Media Training
For Leaders
Take Control
Our flagship media training programme prepares leaders to navigate any media interaction with confidence. From live TV interviews to press conferences, we equip you with the skills to own your narrative.
We understand that leaders are expected to champion their brands and engage regularly with the media. Their words move markets and impact policy.
That’s why HWM’s bespoke media training helps you stay on message, confidently take control of the narrative, and get your messages across.
Our executive and government media training programmes empower CEOs, government ministers, board members and founders. We equip them to articulate insights, handle challenging questions, and use media engagements to their advantage.
Why Leaders
Choose HWM
Senior leaders want preparation grounded in how journalists think, how difficult interviews unfold and what is at stake for their organisation, reputation and public role.
Our founders combine international broadcast experience with a 20-year track record in the Gulf, then turn it into realistic, tailored practice that helps leaders respond with clarity, control and confidence.
International Broadcast Experience
Learn from practitioners whose experience spans the BBC, CNN, Bloomberg and other leading broadcasters. Understand how journalists think and prepare for the questions that matter.
Deep Gulf Expertise
Our founders bring a 20-year track record of working with senior leaders on policy, messaging and major initiatives across the Gulf.
Practice Under Pressure
Build your messages, rehearse realistic interviews and test your delivery against challenging questions. Every programme is tailored to your role and objectives.
Trusted By Senior Leaders
Read first-hand accounts from clients including Wio Bank, Shangri-La and senior government leadership about their experience training with HWM.
Our
Process
Your Training
Programme
Who it is for
CEOs, government leaders and senior spokespeople.
Training format
Individual coaching and group programmes, delivered in person or remotely.
Location
Dubai, across the UAE and wider Gulf, with international engagements on request.
Duration
Flexible, bespoke. Recommended minimum: two half-days for individual training, or two full days for groups.
Languages
Bilingual, English and Arabic. English-led, with specialist Arabic trainers supporting tone, vocabulary and delivery.
Booking
Start with a scoping conversation. We then recommend a tailored programme and provide a quote.
Find Your Message
Let's define your story first. Together, we refine and structure your messages to create memorable soundbites. We give you insights into what ideas and data points are relevant to journalists and other audiences.
Control The Engagement
We help you understand the context and ideal outcome for your public engagements. We put you in control before the journalist asks the first question, or a board member challenges you. We simulate multiple public engagements; from interviews and panel discussions to keynotes and internal town halls.
Deliver Confidently
We've found your messages and honed your talking points. Now, we're going to workshop delivering with clarity, confidence and gravitas. We teach you what works on camera, on stage and in the board-room. We examine body language, hand gestures, eye contact, voice control, diction, emphasis and more.
Get Crisis Ready
We stress-test your key messages against hostile questioning, so you're not caught off guard when pressure hits. Our crisis communications workshops take this further, with scenario planning, spokesperson preparation and live simulations.
Meet Your
Media Trainers
Crisis
Communications
Enact Crisis Scenarios
Prepare your spokespeople before a crisis hits. Our crisis communications workshops build on core media training, using realistic scenarios to help leaders respond with clarity and composure.
We put your crisis messages and spokespeople to the test through simulated interviews, press conferences and challenging questions as the scenario unfolds.
Remote
Sessions
Train Anywhere
Leaders don’t stop moving. Boards travel. Regional teams span time zones. Summers happen. And the media landscape itself has gone virtual, with television interviews increasingly happening over video link.
HWM works with leaders where and when they are. Our targeted remote media and presentation skills sessions are built around your calendar and time zone.
Our remote media training delivers the full HWM programme wherever you are. Same trainers. Same message-first process. Same mock-interview pressure.
Our virtual media training sessions are ideal for CEOs preparing for a press cycle, and leadership teams who need to be aligned on messaging before the next big event.
Trusted By
Industry Leaders
Our
Podcast
Navigate tricky questions and make sure you don’t lose sight of your key messages. HWM co-founder Eve Hester hosts Media Matters: The Media Training Podcast – for anyone interested in improving interview performance. Ideal for leaders wanting a refresher on their media training.
Tailored Support
We support our leaders with a full suite of executive and leadership training options to enhance presence and presentation skills. We design each sessions around their goals, needs and objectives.
While ensuring the greatest confidentiality and discretion, we are privileged to have helped the highest levels of leadership master messaging, delivery, leadership presence and more.
Frequently Asked
Questions
What is media training?
Media training prepares spokespeople to handle interviews, press conferences and other public engagements with confidence and control. At HWM, media training focuses on message development, journalist dynamics, on-camera performance and voice control. We help leaders stay on message and turn media moments into strategic wins.
What does HWM specialise in?
HWM is a Dubai-based leadership communications advisory firm helping CEOs, government leaders and senior spokespeople communicate with clarity and confidence when the stakes are high. We specialise in media training, crisis communications, presentation skills and leadership presence—preparing leaders for challenging interviews, sharpening their messages and helping them perform under pressure.
