Client
Deliverables
Situation
ITC Holdings, the largest independent electricity transmission company in the United States, is building a series of new high-voltage transmission lines in Michigan as part of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s (MISO) long range transmission plan (LRTP). These projects are the first new transmission lines to be built in Michigan in nearly a decade.
While MISO, which acts as the regional grid operator, has approved the scope of the projects, ITC is responsible for building the lines because it is the transmission owner in Michigan’s lower peninsula.
Knowing the project would generate a lot of questions from the community (as well as media coverage), ITC wanted to prepare a cross-functional group of company representatives for direct interactions with residents, stakeholders and media at the meetings.
To support that effort, ITC partnered with Franco to conduct a media and community-open-house training session to help company representatives communicate clearly, confidently and consistently in a public-facing environment.
Approach
Franco began by polling participants through a pre-training survey to better understand their experience levels, concerns and priorities. Those insights helped identify both the group’s varying levels of media experience and the specific areas where they needed support, allowing Franco to tailor the training to the needs of the full group.
From there, Franco designed and delivered a tailored media and open-house training session for 15 employees representing a wide range of roles and departments. Attendees had varying levels of media experience, making it important to create a session that was accessible, practical and relevant for a diverse group of company representatives. A mix of former reporters and crisis counselors led the training, bringing both media insight and real-world communications coaching to the session.
Franco’s approach combined media relations fundamentals with practical message preparation and live practice. The training focused on helping company representatives understand how reporters think, deliver clear and consistent messages, stay on track during interviews and communicate effectively in high-visibility settings.
To reinforce those skills, Franco conducted four on-camera interviews to demonstrate different interview approaches that print, TV and trade media outlets might take, as well as a mock conversation with a local resident.
Results
With this preparation in place, the company held a series of Community Listening Sessions that drew record turnout and generated significant community feedback.
Following the Community Listening Sessions, Franco surveyed participants again to assess the effectiveness of the training. The feedback confirmed it was a success: All respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the training was valuable and had adequately prepared them for their role in the sessions, giving them the confidence to engage effectively with both community members and media.
