Crisis Communications and Damage Control

Module 1 – Introduction to crisis communications

• What constitutes a crisis?
• Different theories of crisis communications
• Who communicates?

Module 2 – Crisis communication strategies

• Denial
• Evasion of Responsibility
• Reducing
• Corrective Action
• Mortification

Module 3 – Crisis communication process

Pre-crisis:

• Plan resources to be in place ahead of a crisis
• Prepare communications plan and press release templates
• Plan for dissemination of information to all publics during a crisis situation
• Training for crisis communications team
• Identify possible risks

In-crisis:

• Assess the nature of the crisis and the communications environment at the time of the incident
• Collect and process pertinent information to guide the crisis management team in decision making
• Identify key stakeholders and create appropriate messages, recognising which media channels to use, how, and when

Post-crisis:

• Provide follow-up crisis messages as necessary
• Review the successes and failures of the crisis communications team
• Scan the Internet for online discussions of the crisis
• Consult with those affected by the crisis to determine the organisation’s role in future arrangements or events

Module 4 - Reputation Management - Managing the Media

• Organizing a Press Conference
• Conducting Radio and Television Interviews
• Social media and crisis response

Module 5 – Putting it all into Practice

• Case Study Exercise: Develop a crisis communications strategy and action plan based upon a given scenario
• Personal action planning