Most organizations in Brussels that are working to represent their interests, positions or projects need a solid understanding of public relations. Investment in core skills for newcomers to public relations in a European context pays back many times over in the quality of their work.  This course provides a thorough grounding the tools and tactics of effective PR for those people working in the European context.

This course helps you to generate more media coverage for your organisation, association or company in the European environment.

The training gives insight into what makes good news and how journalists think. The sessions examine how to build trust and relationships in order to get you positive media coverage that will enhance the reputation of your organisation, project or policy position.

Course starts at 09:30

All successful European PR programmes are rooted in a solid formal strategy that sets out detailed plans to achieve defined goals and objectives.  

This course gives insight into how to create effective PR strategies with defined and achievable objectives and translate these strategies into specific and practical PR plans. Training consists of incisive briefings from senior PR professionals who have created successful PR strategies for the public sector, multinationals, governments and NGOs.

Course starts at 09:30

The media’s attention is in great demand in Brussels and across Europe. To get positive media coverage you will need to become more creative in the kind of news you generate for your organisation, office or region and how you pitch it to the media in Brussels.

Training consists of incisive briefings from experienced PR professionals, case studies, role plays and workshops to build practical skills. You will hear from real journalists what they consider news and how they work.

This one-week master-class is designed for senior PR practitioners to learn the latest thinking and advanced techniques from some of PR’s leading experts. Topics include international PR, representing PR at board level, crisis and issues management, top-level media relations, stakeholder engagement, public affairs, communicating corporate responsibility, and senior PR strategy. Training consists of advanced briefings from Pinnacle’s senior trainers and guest lecturers from the PR industry and international media. There is an emphasis on knowledge sharing facilitated group dialogue and case learning.

This course enables PR professionals to rise to the challenge of creating and managing increasingly complex and sensitive PR strategies and campaigns, working alongside senior management. Topics include incorporating PR strategy effectively within overall organisational strategies, working with other services and securing support, assimilating research about stakeholders and operating environments, and campaigning in multiple countries. Training consists of incisive briefings from experienced PR professionals, best practice examples, role plays and workshops to build practical skills. As a senior course, group discussion and sharing of experience is encouraged throughout.

This course teaches communications professionals how to anticipate, plan, train and prepare well in advance of any negative event in order to contain and reverse negative publicity by reacting effectively to a breaking news crisis that threatens their organisation’s reputation. Topics include understanding the origin and dynamics of crises, risk assessment, crisis planning, preparing spokespeople, and communication channels; working with the media during a crisis, internal communications in a crisis, deployment of crisis communications resources, and recovering from a crisis. Training consists of incisive briefings from experienced crisis PR professionals, case studies, role plays and workshops to build practical skills.

This course delivers insight into the latest ideas and practices in the fields of social responsibility and sustainability, and in particular the role of good communications, dialogue and cooperation in this important and sensitive field. Topics include corporate citizenship, corporate community involvement, “triple bottom line” thinking (financial, environmental and social responsibility), international standards and recommendations. Training consists of incisive briefings from experienced CSR professionals, case studies, role plays and workshops to build practical skills.

This course comprises the core principles of internal communications theory and the latest best practice in applying internal communications tools. It specifically considers effective internal communications during crises and change management programmes. Training consists of incisive briefings from experienced PR professionals, case studies, role plays and hands-on workshops to build practical skills.

This course encompasses everything that modern PR professionals need to know to operate effectively in the digital age. Topics include understanding the new communications landscape of “Web 2.0”, what opportunities and dangers it brings for PR, understanding all the key new technologies from blogs and RSS to communities and forums; identifying who to monitor; understanding how to engage with bloggers and other social media; online PR resources and campaigns. Training consists of incisive briefings from experienced PR professionals, case studies, role plays and workshops to build practical skills.

Planning and managing successful press conferences requires a specific set of skills, as well as a highly organised approach. This training covers all areas that a press conference organiser needs to consider, from invitations, liaison, materials, room layout, facilities and budget through to key message development, spokesperson selection and briefing -- and managing the event itself.

This one-day course is designed for PR professionals needing to coordinate communications across a number of countries for a European organisation or a European campaign. Topics include the PR and media landscapes around Europe, European stakeholder mapping, message management and media relations, coordinating activities across borders, and the practicalities of hiring and working with multiple PR agencies. Training consists of incisive briefings from experienced PR professionals, case studies of successful PR campaigns, role plays and workshops to build practical skills.

This course teaches communications professionals how to plan a PR campaign and create effective PR strategies with defined and achievable objectives, and then how to translate these strategies into specific and practical PR plans. Topics include strategy best practice models; the campaign planning process; defining objectives, audiences stakeholders and tactics; campaign execution, monitoring and evaluation. Training consists of incisive briefings from senior PR professionals who have created successful PR strategies for multinationals, governments and NGOs; along with case studies, role plays and workshops to build practical skills.

This course covers the essentials of exerting direct influence on decision-makers to shape the policy environment. Topics include creating a successful PA strategy; PA tools and tactics; campaigning and coalition building; which decision makers and influencers to target, and how and when to reach them. Training consists of incisive briefings from experienced PR professionals, case studies, role plays and hands-on workshops to build practical skills.

This practical course covers the special skills and insights that official spokespeople need to represent their organisation effectively, or refine their spokesperson abilities. Topics include effectively angling a news agenda, responding to enquiries, handling bad news, managing relationships, presentation and speaking skills at media events, facilitating press conferences, and managing a press pack. Training consists of incisive briefings from experienced PR professionals, case studies, role plays and workshops to build practical skills.

