Good Media Training solves a problem.

Media training carries a reputation problem of its own. Some assume it teaches executives to dodge questions or dress up a weak answer. Used properly, it does the opposite.

It’s a discipline in saying what you mean, more clearly and with more confidence, under conditions that make clarity difficult. Key messaging isn’t about deception, it’s about precision. Interview technique isn’t about spin, it’s about giving a leader the composure to answer a hard question without losing the thread of what they actually want to say.

We treat this as core training for any executive likely to face public, media, or stakeholder scrutiny, not an optional extra reserved for a crisis. As a crisis communications consultant Australia boards call on when things go wrong, Peter Wilkinson has seen how often a well-handled interview prevents a crisis from starting in the first place, and how often a poorly handled one creates one.

Journalists prefer interviewing someone who understands their craft. An executive who knows how a story is built, what a reporter needs, and where the natural tension in an interview sits will always give a better account of themselves than one who doesn’t.

Peter Wilkinson spent 30 years as a journalist before advising executives, including on Four Corners, A Current Affair, and 60 Minutes. Since 2002 he has led a team focused on media, social media, community engagement, and government relations. His particular specialisation is crisis PR: preventing reputation damage before it happens, and recovering it when it doesn’t.

This is also where CEO reputation management Australia becomes inseparable from media training. A chief executive’s personal credibility is now as exposed as the organisation’s brand, and a single poorly handled interview can define both for years.

Our goal is confidence, not caution that keeps leaders out of public debate altogether. Experience shows the most effective session runs two to three hours. Beyond that, concentration drops and the training loses value.

Sessions typically run across three parts, adjusted to the group.

Groups of up to 20

Familiarity builds confidence. That’s the thinking behind our booklet, When a Journalist Calls, which walks executives through the practical steps of handling media contact with appropriate caution.

We work through recent real-world scenarios and examine outcomes that went badly, and why. This session sets the context for engaging with a journalist, which matters as much as the mechanics of the interview itself.

The format covers:

The same discipline applies well beyond dealing with the press. Executives managing a live issue, whether a regulatory inquiry or a stakeholder dispute, benefit from the same structure our issues management Australia work is built around: understanding a problem’s trajectory before it becomes public.

Groups of up to 6

This is the practical component, and clients consistently tell us it’s the most valuable.

Peter Wilkinson built a television career on tough interviews, both conducting them and producing others to do the same. Since 2002, that experience has become the basis for coaching executives through difficult interview situations. A strong interview conveys the integrity of the person answering, not just the message they’ve prepared.

This session covers:

As with any campaign, the underlying principles here matter more than the format. A spokesperson who understands them can anticipate how an encounter will unfold, rather than reacting to it in the moment.

These sessions adapt on the day as an individual client’s needs become clear, and the content is never delivered as a fixed script.

In our experience, this preparation, combined with a follow-up call or briefing before a specific interview, gives executives the confidence to perform under almost any circumstance. That’s the same principle behind Wilkinson Confidante: senior counsel already in place, and already familiar with your business, before the moment that requires it arrives.

Wilkinson Group isn’t run as a conventional crisis PR agency in Australia, with account managers and a rotating team. Media training, like every service we offer, is delivered personally by Peter Wilkinson and senior colleagues, based at Level 26, 1 Bligh St, Sydney, and available to clients across the country.

The best-trained executive is the one who never needs to explain, after the fact, what they meant to say.

These sessions can be varied on the day as individual’s interests and needs become apparent.

Our experience is that the above preparation, with follow-up phone calls or face-to-face updates before interviews, provides executives with the confidence and ability to perform under almost all circumstances.