Who is HWM's media training designed for?
HWM's media training is designed for CEOs, board members, government ministers, founders and other senior executives. We train people whose words move markets and shape policy. Programmes are bespoke and built around each leader. They take into account role, sector and specific media risks. We work with spokespeople across corporate, diplomatic and public-sector environments in the Gulf and internationally.
What distinguishes HWM's media training approach for senior leaders?
HWM's trainers are BBC insiders, working journalists, professional presenters and respected directors. We train leaders using the same techniques we use in day-to-day broadcast work. HWM knows leaders learn by doing. Our trainers believe in practice, not PowerPoint — which is why our sessions are highly interactive and built around realistic simulated interviews. Operating since 2013, HWM combines newsroom perspective with deep knowledge of Gulf government, business and society. For over a decade, we have delivered media training to senior leaders across the region under strict confidentiality and discretion.
Who are HWM’s media trainers, and what experience do they bring?
HWM’s media training is led by co-founders Eve Hester and Hisham Wyne. Eve is a senior journalist whose broadcast experience spans the BBC, CNN, NBC, CBC, Bloomberg, Channel 4 and RTE. Hisham is a professional presenter, LSE alumnus and host of the region’s largest events. Together, they bring a 20-year track record of working at the highest levels in the Gulf on policy, messaging, nation building and innovation. This blend of newsroom judgement and regional insight helps leaders handle difficult questions, explain complex ideas clearly and protect trust when it matters most.
What does the HWM media training process involve?
HWM's process has four stages:
- Find Your Message: Defining the core story and structuring memorable soundbites.
- Control The Engagement: Understanding the context and desired outcome of each public appearance.
- Deliver Confidently: Workshopping body language, voice, eye contact and on-camera performance.
- Get Crisis Ready: Stress-testing messages in simulated interviews and scenarios.
View 10 More Questions: Workshops, Logistics & Pricing
Additional Questions & Answers
How does media training differ from crisis communications training?
Media training builds the skills to communicate clearly in interviews and other public engagements. At HWM, crisis communications training takes those skills further: leaders develop crisis messages and rehearse interviews, press conferences and challenging questions as a realistic scenario unfolds.
What is included in HWM's crisis communications workshops?
HWM's crisis communications workshops follow a three-part structure:
- Plan: Explore crisis scenarios, stakeholder concerns, likely media questions and key messages.
- Prepare: Nominating senior spokespeople, clarifying roles and drafting statements.
- Practise: Live-simulated press conferences and interviews under pressure.
Interactive scenarios can also be run with skilled actors to stress-test responses under realistic conditions.
What topics does HWM's media training cover?
Core modules include message development and soundbite construction, handling challenging and adversarial questions, on-camera presentation, body language and executive presence, diction and voice control, and overcoming interview nerves. Programmes also cover the distinctions between different public engagements — from live TV interviews and press conferences to panel discussions, keynotes and internal town halls.
What is the difference between media training and presentation skills training?
Media training focuses on handling journalists, interviews and public scrutiny, where questions may be adversarial and the objective is to stay on message under pressure. Presentation skills training focuses on persuasive delivery to boardrooms, conference stages and internal audiences, covering storytelling, structure and executive presence. HWM combines elements of both, depending on client needs.
Does HWM offer media training for government officials and diplomats?
Yes — HWM has an established practice supporting government ministers, senior officials and diplomatic missions. Trainers combine media technique with an understanding of policy sensitivity and public-interest scrutiny, and all engagements are delivered under strict confidentiality. Past clients include senior figures from ministries and diplomatic organisations across the region.
Where does HWM deliver media training?
HWM is based in Dubai and delivers media training across the UAE and wider Gulf region, with international engagements available on request. Sessions can be run at client offices, off-site or at our studio in Dubai.
How long does a typical media training programme with HWM last?
For senior leaders new to HWM, we recommend a minimum of two half-days for one-on-one training, and two full days for group sessions. This gives enough time to work through message development, delivery workshopping and live interview practice, with space between sessions for reflection and refinement. Longer engagements can be scoped for leaders with heavier or more sustained media exposure.
Does HWM offer media training in Arabic?
Yes. HWM's strategic media training is English-led and delivered alongside a roster of highly qualified Arabic trainers who specialise in tone, syntax, vocabulary and messaging in Arabic. This dual approach ensures leaders preparing for Arabic-language interviews or bilingual media environments are supported on both the strategic message and the linguistic delivery.
How much does media training with HWM cost?
Media training with HWM is quoted on request. Because every programme is bespoke — shaped around the leader's role, media exposure, format requirements and group size — pricing is confirmed after an initial scoping conversation. Enquiries can be made via our contact page.
How do I book media training with HWM?
Enquiries can be made directly via our contact page. Every programme begins with a scoping conversation to understand the leader's role, upcoming media exposure and specific objectives, before a bespoke session is designed around them.