Gender balance has become a hackneyed phrase to most of us in the media, but the sad truth is that gender balance in broadcast media has some way to go. Broadcasters want to redress this imbalance as much as Women in Journalism Scotland, so we’re teaming up to take action.

We want to give women journalists the chance to expand their existing skills in print and online, into broadcast. One acknowledged barrier is that women are more inclined than men to turn down broadcast media invitations.

There are many reasons for this but to tackle it head on, we’re offering a day of coaching, mock interviews, inspirational speakers, networking and familiarisation with broadcast environments to ensure that participants are primed to say YES to the next media opportunity.

Participants will hear from STV Chairwoman and pioneering businesswoman, Baroness Margaret Ford, before being given vocal and diction training to build confidence. We’ll also hear from a previous participant of this training who decided to say ‘yes for a year’, on the experiences that she had a result. This will be followed by lunch at STV News and then on to three training sessions with senior broadcast journalists: radio interviews, on-camera news interviews and a live studio panel discussion.

These will be hosted at BBC Scotland and STV News at Pacific Quay, Glasgow, on February 28th from 1030 - 1730.

The afternoon will conclude with a debrief and networking drinks, to which senior producers and contributor bookers will be invited to meet participants.

The fee of £20 includes membership of Women in Journalism Scotland. Existing WiJ Scotland members can attend free of charge.

Note: For those in the North of Scotland we will be announcing the details of a similar workshop in Aberdeen shortly. Keep an eye on @Wij_Scotland for further details.