Media Training Services
For Executives, Leaders & Technical Teams
We've trained city managers, project directors, and technical leads across Alberta, from municipal councils to billion-dollar infrastructure projects.
The journalist who trained the people you see on the news. Our media training is led by Glenn Kubish, former Director of News & Public Affairs at CTV Edmonton, who spent 15 years in newsrooms before leading communications for the City of Edmonton and ATB Financial. He knows what reporters are looking for because he was one.
Why Media Training Matters?
Every interaction with the media has the potential to shape public perception. Executives and project leaders must be prepared to deliver clear, confident messages that protect reputation and build trust.
Our media training equips your team to:
Navigate interviews with confidence, including difficult questions
Deliver key messages under pressure
Strengthen credibility and reputation
Connect with audiences in a clear and engaging way
Who Needs Media Training?
Elected officials such as mayors, councillors and board members who are expected to communicate decisions and represent the public interest.
Municipal staff including city managers, CAOs and communications directors who brief the media or provide official updates.
Project spokespeople such as engineers, planners or technical leads who explain complex information to the public.
Executives and senior leaders in corporations or agencies who act as the face of their organization.
Community representatives who may speak to local media on behalf of an initiative, event or public consultation.
Media training is essential for anyone who may face questions from the public or the press. In Alberta, this often includes new mayors and councillors, senior municipal staff, executives, and project spokespeople. Whether it is a city manager addressing budget concerns, an engineer explaining a major infrastructure project, or an elected official speaking on behalf of council, clear and credible communication is critical.
Training prepares leaders to handle interviews, press scrums, and broadcast appearances with confidence. It helps them focus on key messages, avoid common pitfalls and respond under pressure without creating new risks. For communications staff, it means less time spent on damage control and more time moving priorities forward.
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Major projects attract major scrutiny. When cameras show up at your construction site, your spokesperson needs to be ready.
We prepare project teams for the questions reporters actually ask:
Why is the project over budget?
When will construction disruption end?
How do you respond to community opposition?
What went wrong with [incident]?
Our team has supported communications on Alberta's largest transit and infrastructure projects, including the Valley Line LRT—giving us firsthand understanding of the pressures project spokespeople face.
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Specialized Training for Public Accountability & Political Scrutiny
Government communications operate under different rules than corporate work. Public accountability requirements, political oversight, and taxpayer scrutiny create unique media challenges. We provide specialized media training for municipal, provincial and federal government agencies, transit authorities, regulatory bodies, elected officials, and government communications teams managing high-stakes public-facing communications.
What Makes Government Media Training Different:
Government spokespersons face questions designed to create political controversy, opposition critics seeking damaging quotes, and intense scrutiny of policy decisions. You need to balance transparency requirements with strategic messaging, handle politically charged questions without appearing evasive, translate complex policy for general audiences, and maintain credibility under political pressure. Government crises also differ—service failures, controversial policy decisions, regulatory enforcement actions—requiring coordination across departments and political offices while managing public accountability expectations.
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Translating Expertise Without Losing Credibility
Engineers, scientists, researchers, and academics possess deep technical knowledge but often lack comfort communicating with media and non-technical audiences. The challenge isn't dumbing down your expertise—it's making complex information accessible while maintaining credibility and accuracy. We provide specialized media training for technical professionals who need to explain their work, defend technical decisions, or serve as organizational spokespersons without compromising precision.
What Makes Technical Expert Media Training Different:
Technical professionals face a specific credibility trap: oversimplify and you sound incompetent; use technical language and nobody understands you. Journalists need soundbites; you need nuance. The public wants simple answers; your work involves complex variables. You're trained to qualify statements and acknowledge uncertainty; media wants confident declarations.
We don't teach you to "dumb it down"—we teach technical translation: explaining complex concepts accurately using accessible language, analogies, and examples. You maintain technical credibility while connecting with non-technical audiences, bridge from technical details to practical implications people care about, and handle journalist misunderstanding without appearing condescending. Training also addresses the distinct discomfort technical professionals feel with media—managing loss of control, responding when journalists fundamentally misunderstand your field, and protecting professional reputation while serving organizational needs.
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Podcast interviews demand different skills than traditional media. Long-form conversations (30-60 minutes) require sustained conversational presence, storytelling ability, comfort with unscripted discussion, and authentic delivery without sounding rehearsed or corporate. We prepare executives and subject matter experts for podcast success—whether appearing on industry shows, association podcasts, or specialized programs where your expertise matters.
Unlike traditional media interviews with tight time constraints and formal structure, podcast conversations unfold organically. You need to maintain focus and deliver key messages across extended discussion, tell compelling stories that illustrate expertise without reading from talking points, handle tangents and unexpected directions naturally, and sound like yourself rather than a polished spokesperson. We train for this specific format: developing conversational interview skills (versus formal media delivery), structuring talking points that feel natural in long-form discussion, storytelling techniques for audio-only medium, managing verbal habits (filler words, repetitive phrases), and balancing promotional content with genuine value for listeners.
Training includes realistic practice podcast conversations, feedback on conversational style and presence, message development that works in informal formats, and techniques for sounding authoritative without being stiff. Particularly valuable for executives building industry profile through podcast appearances, technical experts sharing specialized knowledge, and leaders establishing thought leadership beyond traditional media.
Why reVerb for Your Media Training?
Real Newsroom Experience
Your trainer spent 15 years making editorial decisions in TV newsrooms. We don't teach generic "stay on message" tactics that fall apart under real pressure—we prepare you for the questions reporters actually ask.
Construction & Infrastructure Focus
We understand the unique pressures of complex projects—budget overruns, schedule delays, community opposition, and technical complexity that's hard to explain simply.
Hands-On Practice
On-camera interviews with immediate playback and critique. You'll see exactly how you come across and leave with practical tools to improve.
Tailored Scenarios
Training built around your organization's real challenges and current issues—not hypothetical situations.
Meet Your Trainer
Glenn Kubish | Creative Lead, reVerb Communications
Glenn brings more than 30 years of experience in journalism, corporate communications, and storytelling.
His career includes:
Director of Communications and Strategic Storytelling, City of Edmonton
Director of Media & Story, ATB Financial
Director of News & Public Affairs, CTV Edmonton
Glenn holds a Master of Arts in Communications and Technology from the University of Alberta. He specializes in helping technical experts, executives, and public leaders translate complex information into clear, compelling narratives.
His approach combines the discipline of journalism with the strategy of corporate communications. Participants leave with practical tools, confidence in front of the camera, and the ability to represent their organization effectively in high-pressure situations.
Media Training Options
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Up to three active participants, unlimited observers
Lecture on media landscape, deadlines, and pressures
Tools for managing interviews and crisis Q&A
On-camera practice interviews with playback and group critique
Training materials provided
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Up to four active participants, unlimited observers
Lecture on media landscape, deadlines, and pressures
Tools for managing interviews and crisis Q&A
On-camera practice interviews with playback and group critique (Expanded practice with two rounds of interviews per participant)
Deeper focus on storytelling and message development
Training Materials and Recorded files provided for review
“We don’t teach generic ‘stay on message’ tactics that fall apart under real pressure. We prepare you for the questions reporters actually ask.”
Call 1.833.711.3114 or request a quote.
Most sessions can be scheduled within 2-3 weeks.
**Recommended Read: Media Training: Why Alberta’s New Councils Cannot Wait After Election Day
