Who is the Crisis Communication course suitable for?

The Crisis Communication course is suitable for anyone involved in setting up or carrying out crisis communication within an organisation. Think of communication managers, communication professionals, spokespeople, press officers and social media managers. Directors or managers who speak on behalf of the organisation in crisis situations will also get a great deal out of it. No prior knowledge is needed: you work in a classroom setting with practical examples from your own organisation.

Which topics are covered in the Crisis Communication course?

In the Crisis Communication course you cover, among other things, the ALERT model, drawing up a crisis communication plan, putting together a crisis team, crisis spokesmanship and media strategy, framing and fake news, leadership during a crisis and crisis evaluation. You also work on success factors such as transparency, empathy and keeping control over your online messaging. You practise with current practical examples.

What is the ALERT model in crisis communication?

The ALERT model is a practical framework that helps you communicate quickly and in a structured way during a crisis. You will get to know and apply the model during Learnit's Crisis Communication course. With ALERT you stay in control yourself, prevent reputational damage and use the media as a partner rather than an instigator. The model is covered extensively during the classroom course of.

What course materials do you receive with the Crisis Communication course?

With the Crisis Communication course you receive the book 'Crisiscommunicatie voor iedereen' and a training folder with exercises and examples. You also get access to Learnit's online learning environment. During the you work in the classroom with practical cases, so that you immediately lay a foundation for your own organisation's crisis communication plan. Afterwards you receive a certificate of participation.

Is prior knowledge required for the Crisis Communication course?

No, no specific prior knowledge is required for the Crisis Communication course. It is useful, however, if you work in a communication or spokesperson role, or are involved in crisis management within your organisation. Experience with communication issues helps you link the exercises and practical examples directly to your own working situation. The classroom course builds up from the basics, so you can easily follow along.

What is the difference between the Crisis Communication course and a general spokesperson or media training course?

A media training course focuses on your personal performance in front of a camera, microphone or the press: how you deliver a message, deal with difficult questions and stay calm under pressure. Learnit's Crisis Communication course goes a step further and covers the entire process surrounding a crisis: risk assessment, drawing up a crisis communication plan, putting together a crisis team, internal communication, spokesmanship, media strategy and evaluation afterwards. You learn to work with the ALERT model and with worst-case scenarios. Media training is therefore mainly individual and performance-oriented; this course (classroom-based) is organisation- and process-oriented. If you want to prepare both your organisation and yourself for appearing on television, the courses are complementary.

How do I know whether I will really be ready to act during a crisis after this course, or will I still need practical experience afterwards?

Afterwards you have the building blocks for crisis communication to hand: the ALERT model, a working crisis process, an outline for your crisis communication plan and practical tools for spokespersonship and media strategy. You can get started straight away on drawing up or sharpening the plan within your own organisation. You then build routine for real crisis situations by practising with your crisis team, working through scenarios and carrying out evaluations after incidents or exercises. The course is classroom-based, so you practise with real-life cases from other participants. Compared with simply reading a book or following an e-learning, here you get direct feedback and practise spokespersonship, framing and putting together a crisis team in a safe setting.

When should you choose a classroom-based Crisis Communication course rather than online self-study or a webinar?

A classroom course makes sense if you want to practise crisis communication under pressure. At Learnit you work with cases from your own organisation and practise live with crisis spokesmanship, press conferences and interviews. Those kinds of skills are hard to learn through a webinar or e-learning, because direct feedback from a trainer and fellow participants is essential. Self-study using a book or online module works perfectly well for the theory: the ALERT model, environment analyses or drawing up a protocol can largely be absorbed by reading. So choose a classroom course if you are a spokesperson, communication manager or member of a crisis team and could actually end up in front of the camera or microphone. For purely background knowledge, self-study is sufficient.

What do you get in the Crisis Communication course that you would not learn by drawing up a crisis communication plan yourself on the basis of books or online examples?

Drawing up a crisis communication plan on the basis of books or templates gives you a document, but not a practised reflex. Learnit's classroom-based Crisis Communication course adds three things that you miss with self-study. First: practising with the crisis team, including the division of roles, press conferences and interviews under pressure. Second: feedback from an experienced trainer on your own spokesmanship, framing and handling of fake news. Third: the ALERT model applied to your worst-case scenarios, not to generic cases. You work on a plan for your own organisation and test it against the input of other participants from communication, spokesmanship and social media. Costs:, including the book 'Crisiscommunicatie voor iedereen', a training folder and access to the online learning environment. Self-study is cheaper, but does not produce a practised crisis response.

How do you adapt crisis communication to the speed of social media and the impact of fake news today?

A crisis now spreads within minutes via X, TikTok, LinkedIn and WhatsApp groups. That calls for an approach in which you don't wait until you have all the facts, but quickly share a process statement setting out what you do know at that moment. In the Crisis Communication course from (classroom-based) you work with the ALERT model and explicitly cover topics such as framing, fake news, images and visual resources, and a focus on online. You learn how to stay in control by speaking with one voice and how to use the media as a partner rather than an opponent. Using current examples, you practise how to create calm in a communication flow that continues 24/7 and how to keep the interests of those affected central.

How does crisis communication for an SME differ from that for a large company or government body?

The principles are the same, but the execution differs. In large organisations and government bodies you often work with a formal crisis team, designated spokespeople, a press room and layered approval of statements. In an SME you usually do not have that structure: one or two people have to do everything at once, while the impact on reputation and turnover can be relatively greater. In Learnit's Crisis Communication course (classroom), you draw up a crisis communication plan that suits the size and resources of your organisation. You work with the ALERT model, practise acting as a crisis spokesperson and put together a crisis team that is realistic for your situation. Participants from SMEs, corporates and the public sector all sit in the same group, which reinforces learning from one another's approach.

