Media Training & Presentation Coaching

At Barkal, we specialise in providing unparalleled training for leaders to become masters of messaging. Our services equip you with the necessary skills to confidently navigate high-pressure media interviews and public engagements, enabling you to effectively communicate your narratives and avoid potential damage to your reputation.

We strive to enhance your abilities and boost your self-assurance, empowering you to excel in any media interview or presentation opportunity.

As clear and consistent messaging is crucial for supporting a positive reputation, our media training and presentation coaching stresses important communication principles and challenges you to respond effectively amidst competing demands.

Know from the outset that interviews are not conversations. They are presentations. They offer a chance to highlight strengths and reframe any potential weaknesses. However, leaders often overlook this important aspect. Barkal equips spokespeople with skills to excel in interviews and presentations. Whether it is juggling multiple media interviews or speaking at industry events, we provide the training to deliver your messages effectively and handle any challenge: media encounters, presentations, or crises.

At Barkal Communications, we equip you with effective messaging and instil in you the necessary confidence and competence to face even the most challenging interrogations.

This way, you can avoid any potential PR disasters during critical moments that could affect your reputation.

Our team at Barkal Communications has unparalleled real-world media experience. Our trainers in London have a combined 30 years of expertise, including a former BBC veteran who has worked on flagship radio and television programmes such as Today and Newsnight, as well as other top journalists from the print, TV, and radio.

As for our MD, Ahmed Badawi, he comes from a family with a rich media background. With his extensive experience, he has adeptly navigated numerous high-pressure media interviews for governments and as a World Bank Group spokesperson. In fact, he even authored the media engagement guide for the bank.

Collectively, we have accumulated decades of experience in coaching individuals on perfecting their interview skills, delivering successful presentations, and giving engaging public speeches.

Throughout the years, we have individually had the privilege of working with a diverse range of clients, including high-ranking officials such as ministers and CEOs, press secretaries, and new employees.

We create media training programs tailored specifically to the needs of the individual, company, sovereign, and brand needing protection or enhancement.

We understand that effective messaging alignment is crucial in interactions with the media, as well as during public speaking events. Simply being a polished performer, however, is not enough; without the right messaging, even the most experienced individuals can fail. At Barkal Communications, we therefore specialise in evaluating and refining your messages to not only appease journalists - but to resonate with your target audiences as well. We understand the high stakes involved in interviews and presentations, which is why we work to support or rebuild your reputation.

Our customized preparation includes aligning your messaging, refining your delivery, and building your confidence for various media formats and public speaking occasions. We also know that facing diverse types of interviews - from TV and print to radio and conferences, to doorstep ambushes - can be intimidating. That is why we offer 1-on-1 or small group preparations to help our clients sharpen their skills and messaging and become comfortable with facing media interviews or presentations.

Our ultimate goal is to elevate your communication abilities to avoid reputational pitfalls.

Barkal Communications Media Training programme includes:

• Grasping interview formats

• Conveying key messages effectively 

• Tackling challenging questions 

• Honing body language and delivery

• Understanding how media behaves in a crisis and working with journalists

Stakeholder Discernment & Engagement- At Barkal, we use a thorough and strategic approach to identify and connect with stakeholders by aligned messaging and positioning. Our focus on showcasing executive thought leadership allows us to convey compelling narratives effectively and defend, enhance, or reconstruct reputations.

Communication efforts reach a wide scope of stakeholders who play a crucial role in decision-making. Through our systematic and evidence-based method, Barkal can identify, map out, and prioritize key individuals, allowing us to craft tailored messages that garner their support for clients.

We address key questions affecting reputation and value, including:

• Their level of influence among crucial demographics

• Containing their potential to contaminate other audiences

• Identifying factors that enhance or hinder their engagement

• Clarifying their perspectives on priority issues

• Optimal messaging to appeal to them

Strategic Messaging & Positioning- By maintaining constant and cohesive messaging, we empower clients to shape how they are perceived and increase their brand awareness. Our approach involves connecting the messaging strategy with overall mission goals and values. We create a unified and compelling narrative that effectively addresses important concerns for all parties involved. 

When in need of positioning statements, narratives, mission and vision statements, or core values, rely on Barkal Communications to deliver.

Executive Thought Leadership- Effective communication from top executives through speeches, op-eds, and interviews has a significant impact on the reputation and financial success of a company. Transforming these leaders into thought leaders requires a combination of ingenuity, specialised knowledge, and strong connections - all areas of expertise for Barkal Communications. We have successfully developed the public personas of prominent CEOs, corporations, individuals, and even government entities by crafting and effectively delivering their unique stories to target audiences skilfully.

Our services include:

• Articulating compelling narratives about purpose and importance

• Explaining implications of changes for key stakeholders 

• Sharing perspectives on UK and US public policy, key global public goods and bads, and other issues of economic, environmental, or social concern

At Barkal, we provide comprehensive help to evaluate weaknesses, rebuild trust, cultivate thought leadership, redefine stories, handle media, monitor potential hazards, and optimise digital engagement. Our customised and discreet strategies empower clients to proactively enhance their reputation and address any obstacles effectively. 

Our tireless efforts behind the scenes focus on safeguarding our clients' most valuable and intangible asset: their reputation.

We offer a comprehensive range of strategies and tactics to safeguard your reputation, including:

• Conducting vulnerability audits 

• Strategic personal positioning advice

• Developing reputation rebuilding strategies

• Crafting thought leadership programs 

• Creating new corporate narratives that elevate your brand

• Securing positive profiles in influential media 

• Providing senior media counsel

• Acting as extended press office and spokesperson

• Monitoring social media attacks 

• Gathering intelligence on reputation threats

• Strategising and executing content takedown requests

• Creating video and photo content strategies

• Creating social media and paid advertising content 

• Leveraging digital PR to address online issues

Barkal Communications takes the utmost care to understand each client's unique goals and create a customized work plan to achieve them. With a commitment to confidentiality, we strive to always protect our clients’ best interests.