Start with what you want to leave with
Most people who contact us about the classroom workshops already have a rough idea of what is bothering them. A reporter says their pieces ramble. An operator says they never know which cutaways the edit will need. Before you look at dates or group sizes, write that one sentence down, because it is the best test of whether a workshop fits.
Our Newsroom Classroom Workshops cover three things: story structure, editing choices and interview technique. They are classroom sessions, not field days, so the work is done at desks, on a whiteboard and in paired exercises. If your problem is shaky handheld footage or nerves in front of a lens, another course will serve you better, and we would say so when you ask.
I coordinate the timetables and answer enquiries, so I hear this sentence a lot. People who can state it plainly get more from the sessions, because the group exercises can be pointed at it from the first morning.
- Write your goal as one sentence
- Note whether it is about structure, editing or interviews
- Say if the real problem is on location instead
Check the fit with your current role
The workshops suit reporters, camera operators and people moving between the two. A reporter gains from seeing how a sequence is assembled, and an operator gains from understanding why a producer asks for a certain shot. Neither needs to be an expert at the other's job, but both should be working or training in television journalism.
Think about where you are in your career. Someone in their first months will want the basics of building a story from a brief. Someone with years behind them may prefer to challenge habits that have set hard. Tell us which you are when you enquire, so the examples used in your group are pitched sensibly.
It is also worth asking whether you will be sharing a room with colleagues or strangers. Some people learn faster alongside people they work with, while others prefer the freedom of a mixed group. Both are possible, and the choice is yours to raise with us.
- Reporter, operator or a mix of both
- Early career or established habits to unpick
- Colleagues together or a mixed group
Ask what a session actually contains
A good checklist item is simple: what will I be doing between nine and five? In our classroom sessions you will spend the time on short exercises, not slides read aloud. You might cut a sequence down to its strongest sixty seconds, rewrite a script so that words sit under the pictures, or run a mock interview and then listen back to where the question could have been better.
Groups are kept small so that every person is heard and every piece gets comment. That matters more than it sounds. In a room of a dozen, quieter learners disappear. In a small group, the instructor can stop and ask why you chose that opening line.
Ask for the outline of the specific sessions you are considering and read it against your sentence from the first step. If an outline does not mention the thing you want to improve, that is useful information, and you should raise it before committing.
- Short practical exercises, not long lectures
- Comment given on each person's own work
- Outline checked against your own goal
Work out what to bring and prepare
People often ask whether they should arrive with material. Where you have a recent piece you are unhappy with, a script, a rough cut or a transcript, bring it along. Working on your own material is slower to set up but far more useful than a neutral example, because the problems are real and you already care about them.
If you have nothing to bring, that is fine. Exercises can be run from scratch with material supplied in the room. A notebook and something to record interviews on are the sort of thing that helps, and a willingness to be corrected in front of others helps most.
Allow time beforehand to reread the outline and note two or three questions. A reporter who arrives with a question such as why their live script feels flat will get an answer. One who arrives with only a general hope will get a general lecture.
- A recent piece you want to improve, if you have one
- A notebook and a way to record an interview
- Two or three questions written down in advance
Think about group size, timing and travel
The practical side deserves its own line on the list. Our base is in Reading, so check the journey, the start time and how you would get home after a long day. Learners who rush in late and tired take less from the morning than those who arrive calm, so a realistic plan for the commute is part of the decision.
Consider your working pattern too. Television journalism is irregular, and a shift change can force a missed day. Tell Tom, which is to say me, about any constraint when you enquire, and we can say plainly whether the timetable can work around it. It is far better to hear that early than after a place has been arranged.
Finally, ask how large the group will be. Small is the point of this format, so a straight answer on numbers is reasonable to expect and worth having in writing before you go further.
- Journey and start time from where you live
- Shift patterns and any days you cannot attend
- The size of the group, confirmed in writing
Understand the cost and the next step
Money belongs on the checklist as plainly as anything else. The Prices page sets out what each course costs, what is included and what can change the figure, so read it before you get in touch. Ordering is not done on the site: you send an enquiry through the contact page, receive a written quotation or confirmation, and then an invoice that is paid by bank transfer.
Cancellations and refunds follow our payment and refund policy, and it is sensible to read that before agreeing to anything, not after. If something in it is unclear, ask, and we will explain it in ordinary language.
Once you have worked through the earlier points, you should know your goal, your fit, the content, your preparation and your logistics. Sending an enquiry with those answers in it makes my reply faster and much more useful to you.
- Read the Prices page first
- Enquire through the contact page
- Quotation, invoice and bank transfer follow
A workshop is worth booking when you can name the problem it should help with, when the outline touches that problem, and when the practical details suit your life. If any item on this list gives you pause, that is worth a conversation, not a guess. Write to us through the contact page with your sentence and your questions, and we will answer honestly, including when another course would suit you better.