01
A senior advisor, directly
Senior-level instincts and examples, not a training manual.
01 What I believe
Knowledge without confidence doesn't change anything. I work on both.
That shift only happens when training is grounded in experience: when the person in the room has done what they're teaching, when examples come from real situations, and when sessions are built around the people present rather than a generic slide deck.
More than 20 years in journalism and strategic communications, including senior media relations at West Yorkshire Police. I've written under deadline pressure and advised leaders through reputational crises. That experience shapes everything I teach. Not as a list of rules, but as hard-won instincts about what works, what doesn't, and why.
02 What we'll do together
Who's in the room?
Every session is built around the people present: their sector, their challenges and where their confidence sits. Start from who you are; the shape of the work follows.
For teams
Build capability in-house
Practical, interactive sessions so your team communicates with confidence, not dependence on someone else.
- Practical PR & media training
- Messaging & storytelling workshops
- Confidence-building sessions
For founders & leaders
One-to-one mentoring
Honest, experienced input on your own development: building profile, presence, and readiness for high-stakes moments.
- Personal mentoring
- Media & interview preparation
- A trusted sounding board
03 The approach
Built around the room
Every session is interactive, insight-led and tailored to the audience. No generic slides. No talking at people and calling it training.
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Understand the room
Who's present, what they already know, and where their confidence sits. -
Shape the session
Built around that specific group: their sector, challenges and goals. -
Work it through together
Participants test messages and ideas. Active, not passive. -
Leave with something usable
People go away clearer, more capable and ready to apply it immediately. -
Write it so it lands
Copy that's credible in a boardroom, a media interview and on the page.
04 Who I work with
Already trusted by the region's programmes
Alongside client delivery, I work with universities, business-support programmes and councils to build communications confidence across West Yorkshire: in founders and leaders at every stage of growth, not just businesses that can afford a full agency.
05 What changes
People leave capable, not overwhelmed
Plenty of people can talk about communications. Fewer have done it at a senior level, under pressure, where getting it wrong had consequences. Knowledge without confidence doesn't change behaviour. Sessions shift both.
02
Complex concepts made calm and manageable, never more intimidating.
Complex concepts made calm and manageable, never more intimidating.
03
Faster, better decisions
Tailored, always, to the specific people and situation in the room.
04
Value that starts early
Behaviour changes: people communicate differently, not just know more.
06 Why SSPR
Proof, in practice
Real work for growing businesses, innovators and organisations — where clarity, calm and strategy created measurable change.
Manufacturing · Precision Engineering
Translating complex engineering into clear, credible storytelling
Five illustrated explainers turned BEP’s highly technical processes into accessible visual stories for policymakers, investors and staff.
Strategic positioning and copywriting that reflected senior credibility – supporting funding, growth and visibility without sounding corporate.
Meet Sophie
Senior expertise, without the long-term overhead
A background spanning journalism, senior police communications and strategic PR consultancy — a rare combination of calm judgement, commercial understanding and human insight, exactly when getting it right really counts.
Experience
A senior background, not a junior agency
Journalism, senior police communications and strategic PR consultancy — calm judgement earned where the stakes were real.
Trust
A trusted advisor, not a supplier
One experienced person who knows your context deeply — honest counsel, including when the answer isn't what you hoped to hear.
PErsonal
Calm, ethical, and people-first
CIPR member and NCTJ qualified, working to professional standards — with the human touch that puts people at ease.
“Working with Sophie transformed how I approach public speaking. I came in feeling overwhelmed by my own content and left with the confidence and tools to communicate with clarity and purpose.”
“A genuine partner who brought calm authority to a genuinely complex subject — something our whole team could rally around.”
“Working with Sophie was a pleasure from start to finish. She saw through a complex brief to present clarity and authority — and made life easier at every step.”
“A genuine partner who brought calm authority to a genuinely complex subject. The illustrated explainers gave our whole team — and our stakeholders — something to rally around.”
07 What you may be wondering
Questions clients tend to ask
What kinds of organisations and programmes do you deliver training for?
I work with a broad range of organisations, from universities and councils running funded business support programmes, to individual businesses and leadership teams wanting to build communications confidence internally.
Current partners include Huddersfield Health Innovation Incubator at the University of Huddersfield, Thrive through Kirklees Council, AD:VENTURE and We Are UMi.
I also deliver direct workshops to businesses and teams across West Yorkshire.
What does a typical workshop or training session look like?
No two sessions are the same, which is intentional.
Before any session, I want to understand who is in the room, what they already know, what they are trying to achieve and where their confidence currently sits.
From there, the session is built around that specific group. Practical, interactive and grounded in examples.
Participants are not passive. They work through ideas, test messages and leave with something they can use immediately.
Do you offer one-to-one mentoring as well as group training?
Yes. One-to-one mentoring is available for founders, leaders and communications professionals who want experienced, honest input on their own development.
This might be someone building their public profile, preparing for a high-stakes media opportunity, navigating a difficult communications challenge, or simply wanting a trusted sounding board as they grow.
Sessions are shaped entirely around the individual.
How is this different from standard media training?
Media training is one part of what I offer, but the broader work goes further.
Effective communications is not just about handling a journalist’s questions. It’s about knowing what you are trying to say, to whom, and why it should matter to them.
My sessions develop that foundation alongside the practical skills, which means participants are better communicators across every context, not just in front of a camera.
Can you deliver training as part of a funded business support programme?
Yes, I have experience working within structured growth programmes and funded initiatives, understanding the requirements of those environments and delivering sessions that fit the programme while genuinely serving the participants.
If you are running a programme and looking for a communications trainer or mentor, I would welcome a conversation.
Are you based in Huddersfield? Do you deliver training across West Yorkshire and nationally?
Yes, based in Honley, Holmfirth, Huddersfield, with strong existing partnerships across West Yorkshire.
Training and mentoring is delivered in person where that serves the session best, and remotely where that works better.
I am happy to travel for the right programme or engagement.
08 See also
Other ways I can support
