Media Training: Why Alberta’s New Councils Cannot Wait After Election Day
On October 20, 2025 Alberta will elect new mayors and councillors across the province. Many will be new to public office and they will often look to municipal staff to help them prepare for immediate media attention. Under Alberta’s Municipal Government Act (MGA), councils are entrusted with broad authority and responsibility from their first day in office. That authority comes with public accountability, and media attention is one of the most visible ways it shows up. Reporters will be looking for quotes within hours of swearing-in ceremonies.
It is important to be clear that councillors speak in their own right and represent the public, not administration. Media training is not about controlling elected officials. It is about equipping them to share their decisions while reducing the downstream pressure on staff who often manage the follow-up. Training strengthens both sides of the council–administration relationship by making communication more consistent and easier to act on.
When new councillors try to “wing it,” the consequences extend beyond the individual. A poorly handled answer can become a reputational issue for the municipality. Defensive or vague responses create headlines that staff must spend weeks addressing instead of focusing on priorities. Once credibility slips, it is harder for staff to advance council’s decisions and maintain public trust.
What Happens Without Training
Councillors bring their own styles and approaches to interviews. Without media training, answers may wander, sensitive topics may be avoided in ways that sound defensive, or a phrase may be underestimated as quickly as it can dominate the story.
When this happens, the impact often falls on administration. Communications staff are likely to spend time clarifying context, managing reputational concerns, and responding to headlines that could have been avoided. This takes attention away from other work and puts added pressure on limited resources.
Media training equips councillors to keep their messages clear and consistent, which makes it easier for staff to focus on advancing council priorities instead of reacting to preventable issues.
Why Internal Training is Not Enough
Most councils rely on internal orientations or staff-led refreshers. That approach has limitations.
First, many internal trainers may not have newsroom experience. They understand policy but do not necessarily know how reporters think or how stories are framed. Without that perspective, officials enter interviews unprepared for the real dynamics of questioning.
Second, internal settings can reinforce blind spots. Staff and colleagues often avoid pressing sensitive issues or simulating real pressure. Councillors may leave sessions thinking they are prepared, only to find themselves overwhelmed when the cameras roll.
Third, the media environment itself has changed. Even personnel who received training in the past may find much of what they learned outdated. Social media, shorter news cycles, and new platforms have altered how stories are covered and how quickly they spread. What worked even five years ago does not work today.
Why reVerb is the Right Partner
reVerb Communications’ media training combines two perspectives that matter most. Our team has worked in Alberta newsrooms and in Alberta municipal government. We know how journalists frame stories, and we know how councils operate.
We also bring experience from both sides of the camera. reVerb’s people have served as reporters, spokespeople, and television personalities. That mix of roles gives us comprehensive viewpoints and practical insights into how messages are shaped, delivered, and received.
That dual background allows us to build training scenarios grounded in real events: scrums after council meetings, live radio calls on tax decisions, and community press coverage of local controversies. Participants practice handling the situations they will actually face.
Our training develops message discipline, crisis response, and interview control. It gives elected officials tools they can use immediately and the confidence to apply them under pressure.
Preparing for October 20 and Beyond
For municipal administrative teams, the challenge is not whether communication matters. The challenge is ensuring new mayors and councillors are ready for media attention the moment they take office. Without outside training, the burden falls on internal staff to coach councillors, manage missteps, and clean up preventable issues. That creates extra work, strains resources, and puts comms teams in the uncomfortable position of trying to ‘correct’ their own council Building media training into council orientation shifts that load. It provides councillors with credible preparation from people who have been in front of and behind the camera.
Media training works best when it is planned in advance of election day and delivered early in a new council’s term. This timing gives councillors confidence from the start and reduces the likelihood of early missteps that create extra work for staff. It also allows communications teams to focus on proactive strategies instead of reacting to preventable problems. Media training should be seen as part of council orientation, just as required under the MGA for governance and procedural training.
Proven Experience Under Scrutiny
reVerb has supported some of Alberta’s biggest public projects including the Valley Line Southeast LRT, Capital Line LRT and Green Line LRT. These projects attracted constant media attention and our team helped manage that coverage while training spokespeople and supporting municipal staff.
reVerb is Alberta-based and brings expertise in both media and municipal government. We prepare leaders to manage scrutiny and communicate clearly, consistently, and confidently.
