Media Mentors
Conference in Johannesburg

Media and writing training courses for professional writers including media consulting and corporate writing for press releases by Marion Scher.

Award winning journalist and author Marion Scher has been one of South Africa’s top freelance journalists, media consultants and trainer for the last 28 years. Having worked in all three forms of media, radio, television and print Marion runs courses both in the media and public relations industry as well as in the corporate field, tailoring courses to meet clients’ needs. Marion regularly writes speeches and presentations for many of South Africa’s captains of industry, as well as coaching them through their performances. She is also a judge of the two top media awards in the country: Kudu Awards and the National Press Club Journalist of the Year. Marion’s workshops are designed completely around your company’s needs, using your employees’ work so they can benefit from one-on-one training, whilst learning the very latest writing techniques. Dealing with the media can be a nerve wracking business. No-one should EVER face the media without some kind of training. With her extensive experience in print, radio and television Marion brings a different dimension to her media training workshops. Along with ex-SABC cameraman Simon Kelly, Marion will put each delegate through realistic interview sessions targeting just where their vulnerabilities lie, preparing them for the fiercest interviewers. Whether writing her own or retelling other people’s stories, Marion brings her writing skills and ability to tell gripping stories to life for all her clients. Whether as a guest speaker or to facilitate panel discussions or press conferences, Marion brings a wealth of media experience to your event. Marion’s workshops are designed completely around your company’s needs, using your employees’ work so they can benefit from one on one training, whilst learning the very latest writing techniques. Marion teaches the art of capturing the essence of a product/campaign both in the written and visual context and getting it across in a meaningful and memorable way. Designed for anyone who writing for websites, bloggers or social media enthusiasts as well as those currently writing in the traditional fields of public relations, journalism and marketing. Understanding just what the media wants and being able to get your message across clearly. Learning to identify what your company has to offer the media and just when to talk to the press. Here the delegates will be taught just how to deal with what can often be a tricky situation. In these days of social media bad news travels at the speed of light and organisations only realise how seriously a crisis can affect their business when it actually happens to them and suddenly the media are knocking at their door. This workshop helps draw up a crisis communications plan and trains your staff to face the media should a crisis arise. Marion’s knowledge, experience, insight and passion are comprehensively articulated in the course content thereby expertly equipping organisations and individuals to confidently interact with the media. The training which took place earlier this year was delivered with a deep, analytical understanding of the media environment, given her vast media experience. Essentially this type of approach is what corporate organizations appreciate as we navigate through our engagements with the media. She was extremely focused on ensuring that the needs of the client were met. Consequently, our training was tailor-made to meet our desired needs.