Primex

NH Public Risk Management Exchange

Primex provides risk management to public sector agencies in New Hampshire. In 2018, Primex contracted with Ellis Strategies to deliver media training to police chiefs, fire chiefs, school superintendents and other municipal officials.

Ellis Strategies has since led a number of media training classes for Primex, focusing on steps to creating a strong working relationship with local reporters, tactics to succeed in media interview situations and the media’s perspective on what makes a well-orchestrated press conference.

Many of those attending the training sessions had either little experience, or a negative experience, dealing with the news media. Part of our job was to educate them on how newsrooms work, how reporters do their jobs and why an open flow of information is so critical to the relationship between a public sector agency and the reporters who cover it.

We also provided the opportunity for participants to work in groups responding to a mock breaking news event. Participants wrote statements which they read at mock press conferences, and responded to questions from their peers who were playing the role of reporter. Many of these sessions were videotaped and replayed for the group to drill down on what worked and what didn’t.

Ellis Strategies’ media training gives participants practical experience answering questions on-camera and then reviewing their performance with guidance from an expert media trainer. Professionals taking part in Ellis Strategies’ media training also gain valuable insight – and the insider’s perspective – to the news business.

Learn more about how your New Hampshire-based organization could benefit from our award-winning executive communications coaching, media training and PR services in New Hampshire.