Communication Under Pressure
A three-and-a-half-hour online masterclass for senior executives who have to speak well on the day a corporate or public-sector crisis breaks, with one tutor, ninety seats, and two live exercises.
About the day
Communication Under Pressure is the only online programme we run, and it is here because the question we get asked most often, what do I say in the first hour, deserves a proper answer rather than a one-page checklist. Over three and a half hours, the tutor will work through three real cases from corporate, public-sector, and political life, and run two live exercises in breakout rooms with peer observation and structured critique.
The webinar is capped at ninety seats. There is no recording, and there is no replay link.
You will be expected to keep your camera on and your microphone open during the exercises, the same way you would in a room. A printed reader is sent in the post in advance to UK addresses, and as a PDF to attendees elsewhere. The follow-up checklist arrives by email within twenty-four hours.
What you will leave with
- A practical sequence for the first hour of a corporate or public crisis
- Two live exercises with peer feedback under time pressure
- A printed reader of three case studies and a one-page checklist
The tutor
Editor and writing tutor, formerly senior at a national newspaper
Hannah Sieghart was a senior editor at a national broadsheet for fourteen years and ran the writing programme at a Whitehall communications school after that. She has edited speeches for two cabinet ministers, three regulators, and one notably reluctant chief executive. She lives in Stoke Newington, runs in Clissold Park, and is firm but kind about the passive voice.
The schedule
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13:00
Opening and the first-hour question
Why the first hour matters more than the second day.
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13:30
Case one, a corporate recall
What the spokesperson actually said, and what the lawyers wanted them to say.
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14:30
Live exercise one, your statement in eight minutes
Breakouts of five. Eight minutes to draft, two minutes to deliver.
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15:30
Case two, a public-sector statement
The press conference, the parliamentary question, and the staff note.
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16:00
Close and the one-page checklist
Round-the-room questions. Checklist sent within twenty-four hours.
Tickets
Early
£80
Early bird
Single seat, printed reader to UK addresses, PDF elsewhere. Released six weeks before.
Standard
£140
Standard
Single seat, printed reader, post-event reading list.
Patron
£220
Patron
Single seat plus a one-hour follow-up call with the tutor in the four weeks after.
Register
How to book
Booking is at the register form above. Payment is taken in full at the time of registration. After registration you will receive a personalised join link by email. If you have a question that needs a conversation rather than a thread, send us a sentence on the contact page and we will reply the same working day.