoncé wearing its 128.54-carat yellow Tiffany diamond “is not about love at all,” reports NBC, the diamond’s “82 facets reflect an ugly truth and an unfinished story of white supremacy and colonialism that is difficult to ignore.” The Times in London reports that Beyoncé has been “accused [...]

By |2022-01-20T11:44:42+00:00August 31st, 2021|Crisis communication, Media Training|0 Comments

Why A narrative could save Facebook from its whack-a-mole apologies.

An Ugly Truth, a new book by New York Times journalists Siva Vaidhyanathan and Franklin Foer, paints a devastating picture of the way Facebook operates, based on interviews with hundreds of current and former employees. The book features a list of apologies and promises to do better made by Facebook over the years. “Calm down. [...]

By |2022-01-20T11:46:27+00:00August 20th, 2021|Crisis communication, Media Training|0 Comments

Five challenges that architects have to overcome when speaking to journalists.

Our media training courses for architects look at the challenges they have to overcome when communicating effectively with the media. Many of the people on our courses have already had some media experience. Sometimes it's been okay and sometimes. it hasn't gone well.  As we set the aims and objectives for the course to ensure [...]

By |2022-01-20T11:47:04+00:00August 6th, 2021|Crisis communication, Media Training|0 Comments

Brands comment on the racial abuse suffered by some members of the England Team.

“We are changed by what we see. Just as we are changed when we are seen. ITV Stand with Diversity.” ITV posted this statement across social media and ran the image as a press ad across all national newspapers yesterday in response to the racial abuse directed at certain members of the England team.   During [...]

By |2022-01-20T11:47:37+00:00July 14th, 2021|Crisis communication, Media Training|0 Comments

How lawyers can get quoted in the Financial Times and other key publications.

“How can we get our quotes in the Financial Times?” law firm partners and their communications teams often ask us during our media training courses for lawyers. One of the skills we teach people in these workshops is knowing what makes a good quote and understanding what will appeal to a journalist. When you’re being [...]

By |2022-01-20T11:48:37+00:00July 9th, 2021|Financial, Media Training|0 Comments

Here’s why the media likes bad news and how lawyers can turn it to their advantage during media interviews.

During our media training courses for lawyers, we usually start by looking at what makes a media story and what it is that interests journalists when they're carrying out interviews. We'll ask the participants to think about new stories they've read, heard or seen that day and analyse them to identify the raw ingredients of [...]

By |2021-08-10T15:41:44+01:00July 6th, 2021|Crisis communication, Uncategorised|0 Comments

Five things we learned from the Matt Hancock Media Frenzy.

Five things we learned from the Matt Hancock Media Frenzy. Five things we learned from the Matt Hancock media frenzy. Here we go again, former health secretary Matt Hancock fell on his sword on Saturday.  Confessional videos from government ministers, business leaders and other prominent people who have done something wrong and have been forced [...]

By |2021-06-29T16:44:29+01:00June 29th, 2021|Crisis communication, Uncategorised|0 Comments

What are the rules for crisis communication?

What are the rules for crisis communication? Ransomware attacks, allegations of bullying, Twitter storms – the world is becoming an increasingly risky place for all kinds of organisations. It's little wonder then, that at Communicate Media, we're doing an increasing number of crisis training communications courses. We help clients in sectors such as travel, finance, [...]

By |2021-06-25T15:03:51+01:00June 25th, 2021|Uncategorised|0 Comments
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