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Fine-Tune Your Spokesperson Skills: Individual Spokesperson Training/Coaching
Advanced level training
Hosted by U.S. EPA, Community Involvement and Program Initiatives Branch
Community Involvement University (CIU)

What is the course overview?
These one-on-one customized training/coaching sessions help EPA staffers develop and effectively deliver their messages to stakeholders. On-going media/spokesperson training is a must for anyone called upon to speak about an EPA program, project or issue. What you say and how you say it is critical to getting information out to the news media, community groups, and others.

Who should take this course?
This is an all-levels training/coaching opportunity for any EPA staffer who wishes to fine-tune his or her interview, presentation or social media skills. The session will be adjusted according to each participant’s needs.  Registration is open to EPA staff ONLY.

What are the course learning objectives?
Participants who complete this course will gain skills on how to:

  • Prepare for interviews or public speaking engagements;
  • Refine their key messages;
  • Deliver their messages effectively in any setting; and
  • (If requested) More fully understand social media tools and usage.

What are the logistics?
Each 55-minute, on-site session includes a review of key message development and delivery, and, if requested, a brief discussion of news media and/or social media pointers. A brief on-camera practice session with a mock TV-news team and a playback and critique of the interview follows. A week or more prior to the training/coaching session, each participant receives an email asking them to describe their spokesperson experience and provide an issue or project they want to review during the training/coaching session. Approximately 4-8 participants can be accommodated depending on whether a half or a full day is devoted to training/coaching. Note: These sessions typically are paired with other spokesperson training courses.

Pamela Avery and Dominic Frederico conduct the training/coaching sessions. Ms. Avery is a national communications consultant who was a newspaper reporter and national magazine editor for nearly 20 years and produced a nationally syndicated environmental radio show, and an EPA documentary on RCRA projects. She has provided communications training for the EPA for more than 15 years and serves as a neutral facilitator at EPA-hosted stakeholder meetings. Mr. Frederico is an Emmy-award winning TV photojournalist who as an independent cameraman regularly works on news stories and documentaries for dozens of major network and cable TV programs. He has worked with Pam Avery as EPA spokesperson/media course co-trainer for 10 years.

Is there available background material?

  • Participants receive an EPA Spokesperson/Media Tip Sheet during the training/coaching session.
For general information contact Tina Conley by telephone at 703-603-0696 or via e-mail at conley.tina@epa.gov

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