Media Training

The New Neighbors Network rose out of work founder and Chief Operating Officer Joel Millman did in Geneva, Switzerland, with the International Organization for Migration.

At IOM, learning and practicing sound communication methods are priorities spread across a workforce of nearly 10,000 women and men on staff in 173 duty stations globally. IOM’s media team also works with partners at other UN bodies and with collaborators in the public and private sectors.

In his eight years of service, Joel participated in dozens of media training workshops across the globe and today continues to offer his services as a global consultant. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, he most recently has shared his capacity-building skills in this hemisphere, with assignments in Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panamá and Suriname. He’s led media training for municipal spokespersons in Warsaw and for newly-minted migration journalists in Libya.

During the COVID emergency he engaged with the Gabriel Garcia Marquez foundation of Bogotá, Colombia, to mentor media fellows in four Latin American capitals. He guided mid-career journalists in their coverage of migration issues, particularly those concerning recent arrivals from Venezuela and Cuba. He has made presentations for US university delegations visiting IOM headquarters and continues to conduct remote trainings for UN press officers from East Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean basin.

Media workshops for your organization can be for a single day or spread over weeks. We teach the importance of mission statements, how to craft talking points, how to anticipate media engagements and how to message effectively by preparing responses for a wide range of contingencies. We also teach press-release writing and social media messaging and best practices to avoid using jargon that impedes communication.

We will listen carefully as you explain your media goals and adapt our training curricula to meet them.

Being heard, being understood and being appreciated are key foundations to your organization’s effectiveness. We can help you succeed in each of these areas.