Professional Development Session: Media Training Workshop

You never plan for a crisis to occur, but when one does, are you and your spokespeople prepared to articulate your organization’s key messages? Having a plan is important, but equipping your spokespeople with the skills and confidence to clearly communicate is critical. Do you need to learn some best practices to train your organization’s spokespeople or take a refresher course to make sure your skills are up to par? Join us for this professional development workshop as Brian Ellis and Koury Wilson from Padilla’s Crisis + Critical Issues team lead us through this interactive training. This session will include small group work and be very hands-on so you can take what you’ve learned and apply it before a crisis hits or media interview occurs. Scenarios will be developed based on the make up of organizations and industries represented by workshop attendees.

The workshop is open to PRSA members, non-members and students, and will be held at Virginia Credit Union’s Community room in the Boulders Office Park. A networking session with light refreshments will kick off the session from 8 to 8:30 a.m., and the session will be held from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Seating is limited. Parking is available in the Virginia Credit Union parking lot. (Please save the front level parking spaces for VACU senior executive staff, other companies and vendors, and members having business with VACU.)

About the Speakers

Brian Ellis, Executive Vice President, Padilla

Brian is a 25-year veteran of Padilla and serves as the strategic leader of Padilla’s Crisis + Critical Issues team. As a former journalist, Brian has offered a unique perspective on how the media operates during a crisis to such clients as Bridgestone, Girl Scouts of the USA, Pfizer, Ford Motor Company, The Federal Reserve and Abbott Laboratories. Brian’s media training students are no strangers to national network programs such as NBC’s “Nightly News,” ABC’s “20/20,” NBC’s “Today Show,” CBS’s “The Early Show,” MSNBC and CNN.

Koury Wilson, Senior Account Executive, Padilla

As part of Padilla’s Crisis + Critical Issues team, Koury Wilson works providing clients with media relations counsel and training, communication plans and media outreach campaigns. She brings diverse communication experience with nonprofit, corporate and government organizations for a wide variety of audiences. Prior to joining Padilla, Koury served as a public information officer for the Richmond Police Department. There she acted as the department’s chief spokesperson and media liaison, managing crisis and high-stakes situations in Virginia’s capital city. Her strategic skills and media relations expertise led to top-tier media coverage in outlets such as the Associated Press, The Washington Post, and CNN. Koury holds a bachelor’s in mass communication from Virginia Commonwealth University and a master’s in new media management from Syracuse University in New York.

Registration

Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first served basis. Advance payment with a credit card is highly preferred but checks and cash will be accepted at the door. If you register, please plan to attend – refunds are not available unless three business days’ notice is given, and no shows will be invoiced. Registration costs are $25 for PRSA members, $35 for non-members, and $10 for students.

Event Contact

If you have any questions, please contact Jenna Green, special events/workshops chair, at jenna_green@bshsi.org.