Crisis communications course
This two-day course will equip you with the tools to create a crisis communication plan and to link it into your communications and stakeholder relations plans. You will learn how to plan for a crisis and what to do in the event of a crisis.
An organisation's reputation is its most valuable asset. A badly managed public relations crisis will damage the company's image immediately. When a crisis happens, the media and public frenzy that accompanies the crisis, these days amplified by easy access to social media, can quickly overwhelm the ability of the company to effectively respond to the demands of the situation. For a company to emerge from a crisis with its reputation intact, it's essential to have a plan in place that anticipates every move and enables it to respond immediately and with confidence.
Specific outcomes:
At the end of this course, participants will:
Know how to identify and build up the crisis communications team;
Be able to identify and guide the spokesperson of the company;
Pinpoint the various and correct tools to use in the distribution of information in the event of a crisis;
Anticipate a variety of crises and how to plan for it;
Develop key messages and holding messages in the event of a crisis;
Assess the crisis and work out the correct responses required;
Maintain effective media relations;
Avoid the classic and common pitfalls of crisis communications;
Explore and plan for the ethical issues that may arise during a crisis.
Content of course includes:
What is a crisis?
Definition and the need to care
Case studies
The crisis communication plan
What not to do in your relations with the media
Media dos, i.e. what to do in your relations with media
Crisis communications internal working committee and processes and its imperatives
Crisis communications internal working committee: who to exclude, include and the motivations for each
Ethics
Developing your crisis communication plan and its contents
Practical: developing your crisis communication plan
Feedback on crisis communications plan
Please note that the course is interactive and the programme above is subject to change in the event of new material becoming available.
Time: 09:00 - 16:00
Venue: Observatory, Johannesburg