Course starts at 09:30

Brussels has a special media landscape which every communication officer needs to understand thoroughly. This half-day course generates precious insight into the workings of the biggest press corps in the world. Topics include an overview and breakdown of the corps, changes and challenges in the media landscape, an insider’s view of the key players, and tips and tricks on how to influence them. Training consists of a thorough briefing by an experienced Brussels journalist with plenty of case studies, practical examples, workshops, and opportunities for questions and discussion.

Course starts at 09:30

This course helps you to structure and draft effective position papers for your organisation, company or association.

Most writing courses that claim to help you write position papers miss the key ingredients of message development, stakeholder analysis and lobbying techniques.

Our training gives insight into selecting your key messages, analysing target audiences' positions and attitudes. We then work on the macro-level writing skills such as structure, format, organisation and also micro-level skills – paragraphs, sentence structure and common problems with grammar and lexis. You will learn techniques to enable you to organise, draft and edit your papers.

Course starts at 09:30

This practical course is designed to get you writing powerful press releases quickly and instinctively. Topics include news values, concise and direct writing, headlines, structure, format, flow, distribution, follow-up and use of quotations. Training consists of incisive briefings from experienced PR professionals, case studies, workshops and individual coaching to build practical skills.

This course draws together all of the strands of writing for the spoken word, based on a comprehensive briefing on speechwriting theory and practice from an experienced professional speechwriter, followed by practical workshops with personalised feedback.

This results-oriented writing course is tailored to the specific needs of PR professionals and our specialist forms of writing, from press releases and case studies to opinion editorials and by-line features.

This course explains and then implements in practice the ideas and skills required to translate good writing into effective writing for the Web. Topics include understanding Web reading behaviour, rules for effective Web texts, adapting style and tone for the Web, different forms of Web writing (blogs, websites, e-newsletters), formatting and structure. Training consists of incisive briefings from experienced online writers and editors, case studies and workshops on laptops to build practical skills.

Course starts at 10:30

This half day training programme is fully shaped around your needs, including factors such as which media you want to target, in what types and styles of interview, and personal aspirations. We will research and prepare scenarios for issues affecting you. You can choose the balance of strategy and planning with print, TV and radio interview training.

This course lays out the core principles to build presentation skills appropriate to each person and the wide variety of situations in which we need to perform. It draws on perspectives from psychology, linguistics, sociology, and hard practical experience to help you create simple, clear and compelling presentations and deliver them effectively.

Expect an active and confidence-building day of coaching and fun workshops with an inspiring presentation coach.

You have attended a presentation course before and remember some of the techniques for addressing your audience, body language, eye contact. Presenting at international conferences is different. You find yourself in a large auditorium and you cannot make eye contact with your audience. You have a microphone which picks up every breath and your speech may be relayed by interpreters.

Your presentation is the culmination of your work over the past year – it’s crucial and the outcome could affect future funding for your projects. You need your audience to remember the key points of your presentation.

It’s all in the structure and your use of your voice – this is where intonation, pausing, stress become vital to engaging your audience.

Our working lunch is a trainer led briefing and workshop with discussion on topics related to PR, media and communications. We work over lunch and include sandwiches and drinks.

Insights into NGOs workshop is designed to help you understand Brussels based NGOs and how you and your organisation can engage with them in your communications. This session will be led by Louise Hilditch and will cover:

• The NGOs landscape in Brussels and Europe
• How NGOs operate in the European context
• NGO communications, public affairs and influence
• How you and your organization can reach out to them

The session will be led by Louise Hilditch

Louise Hilditch has over fifteen years experience as a Brussels based public affairs professional. Having worked in the European Parliament for a senior MEP and Committee Chairman, she went on to work for Kraft Foods as a lobbyist before founding her own public affairs agency. Subsequently, she set up and ran ActionAid’s EU office. As a leading international development agency, ActionAid developed a strong programme under Louise’s leadership across a wide range of key development issues. She has also worked as ActionAid’s International Policy Director responsible for policy and campaigning worldwide based in Johannesburg. Louise holds an MSc. in International Relations from the London School of Economics from where she graduated with distinction.

Working lunch starts at 12:00 and ends at 14:00

Our working lunch is a trainer led briefing and workshop with discussion on topics related to PR, media and communications. We work over lunch and include sandwiches and drinks.

Many communications managers find it increasingly difficult to get media interest for their organisation. What are journalists looking for? What makes a good news story? How can you get positive press coverage? Gareth Harding, a Brussels journalist and professor of journalism, will lead this lunchtime session which will cover:

• What makes a good news story
• How journalists operate and how you can engage their interest
• How to pitch a story to a journalists
• The media landscape in Brussels

The session will be led by Gareth Harding

Gareth is an experienced international journalist and communications trainer. After graduating from the London School of Economics and brief stints as a political advisor and speechwriter in the European Commission and European Parliament, he turned to reporting on EU affairs for the European Voice, Time Magazine and other media. From 2002-May 2006, Gareth was Chief European Correspondent for United Press International. His work has also appeared in The Guardian, Independent, Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune and New York Times. Gareth is also a guest lecturer at the European Journalism Centre and director of the University of Missouri Journalism School’s Brussels programme. Gareth has lived in Norway, the Czech Republic and Belgium.

Working lunch starts at 12:00 and ends at 14:00