Media Training for Researchers: How to Survive an Interview with a Journalist

Cluster

Communication Skills

Competences as defined in ResearchComp

ResearchComp is a European competency framework developed by the European Commission. It provides a common reference framework that makes researchers’ competencies more visible and comparable—not only for researchers themselves, but also for universities, employers, and policymakers across Europe.

To get started with ResearchComp, you can consult this guide.

Competence Area	Competences
Cognitive Abilities	Creativity / innovative thinking;Strategic thinking;Critical thinking;Analytical thinking;Problem‑solving;
Doing Research	Interdisciplinary work;Research ethics & integrity;
Managing Research Tools	Open science practices;Citizen science engagement;
Making an Impact	Communicating science to the public;Innovation & knowledge transfer;Policy engagement & societal impact;Publishing & disseminating research results;
Working with Others	Networking & professional interaction;
Self-Management	Resilience & coping with pressure;Career management & development;

Target group

Members of the Doctoral Schools

Content

A journalist calls you unexpectedly… what now? How do you avoid freezing? How to make sure your nuanced message comes through clearly?

In this workshop you’ll get practical strategies to handle media interviews with confidence. Learn what to say and what not to say. Get tips on how to stay on message. And improve your chances of being quoted accurately.

The do’s and don’ts apply to interviews for written press, radio, tv, socials and podcasts all the same.

We look at how you can prepare yourself for an interview: by reflecting beforehand on an attractive key message, with and without use of genAI.
We listen to a few exemplary interviews with scientists and discuss how you can use and react to different types of questions.
This workshop is hands-on and consists of 2 sessions: 1 real life group session and 1 online individual session when you practice being interviewed by the trainer and/or interview a fellow participant. During the online session you also get individual feedback by the trainer.

After the workshop, you will ...

learn how to prepare for an interview
understand how a good interviewer thinks
learn how to keep the best possible grip on key message and quotes
learn how to use the different types of questions and as an interviewee how to deal with 'difficult' questions

Time schedule and Venue

Dates	Time	Room/Venue
08 June 2026 + 19 June 2026	08/06: 09:30 - 16:30 19/06: ONLINE - 09:30 -16:30	08/06: Leslokaal 3.1 (Campus UZ Gent, Gebouw K3) 19/06: Individual online sessions (will be planned together with the tutor)

Teacher

For 10 years, Ann De Ron worked as a full-time (science) journalist for the newspaper De Morgen, the magazines Knack and the Dutch new Scientist (used to be ‘Natuur & Techniek’), the press agency IPS and many others. She holds a Master degree in Sciences and a Bachelor in Intercultural Management.

Ann has been training researchers at UGent in popular scientific writing since 2008, and since 2016 also in ‘Dealing with the media as a researcher’.

Registration fee

Free of charge for the members of the Doctoral Schools. The no show policy applies.

Registration

Follow this link to subscribe to the registration or waiting list.

Your registration will be confirmed by separate e-mail from the Doctoral Schools.

Cancellation of your registration can only be performed by sending an email to doctoralschools@ugent.be.