Energy Projects Are Politically Charged. Your Message Must Cut Through.

Media training for energy and utilities companies is specialized coaching that prepares executives for permitting hearings, community opposition, environmental scrutiny, and investor questions. Every project faces environmental scrutiny, community opposition, and regulatory challenges. Success in Media has coached energy leaders through permitting battles, environmental hearings, community meetings, and investor relations, positioning companies as responsible stewards even in contentious situations.

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What We Know About Energy Communication

Environmental & Community Opposition

Energy projects face intense media scrutiny and public opposition. Executives must communicate responsibly about environmental impact while defending project necessity and safety.

Regulatory & Permitting Communications

Public hearings, regulatory submissions, and permitting processes require clear, credible messaging that satisfies regulators, investors, and community stakeholders simultaneously.

Transition & Energy Shift Narratives

As energy portfolios shift, companies must communicate credibly about their transition strategies without alienating existing stakeholders or losing investor confidence.

Safety Incidents & Environmental Emergencies

Spills, accidents, and environmental incidents demand immediate, transparent communication that demonstrates competence, accountability, and corrective action.

What Success Looks Like

Win Community & Regulatory Approval

Communicate project benefits and safety measures credibly to secure community support and regulatory approval even in politically challenging environments.

Manage Environmental & Climate Messaging

Frame your company's approach to environmental responsibility and climate transition in ways that satisfy stakeholders and drive investment.

Navigate Safety & Environmental Incidents

Respond to accidents, spills, or environmental problems with messaging that demonstrates responsibility, transparency, and decisive corrective action.

Build Investor & Stakeholder Confidence

Establish thought leadership and credibility in energy conversations, positioning your company as a responsible industry leader.

We've Worked With

Plus United Water, Own Energy, and other energy and utility teams.

"Our water utility project faced intense environmental opposition. Jess helped us communicate the project's community benefits and our genuine environmental protections. Media coverage shifted. We got our permits."
R. Chen, VP Communications, United Water

"Jess' program was fast paced and interactive. It was a combination of interactive exercises and new systems for specific situations. I found the program to be enjoyable and will continue to practice what I learned. One thing that was different from most courses was the ongoing, post-training elements. I receive weekly videos, have access to a multi-media database, and can reach out to Jess directly if I have an issue or would like a critique. That is a huge bonus as I could encounter some challenging situations in the year ahead. I recommend Jess Todtfeld and his training program very highly."
Gary Steinberg, Communications Director, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

"The on-camera work gave me validation that I can do this. Strategies for preparing better to be more effective with the media were important. I like the concept of 'controlling' the reporter, not worrying about the questions but using your answer system to get my messages across."
Eve J. Rappoport, Community Services Supervisor, City of Glendale, California

Scenarios We've Coached

Public Hearing Preparation

Coaching executives for public utility commission hearings, environmental reviews, and community meetings where opposition is expected and media will cover proceedings.

Environmental Incident Response

Developing crisis communications for spills, accidents, or environmental problems that attract media attention and regulatory scrutiny.

Energy Transition & Sustainability Messaging

Positioning your company's shift to renewable or cleaner energy in ways that demonstrate genuine commitment while maintaining investor and stakeholder confidence.

Investor Relations & ESG Communications

Communicating environmental, social, and governance commitments credibly to investment community and analysts.

Presentation Training for Energy and Utility Leaders

Energy leaders present at least as often as they give interviews, and the presentations are frequently the higher-stakes half. A rate case, a permitting open house, and an investor day are all rooms where the decision gets made while you are standing in front of it.

Presentation training is a separate program from media training and it builds the other half of the skill set: structuring the argument, holding a hostile room, and delivering inside a time limit. Sessions are recorded so executives can watch the playback and see what a commissioner or a community audience actually sees.

The Rate Case and Commission Presentation

Testimony before a public utility commission is a presentation with a vote attached. Executives practice opening with the decision, defending assumptions without sounding defensive, and answering commissioner questions inside the time allotted.

The Community Open House and Permitting Meeting

A siting or permitting meeting puts your project in front of neighbors who did not ask for it. Leaders rehearse acknowledging concerns first, presenting technical detail in plain language, and staying steady when the room gets loud.

The Investor Day and Analyst Presentation

Capital plans, transition targets, and rate base growth have to arrive as a narrative, not a spreadsheet. Executives practice turning a multiyear capital plan into a story an analyst can repeat to a portfolio manager.

The Safety Briefing and All-Hands

Internal presentations after an outage, an incident, or a reorganization carry more weight than any external interview. Leaders practice speaking directly to crews and employees instead of hiding behind a deck.

Go deeper: presentation training for energy and utility leaders, the high stakes presentation training methodology, the full presentation training program list, or presentation training questions answered.

Energy & Utilities Media Training Questions

Can you prepare executives for hostile community meetings and permitting hearings?

Yes. Energy media training includes recorded practice exercises built around community opposition, environmental questioning, and permitting testimony. Executives learn to acknowledge concerns credibly, correct misinformation without sounding defensive, and deliver messages that hold up in front of regulators, local press, and frustrated residents at the same time.

Do you train spokespeople on energy transition and environmental questions?

Yes. Transition messaging is one of the most requested topics. Spokespeople practice explaining portfolio shifts, emissions commitments, and project impacts in plain language, without overpromising or alienating existing stakeholders. The goal is a consistent story that satisfies investors, regulators, and communities simultaneously.

How much does energy industry media training cost?

Media training typically ranges from $1,000 to $15,000 per engagement depending on group size and scope. A focused session for one spokesperson sits at the lower end, while multi-day team workshops with recorded practice sit higher. See our media training questions page for a full breakdown of what drives pricing.

Who leads the training?

Every session is led by Jess Todtfeld, founder of Success in Media. Jess spent 13 years as a television producer at NBC, ABC, and Fox, and holds the Guinness World Record for the most media interviews given in 24 hours: 112 completed, 96 officially certified. He has coached energy and utility executives through permitting battles, public hearings, and investor communications.

Energy & Utilities Presentation Training Questions

Do you offer presentation training for energy and utility teams?

Yes. Presentation training is a separate program from media training, and energy clients book both regularly. Media training prepares executives for reporters and cameras. Presentation training prepares them for rate cases, investor days, community open houses, and internal all-hands. Programs run as a one-day or two-day intensive, or in a custom format built around a specific date already on the calendar.

Can you prepare our executives for a rate case or commission presentation?

Yes. Commission presentations are rehearsed the way they actually happen: a clock, a panel, and questions that arrive out of order. Executives practice leading with the decision, supporting it with evidence a nonengineer can follow, and staying composed through cross-examination. Every run is recorded so the team can review the playback together.

How much does presentation training cost?

There are do-it-yourself options above and below $1,000, and most custom programs come in the mid to high four-figure range. Every program is built around the specific presentations your team is facing, so scope drives the number. See our presentation training questions page for a fuller breakdown.

Case Study

When the media coverage shifted, the permits followed

A water utility project was facing intense environmental opposition, and its communications team needed the coverage to reflect the project's community benefits and genuine environmental protections. After working with Jess, the media coverage shifted and the permits were granted. The same message systems serve public communicators across the energy and utilities sector.

Proof you can verify

Jess holds a 5.0 Google rating and dozens of public LinkedIn recommendations, backed by 90+ named client results across industries.

Read our 5.0 Google reviews LinkedIn recommendations 90+ client results