FAQs

Two approaches work well:

One approach is to do a session roughly two months in advance of your publication date:
With this amount of time ,we can help you prepare messages around your book for media with long lead time, like print media. The session will also help develop material that helps the marketing team pitch the book.  We do a second follow-up session one to three weeks prior to publication to practice and prepare for specific media appearances.

Another approach is to do it all between a month and a week before publication. If you need help with a specific show that gets confirmed after that session, we can often do some follow-up preparation on the phone or by Skype.

An initial session tackles both messaging and presentation and lasts three to four hours. Follow-up sessions are typically 90-120 minutes, depending on your level of experience, stamina for practice, and your schedule.

First, we create a toolbox of messages to use while promoting your book. Then we practice – on camera – to assess how well those messages work.

No, that’s a job for your publicists. But good media interviews beget other media interviews, so you want to do your best with whatever appearances your publicity team has scheduled for you. That we can help you with. If you need a publicist, we can make a recommendation.

We usually need a minimum of three weeks before a session to read the book and prepare for the session. However, if it’s urgent, it can be done in less time.

We help experts distill their expertise into a set of messages that work in both professional and media settings. Once we have hammered out the headlines around your specialty, we advise on presentation (what to wear, how to sit, where to look) and body language. We offer rhetorical techniques that capture listeners’ attention and help corral unruly questions. Before your session, we send you a thorough questionnaire, so we know exactly what you need before the training begins.

A session is between 90 minutes and three hours. If you’d like to do more work, the best approach is to schedule two shorter sessions.

We typically schedule about 10 days before your scheduled media interview. As seasoned veterans of the media world, we know that all too often, media requests offer very little prep time. If you need help on short notice, we are always ready to accommodate.

Even experienced media guests get something out of practice sessions. The goal is to perfect your presentation and polish your messages on a specific topic with the guidance of seasoned journalists who know exactly what elements make the perfect interview.

First we do an assessment. What does your group need to learn? What do they need to be better at doing? Once we know what your group needs to improve, we develop a sample curriculum. You review the curriculum and we refine it so that you get a customized workshop addressing your specific needs.

An economical way is to hold one full group session, and subsequently, smaller groups work in practice sessions with our trainers offering live feedback. This could take place over a few days, or during the course of a week.

Hold one session with the whole group, and then individuals can have solo practice time separately.

If your office has a large conference room, we can come to you. If not, our office space in Georgetown has room for a group of up to 16. We also offer conference room space in Capitol Hill, Chevy Chase, Farragut North and other locations if that’s more convenient for your group.