NewRunning a Press Office

​​​​​​Strategy, Story and Surviving the Daily Battle

A good press office doesn’t just respond to the news, it shapes it.

Modern press teams operate in a fast, noisy environment: rolling media, social platforms, political pressure, and senior stakeholders who all want something different. The challenge is not just to answer questions, but to keep hold of a clear story and make sure every intervention supports it.

This course focuses on the practical realities of running a press office under pressure. Participants will learn how to build a clear narrative, run an effective media grid, handle reactive stories, and work confidently with senior leaders.

Drawing on real-world case studies from government, political campaigns, and international organisations, the course is grounded in practical decisions rather than theory. what works, what goes wrong, and how to stay on the front foot.

Key Training Features:

• What is a press office really for?
• The three core jobs of any press office
• Strategy versus noise
• Who you are really accountable to
• Narrative first, tactics second
• Why messaging beats activity
• The “cabbie test” for a story
• How weak narratives sink good policies

The media grid: your single most important tool

• What a grid is really for
• Daily and long-term grids
• Avoiding reactive chaos

Handling reactive stories

• Lines to take and holding lines
• When to fight a story and when to ride it out
• Real crisis case studies

Working with senior stakeholders

• Ministers, principals and senior officials
• Avoiding “accidental news”
• How to say no diplomatically

Earned, owned and paid media

• What each channel is good for
• How they work together in a single plan
• Keeping one coherent story across all platforms

Practical exercise: Participants will take part in a scenario in which they act as a press office responding to a developing media storm.

They will need to:

• Agree a core line
• Decide what to say and what not to say
• Manage senior stakeholders
• Rebuild control of the story

Who Can Attend:

UKCS staff at SCS1 and SCS2 level, as SEO and HEO level who are going into media management roles. E.g. diplomats with postings covering media responsibilities, non-UK officials looking to establish or run effective press office functions.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the course, participants will:

• Understand what a press office is really there to do
• Know how to build and protect a clear narrative
• Run a simple, effective media grid
• Handle reactive stories without losing strategic focus
• Work confidently with senior stakeholders
• Respond calmly and clearly during crises