CRISIS COMMUNICATION

Trainer: Nick Walshe

Course designed for individuals and executives, response teams, trainers & front-line staff of companies, organisations & government departments

TRAINING OVERVIEW

Would you or your company know how to handle an emergency situation? Handling a crisis has become a part of our everyday lives. Whether it is a serious accident, a plane crash, a terrorist attack, a chemical spill, or a natural disaster, knowing how to handle such situations, and managing the media in the aftermath of a crisis, is essential to maintain the reputation of any company. This course recreates potential situations for participants to learn how to deal with a crisis and how to respond to press, radio & TV, and social media. Reporters and TV interviewers fire difficult questions and challenge participants in a live TV studio environment.  

OUR COURSES TAILORED FOR SEPARATE GROUPS  SENIOR EXECUTIVE TEAM                                                                                                                                               

  1. Presentations on media behaviour in a crisis
  2. Preparation of statements for print, broadcast and online
  3. On-camera statements
  4. On-camera interviews
  5. Managing an authentic crisis scenario with statements & interviews

FRONT-LINE STAFF 

  1. How to deal with media interest in a crisis
  2. Exercises to practise techniques in dealing with incoming calls

SECOND LEVEL RESPONSE TEAMS – SENIOR OPERATIONAL/TECHNICAL/MANAGERIAL STAFF  

  1. How to deal with media interest in a crisis
  2. Techniques to deal with media and focused on not releasing information
  3. On-camera practice and review of techniques

TRAINING TRAINERS 

  1. How to deal with media interest in a crisis
  2. Explanation of techniques to deal with media
  3. On-camera practice

COURSE BENEFITS

The philosophy behind our training is to be positive. We believe in building up our participants, overcoming concerns and bringing confidence to their public performance. All our training is structured to be varied, interactive and entertaining. We create bespoke presentations and interview scenarios, focused on location, business sector and the occupations and responsibilities of participants.

Our outlook is international. Our trainers have worked as journalists and trainers across the world and understand political and economic issues, political and economic, which affect our clients. Our trainers have decades of on-screen experience at the highest professional level and are experienced trainers with a dynamic approach to teaching. They have covered crises around the world, both as correspondents and from headquarters, and have a deep understanding of how a crisis develops and how to deal with it. They also have wide experience of writing for voice, as scriptwriters and speechwriters.

The background of our trainers means that we stage fast-paced and dynamic theory sessions, including smart graphics and relevant news clips. We mix those sessions with regular on-camera segments, recording and replaying video. This is the best form of education – seeing yourself as other see you and learning from the strengths and weaknesses of your colleagues.

COURSE MODULES

CRISIS COMMUNICATION

  1. Understanding crisis & the media
  2. How the media will react
  3. Dealing with other stakeholders
  4. Social media
  5. Good and bad practice in facing the crisis
  6. Preparing a crisis plan

MEDIA SKILLS TRAINING

  1. Introduction to media
  2. Interviews & dealing with all media
  3. Messaging & speaking on behalf of the company
  4. Social media & online
  5. Language & body language and how to communicate without distraction
  6. Difficult questions & answering techniques 

PUBLIC SPEAKING

  1. Preparing for public speaking & appearances
  2. Writing your address
  3. Making an impact
  4. Voice, tone & delivery
  5. Body language
  6. Recorded addresses & replays

Individual feedback notes and edited versions of on-camera exercises are provided for every participant.

COURSE TRAINERS

NICK WALSHE Nick has worked with many of the corporate world’s best-known names in Crisis, Media and Presentation training. He began with the British Police Federation in 1992 and has since trained senior managers from organisations such as Qatar Airways, JP Morgan, Audi, Emirates Airline, Hay Group, the Dubai Prime Minister’s Office and the British Council. Nick has worked in media for more than 35 years, starting in UK newspapers before joining BBC Radio, BBC TV and ITV as a reporter and presenter. He spent ten years at ITN in London, working in Foreign News, before joining the management team who launched Al Jazeera English in 2006. He now runs media971 in Dubai, producing videos, running corporate training programmes and consulting on TV projects from India to Lebanon. His projects include working with Qatar Airways and MSML Shipping in the Middle East on media training skills and participating in a major crisis exercises in Dubai with DP World. He also acts as a speechwriter to private clients in the region.

MUNRO FORBES Munro has worked as a TV director in BBC and ITV in the United Kingdom for almost 30 years. He now undertakes assignments around the world to train presenters and production staff and revamps and launches new TV channels. Munro is Special Advisor to Sigma Television and is Director of the Cyprus Media Academy.