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Crisis Communication Strategy and Management


This crisis training course covers strategy, planning, systems and resources. You will be ready to respond rapidly and defend reputation in media and online. Topics include risk mapping, teams, protocols, templates, systems, manuals and tools.  


This course is available both live online and face-to-face.

  • Face to face (London) | One day | £675 +VAT
  • Face to face (Dubai) | One day | Media One Hotel | $795 +VAT
  • Live online (Zoom) | Two half-days | 10:00-14:00 London time | $795

Also available on request in US / Asia timezones.

This course runs in English. It is also available on request in Arabic, Dutch or French.


Course outline

Crisis Communication Strategy

This module covers the core principles of crisis communication.

  • Crisis communication strategy best practice
  • Principles of reputation management
  • Crisis dynamics: lessons for how crises originate and develop
  • Stages of crisis communication
  • Key ingredients and approaches to formulating a crisis communication strategy

Crisis Radar: Risk Assessment and Issues Mapping

This module covers practical tools and approaches for mapping problematic issues and potential sources of crisis.

  • Understanding potential origins of reputational crisis
  • Techniques to identify and prioritise likely sources of crisis
  • How to conduct a reputation flashpoint audit
  • Best practice on issues mapping and risk assessment
  • Practical tools to map and prioritise reputational issues

Crisis Communication Systems and Planning

This module covers the organisational systems that you will need in place ready to respond to a crisis.

  • Who does what in a crisis? Teams and roles
  • Integrating communications with other departments in a crisis
  • Crisis escalation protocols
  • Coordination with top management and other departments
  • Drafting a “Red book” (comprehensive crisis manual)

Communicating in Uncertain Times

This module covers how organisations should communicate with their stakeholders when “business as usual” is disrupted.

  • How communication must change in uncertain times
  • How to stay ahead of the curve
  • How to identify and prioritise your stakeholders (who is listening, and who should be)
  • How to define a response (adapting positioning to sensitive situations)
  • How to get your message out
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Reviews

Meet your trainers

Following are some of the ISOC trainers who regularly lead this course, depending whether you join us in London, Dubai or live online. 

Trainer profile: Sarah Cocker

Sarah is a dynamic communicator with over 20 years’ experience in media, finance and business. Her international experience in banking, and as one of CNBC’s key anchors, makes her at ease dealing with leaders and experts from industry, government and academia. A skilled listener and coach, Sarah enjoys working with clients to help them define and achieve their objectives. Her coaching experience includes training blue-chip executives in public speaking and techniques for challenging television interviews. Her international career has given her an understanding of the cultural and working practices in the Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North and South America.

Trainer profile: Anne Bleeker

Anne Bleeker is a corporate communications professional with 20 years of international experience in multiple industries and highly multicultural environments. Coming from an in-house environment, Anne has been involved in the development, planning and management of communication strategies, internal and external communications campaigns, crisis communications and stakeholder engagement programmes  for major organisations including the Jumeirah Group, Future Pipe Industries and the Rezidor Hotel Group. Anne holds a Bachelor degree in Hotel Administration from the Hotel School The Hague and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in the USA. She is a former board member of the Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA), a member of PRCA MENA and a member of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). Anne is Managing Partner of In2 Consulting, a boutique strategic communications agency based in Dubai, which she co-founded with her business partner in 2010.

Trainer profile: Frances Barton

Frances is a communications specialist with more than 26 years’ experience in broadcast and print journalism, as well as public relations. Frances began her communications career by training in-house at BBC Northern Ireland. She later worked as a news editor and presenter for the BBC and also for Dubai Television and Radio. Frances served as editor-in-chief for a high-end lifestyle magazine and has also contributed articles to national newspapers in the UK and other countries. As a communications and PR professional, Frances specialises in media relations, employee engagement and crisis communications. Her clients have included major organisations such as Emirates Airline & Group, Dubai Airports, Dubai Airshow, American University of Sharjah and Dubai Tourism. 

What you will learn

After this course you will be able to:

  • Establish your organisation’s readiness for crisis communication activities to mitigate reputational damage
  • Lead the process of creating a crisis strategy
  • Conduct a reputational risk assessment and issues mapping process
  • Set up crisis and issues monitoring systems
  • Create crisis communication systems, teams, protocols, resources and plans using straightforward templates and international best practice
  • Apply practical crisis management tools and ideas to your job

Who should attend?

This is an intermediate-level course designed for learners with existing knowledge and several years of experience in communications or PR. Learning is pitched at a level to help you develop strategic approaches and apply sophisticated techniques. This course is recommended for anyone who may be involved in managing the communications response to a crisis affecting their organisation, either behind the scenes or as a spokesperson.