Crisis Communications and Media Relations Certification Training Course

Why select this training course?

The growing surge in crisis all across the globe has made it essential for companies, media personnel, students, government agencies, etc., to be educated on effective crisis management and communication skills. This Rcademy course focuses on planning, developing, and executing Crisis Communication Techniques and Media Relations with necessary stakeholders in society.

What are the four stages of crisis communication?

Crisis communication is divided into four essential stages: the potential crisis stage, which is the phase that makes it clear that a crisis event could be approaching. The second stage, known as the latent crisis or crisis identification stage, is when the first signs of the crisis manifest. During the next stage, the acute crisis stage, the crisis becomes acutely felt by all concerned, and a swift reaction to developing news characterizes communication at this phase. The last stage in crisis communication is the post-crisis phase, which comes after the crisis is over and is generally a revaluation period.

What is the role of media relations in crisis communication?

Practical media relation is vital during times of crisis; by generating information and keeping organizations, government agencies, and the public updated on the situations during times of crisis. In addition, good media relation helps preserve an organization’s reputation by ensuring that stakeholders are adequately informed during emergencies.

The goal of The Crisis Communications and Media Relations Certification Training Course by Rcademy is to tell learners how to communicate effectively in times of crisis and to recognize the many responses to such situations. As a result, they will know how to handle diverse situations in their appropriate phases. Participants will leave with an understanding of the importance of crisis communications and the range of strategic messages that may be sent in response to an emergency.

Who should attend?

The Crisis Communications and Media Relations Certification Training Course by Rcademy is suitable for professionals within the communications industry, whose responsibilities involve managing the brand and reputation of organizations and communicating with relevant stakeholders. The following personnel should partake in the course:

• Brand Managers responsible for developing and managing brand strategies for companies and government parastatals
• Political Risk Analyst tasked with analyzing political trends, decisions, and conditions and how they could impact crisis development
• Corporate Affairs Managers who are responsible for organizing governance processes, coordinating internal policies, and managing a company’s external communications
• Public Relations Practitioners engaged in communicating with members of the public on behalf of an organization company, or government
• Emergency Response Professionals trained in mitigating environmental accidents that pose dangers to members of the public
• Finance and Insurance Professionals who are responsible for calculating and developing strategies for managing financial risks during a crisis
• Asset Managers are responsible for determining investment risks and protecting a company’s assets
• Individuals interested in understanding the fundamentals of crisis communications and the roles of media relations in managing crises

What are the course objectives?

The Crisis Communications and Media Relations Certification Training Course by Rcademy aims to assist participants in attaining the following objectives:

• Understand the concept of crisis communication and how to identify the various types of crisis response
• Explain the various types of crises and describe the different stages of crisis management
• Equip participants with the ability to explain the roles of crisis communications and the different strategic messages delivered during crises
• Design a Crisis Communication Plan (CCP)
• Equip participants with essential communication techniques and skills necessary for crisis management
• Explain the different ways and techniques social media can be used to deal with a crisis
• Develop and analyze social media trends targeted at critical members of the audience.
• Understand the roles of the Crisis Management Team (CMT)
• Organise actions and communication plans targeted at particular crises, like managing communications and relations with the media, external and internal stakeholders

How will this course be presented?

The contents of this course are curated solely to satisfy and boost participants’ skills in effective crisis communication and media relations; it is participant-based. Different quality methodologies and techniques are employed to ensure constant participation and satisfaction of participants. The course will be taught by seasoned professionals in the field and extensively researched modules that thoroughly deal with crisis communications and media relations principles and practice. The Rcademy course on Crisis Communication and Media Relations comprises theory and practical learning through lecture materials, case studies, visual aids, group discussions, problem-solving notes, evaluation of class activities, seminars, quizzes, and individual reports after each interaction.

What are the topics covered in this course?

Module 1: Background to Crisis Communication

• Definition of Crisis Communication
• Identifying a crisis
• Types of crises
  – Natural disasters
  – Technological crisis
  – Financial crisis
  – Organisational crisis
  – Crisis of malevolence
  – Crisis of management misconduct
• Stages of Crisis Communication
  – The pre-crises stage
  – The acute-crisis stage
  – The post-crisis stage
• Types of crisis response communication strategies
• Crisis prevention plans

Module 2: Fundamentals of Media Relations

• Definitions of Media Relations
• Types of Media Relations
  – ­Public affairs
  – ­Internal communications
  – ­Government relations
  – ­Press conferences
  – ­Press briefings
  – ­Press Workshop
• Principles of Media Relations
  – Research
  – ­Fact-Checking
  – Timing
  – Transparency
  -­ Accountability
  – Partnership
• Objectives of Media Relations

Module 3: Emergency Management Procedure 

• Response and media
• Evacuation procedures
• Environmental hazards
• Medical emergencies
• Fire evacuation procedures
• Emergency reporting procedures

Module 4: Crisis Communication Structure 

• Crisis management command ccenterCrisis Communication Team (CCT)
• Executive Management Team (EMT)
• Crisis Management Team (CMT)
• Roles and Responsibilities of the CMT
• Crisis management plan
• Control points
• Crises simulation exercise
• Emergency Response Team (ERT)

Module 5: Drafting Media Strategies 

• Audience mapping
• Brand tone, prospects, and positioning
• Developing media trends and campaigns
• Running Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental (PESTLE) and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis
• Damage control
• Content and message development

Module 6: Drafting an Emergency Response Plan

• Objectives of the emergency response plan
  – Community protection
  – Damage control
  – Prevention of fatalities
  – Assignment of roles and responsibilities
• Types of emergencies
• Types of emergency responses
• Emergency procedures
• Employee training
• Developing audience-specific contents
• Evaluating the plan

Module 7: Crisis Communication and Media Relations

• Social Media and Crisis Communication
• Media and communication
• Principles of Crisis Communication
  – ­Audience profiling
  – ­Regular supervision
  – ­Credibility
  – ­Speedy dissemination of information
  – ­Coordination
• Use of social media in Crisis Communication
• Dynamics of consumer attitudes and habits
• Paid, Owned, and Earned Media (POEM)
• Effective utilization of secondary sources of media data
• Legislation, regulations, and standards of practices
• Case studies

Module 8: Measurement of Outputs/Results

• Measuring outputs and impacts
• Evaluating channel outputs
• Stakeholder analysis
• Developing models and final assessments
• Steps for measuring outputs
  – Establishing objectives
  – ­Defining target audience
  – Determining benchmarks and criteria
  – Determining measurement tools, media aggregation, and timing
  – Analysing results for recommendations and conclusion