Putting you at ease with Media Interviews and Difficult Conversations.
Media Training Difficult Conversations For SchoolsWe help leaders perform at their best when the pressure is on—whether facing the media, handling difficult conversations, or responding in high-stakes situations.
Media Training NZ was founded by Pete Burdon after seeing how often capable leaders struggled—not because they lacked expertise, but because they hadn’t been trained for high-pressure communication.
We specialise in preparing spokespeople for real-world situations where there is no script, the questions are difficult, and how you respond matters.
Our training gives you the confidence to stay composed, think clearly, and communicate effectively—even when you are being challenged.
You will learn how to deliver clear, consistent messages that stand up under pressure and resonate with your audience. We even wrote the book on this. See About Page.
We also train leaders to handle difficult conversations and high-stakes interactions at work—situations that, when managed well, protect reputations, strengthen relationships, and build trust.
Explore our media training range and become a skilled and confident spokesperson in all media formats.
Equip yourself or your team to master difficult conversations at work to maintain both morale and bottom lines.
Pete addresses conferences and other events as either the keynote speaker or the presenter of a workshop.
Pete's training was invaluable in terms of how to best represent our work in media interviews. Not only that, the techniques he taught our leadership team have proven very helpful when presenting at public meetings. What I really appreciated too was the way his training drew our team together.
- Darryl Lew, Chief Executive (West Coast Regional Council)
Pete's workshop (Mastering Difficult Conversations with Parents) has been invaluable for our pastoral team, equipping them with essential skills to handle challenging conversations with parents. His focus on body language and de-escalation techniques has provided practical strategies that foster calm, constructive communication. Thanks to Pete’s guidance, our team feels more confident and prepared to navigate even the most sensitive discussions.
- Nigel Vernon, Assistant Principal – Pastoral (Christchurch Boys’ High School)
Pete Burdon recently conducted media training sessions with my Urban Development Team. The feedback has been nothing but positive, with all attendees (myself included) finding it extremely valuable. His training is practical, cuts to the chase, and builds up the skills and confidence of attendees progressively throughout the sessions. It was the perfect refresher for some of us with media experience, while others new to the game now understand what media want, how to get a message across and avoid the traps that can derail an interview. The feedback has also highlighted that the skills learnt can be used when communicating with other important stakeholders.
- Mark Fraser, General Manager (Urban Development and Delivery, Kainga Ora Homes and Communities)
This was one of the most practical and worthwhile training sessions I've ever had. I particularly liked how Pete focused not only on how to get my messages across, but also understanding the needs of the reporter. I'm now a far better media spokesperson.
- Phil Nixon, The Mayor (South Taranaki District Council)
Media Training NZ's workshop presented a comprehensive and practical set of skills and strategies on communicating key messages to the media that I used immediately on my return to my workplace. Pete's knowledge from both a journalists and PR perspective gave me invaluable insights on how best to create relevant, clear messages and how to deliver them authentically to the media. Highly recommended and many thanks to Pete.
- Sharon O'Laughlin, Communication Manager (Tourism Otago)
The training we completed with you last year has been so valuable to me on so many occasions. The tragedy we had last week with a young student passing away drew big media attention and I felt really well equipped to field interviews and make comments. The awareness you have instilled in us certainly paid dividends every time. Thank you for that.
- Hugo Vaughan, Principal Team Leader (OneSchool Global)
I put the skills I learnt in Pete Burdon's workshop to immediate use. I had to front media the following week and also present to a large corporate group. The techniques I took away from the training helped me work out exactly what I wanted to say and get it across in both formats in the best possible way.
- Andrew Sharp, CEO (Bobux International)
The media training from Media Training NZ was professionally delivered and appropriately tailored to Auckland Regional Public Health Service issues. Staff who attended the training have reported an increased knowledge base and development of skills required to deal effectively with the media. The presenter's subject matter expertise was excellent. The session was very practical and those in attendance had a number of opportunities to be interviewed on camera and receive relevant feedback.
- Dr Julia Peters, Professional and Clinical Director (Auckland Regional Public Health Service)
It is a happy event to go on a course for one day and find that it neither time nor money wasted. For any person who gets interviewed or 'asked for comment' by the media, I highly recommend this training. The chances of future media embarrassment or anxiety has now been dramatically reduced, made possible by the pragmatic tutoring and the emphasis on practice in order to learn. Not one of those theory courses where only a small proportion is relevant, this one is full on from the get go and the day goes by quickly. Well worth it.
- Josie Ogden, CEO (YMCA Christchurch)
This was one of the most valuable and interesting courses I have undertaken in a long time, as well as being fun, interesting and challenging to participate in. Our industry is constantly in the limelight, and we all have a fear of any contact with the media – particularly when we might be in a stressful situation or crisis at work. Pete not only gave us training on how to handle ourselves with the media, he put us in front of the camera time after time to make sure we had learned the lessons and could handle ourselves when the pressure was on – a very special gift to all who attended that day
- Robyn Garnett, Owner (George Manning House and Paulger Courts Retirement Village, Christchurch)
I found strategies suggested in our session with Pete Burdon very useful in thinking through how best to phrase media responses, and be assured of getting your intended message reported. Rather than being bogged down in theory, the use of practical exercises made this course both pragmatically applicable and hugely enjoyable – and you can’t say that about most day-long courses!
- Mike Brown, CEO (Kono Beverages, Nelson)
I did a workshop with Pete focused on how to attract positive media coverage for my business. It was totally practical, really cut to the chase and gave me the confidence to approach the media and what to say to who. It was only a few weeks ago, but since then I've been featured on Radio NZ News and The Detail and TVNZs One News and Breakfast. That's generated massive interest in the business. I can't think of a better way to grow our profile or reputation and it's absolutely free.
- Prudence Thomson, Founder, Manager and Co-Owner (Accent Health Recruitment)
After putting myself and my team through Pete’s media training, I feel far more confident if I ever have to face the media on a difficult issue. His training is practical and shows you how to manage every step of the interview process. He also covers how to answer difficult questions and avoid traps that can get you into trouble. Every franchise leader and business owner should do this training because you never know when you might need it. It’s like taking out an insurance policy on your reputation and nothing is more valuable.
- Tony Burnette, General Manager (Exceed Franchising)
