Conference Q&A and panel discussion training
Speaking at a conference isn’t just about delivering prepared remarks. The real pressure often comes when the questions start.
Whether it’s an audience Q&A or a panel discussion, spokespeople need to think on their feet, stay composed and give clear, confident answers.
Our training focuses on exactly that.
Led by a former BBC journalist, the course prepares you to handle live questions, contribute effectively to panels and respond confidently under pressure.
We’ll cover:
Answering audience questions clearly and concisely
Handling difficult or unexpected questions
Bringing answers back to key messages
Sessions are practical and tailored, with realistic scenarios and feedback throughout.
We deliver training across London, the East Midlands and surrounding areas.
Get in touch at the bottom of the page if you’d like to know more.
Our prices are transparent and competitive with our course costing from £199 + VAT per person.
What does the training course cover?
Our one day training course typically runs from 10am – 4pm and follows our tried-and-tested four-step structure.
We aim to build confidence in answering questions, rather than leaving people feeling more worried than when they arrived!
Our specialism is in regional and local television and radio, but the principles of good communication are very similar to those required for panel discussions and conference or webinar Q&A sessions.
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A chance to discuss your experiences and (understandable!) fears about answering questions under pressure.
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Our 10 top tips on preparing for an interview, including how to deal with questions you don’t know the answer to – or would rather not answer!
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We will work with you ahead of the training day to understand the sorts of questions and issues that might come up at your conference Q&As and panel discussions. We’ll help you prepare and then give you a chance to try out what you’ve learnt in a mock panel discussion. We start by just recording the audio of your answers so we can focus on the words you’re using to communicate.
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In the final part of the course, we continue our mock panel discussions but this time we film it as well. This gives us a chance to consider body language as well as the words we are using to communicate with the audience.
How much does the Q&A panel discussion training cost?
We charge a fixed price per group of £796 + VAT for a one day course. The price is the same regardless of how many people are on the course - but we recommend a group of 3 - 5 people.
For a group of four, our price works out as £199 + VAT per delegate. We can tweak the course for smaller and larger groups, but we’ve found that 3 - 5 people creates the best learning environment.
Our price is considerably lower than many other similar training courses – many of whom charge several hundred pounds per person.
To keep our prices affordable we ask you to provide the venue, such as a meeting room - and we don’t provide lunch (although we will bring some snacks and allow time for a lunch break). We provide unedited recordings of the day’s interviews for free.
Where do you hold the training?
We primarily focus on working in the East Midlands and London, but we also work in several other counties.
Within these counties, we don’t charge any travel expenses:
Derbyshire
Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
Northamptonshire
Nottinghamshire
Rutland
We also run training courses in these cities and towns but charge a one-off additional fee of £99+VAT.
London
Birmingham
Cambridge
Coventry
Doncaster
Grimsby
Leeds
Milton Keynes
Oxford
Sheffield
York
If you are outside of these areas, please do get in touch and we’ll try and make it work!
Guru Media Training is run by Robbie and Hannah Lane. Robbie delivers the training courses, whilst Hannah supports with planning and administration.
Over the last two decades, Robbie has worked in the media industry both as a journalist for the BBC and in public relations for national charities.
This experience has given him insight into how to communicate effectively when faced with difficult questions.
About us - our experience
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Robbie worked as a newsreader and local radio reporter for commercial radio stations in the Westcountry and BBC local radio in the East Midlands. He was breakfast show editor on BBC Radio Derby, during which time the station was named Station of the Year at the main radio industry awards.
During that time he interviewed two Prime Ministers, one Chancellor of the Exchequer and five members of Girls Aloud.
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Robbie was media manager for a large national health charity and created a broadcast media training course for the team of regional media officers. This was delivered across England and Wales.
He also regularly appeared on TV and radio to represent the charity. Some of this work was tackling positive stories about new research and fundraising events whilst others was reputational risk interviews about service closures.
He also worked for a national environmental charity in a communications role as part of their corporate partnerships team.
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In the last few years, Robbie and Hannah have been running their own media company with a focus on tourism – their sites include Isle of Wight Guru, as well as Dutch, German and French language travel sites.
Robbie regularly appears on local BBC radio to promote this work.
He is also the founder of the Brown Flag Awards, which is an environmental campaign for cleaner beaches that has featured in the Daily Mail, The Sun, The Express, The Mirror and on the BBC. It was also mentioned in the Houses of Parliament in 2025.
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Robbie Lane
MEDIA TRAINER AND COMPANY DIRECTOR
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Hannah Lane
ADMINISTRATOR AND COMPANY DIRECTOR
Contact us
We would love to hear from you if you are interested in our media training course. Please get in touch via the form or you can email hello (at) guru-media.co.uk.