How much does the Crisis Communication course cost and how long does it take?

You will find the current price at the top right of this course page, together with the schedule, location and delivery format. For in-company or bespoke courses we are happy to provide a quotation on request.

Crisis Communication course

Name: Crisis Communication
Price: 1250.0 EUR
Availability: InStock
Rating: 7.4 (1 reviews)

A crisis arises unexpectedly and spreads extremely quickly online. In the Crisis Communication course you get to grips with acting as a spokesperson, media strategy and reputation recovery, so that you stay in control when it matters most.

Description

A crisis can happen to any organisation: a data breach, an accident, a scandal or an incident that suddenly goes viral. In an age where news spreads within minutes via social media and news apps, the speed and quality of your communication determine how great the impact on your reputation will be.

In this Crisis Communication course you gain insight into how to prepare your organisation for crisis situations and how to stay in control of the messaging yourself. You work on building a crisis communication plan, learn how to put together a crisis team and practise crisis spokesmanship, media strategy and dealing with framing and fake news.

You are introduced to the ALERT model and apply it to recognisable situations from your own practice. You also gain tools for evaluating after a crisis and restoring your organisation's reputation. The course is practical and interactive in design, with current examples and assignments that link directly to your work.

Topics

The Crisis Communication course covers topics including the following:

Crisis? What crisis? The consequences of a crisis for your organisation, crisis or opportunity, and why the head-in-the-sand approach does not work.
Well prepared for crisis situations: the importance of a crisis process and protocol, risks to your organisation, the expectations of those around you and internal communication.
Assembling a crisis team: who do you involve, what is each person's task and how do you practise with the team.
Drawing up a crisis communication plan: environment analyses, worst-case scenarios, risks, the crisis objective, crisis response and resolving crises.
Success factors of crisis communication: process statement, the interests of those affected, calm in the communication, compassion and empathy, and transparency.
Crisis spokespersonship and media strategy: media as amplifiers or partners, press conferences and interviews, framing, fake news and the use of images.
Leadership in crisis situations: showing decisiveness, speaking with one voice, focusing on online and keeping control yourself.
Crisis evaluation: crisis logging, closing the crisis and improving your approach.
The ALERT model for crisis communication.

Result

After completing the Crisis Communication course:

you know what consequences a crisis can have for your organisation, you understand the importance of a sound crisis process and crisis protocol, you know the ALERT model for crisis communication and can apply it, you are aware of the influence of media and social platforms on a crisis situation and can use that influence to your advantage, you can put together an expert crisis team, you can deploy various tactics and resources for your crisis communication, you stay in control yourself through effective crisis spokesmanship and a well-considered media strategy, you know how to evaluate a crisis afterwards and what to look out for, you have tools to restore your organisation's reputation after a crisis.

Target audience

The Crisis Communication course is intended for anyone within the organisation who is involved in setting up or carrying out crisis communication. Think of communication managers, communication professionals, spokespersons, press officers and social media managers.

Teaching method

During the Crisis Communication course you work in a practical, interactive way with exercises and examples from your own day-to-day practice. This gives you a clearer picture of what crisis communication involves and how an organisation can anticipate crisis situations. The assignments give you a solid basis for the crisis communication plan within your own organisation. At the start of the course you receive the book "Crisiscommunicatie voor iedereen" and a course folder. You also get access to our online learning environment.

Prior knowledge

No specific prior knowledge is required for this course. Do you work on, or contribute ideas about, communication within your organisation? Then you can get started straight away. A background in communication, spokesmanship or management is useful, but certainly not a requirement.

In-company

Would you like to organise this training for a whole group or several groups? This can be cost-effective. For example, we can tailor the content entirely to your organisation, and training a whole group is also cheaper.

Are you looking at large numbers of participants or a complete academy? That involves a great deal. Consider planning and communication, for example, or identifying and agreeing the objectives and content of the training. Or differences in level, feedback mechanisms and safeguarding. Fortunately, Learnit has extensive experience in this field (more than 25 years) and we are happy to help you through this process.

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Language

The training is given in Dutch as standard. The trainer has a good command of English. English-language course material can be used. With a minimum enrolment of 3 participants, the training can also be given entirely in English.

Number of days:

2 days

Course times:

from 10 am to 5 pm

Study load:

14 hours

Education level:

This training is suitable for all levels.

Exemptions:

Exemptions do not apply to this course.

Preparation time:

No preparation time applies to this course.

Certificate:

At the end of the course, a certificate is issued as proof of participation.

The best training for you

At Learnit you will always find a course that takes you further. From (technical) IT skills to communication or personal leadership. You can also choose the training format that suits you best: a classroom course, a tailor-made course at your own office, an online course or an e-learning. We have the right course and the right format for everyone. Because learning in the way that suits you best delivers the best results.

Moving forward together

Taking a training course at Learnit means learning together. Together with your experienced trainer, together with your course group or together with your colleagues. And whether you take the training at home, at your office or at one of our training locations, we are always available to help you. To share our knowledge with you in a way that is genuinely useful to you. Getting further together through personal attention and understanding each other well; that is what we believe in.

Apply it directly in your work

Learning theory from a book that you can then hardly use in your work? Not at Learnit! Whichever training you take with us, you can put it to use at your workplace straight away. Because of the unique learning objectives you set together with the trainer at the start of the training. Because of the alternation between theory and (interactive) practical assignments. And by bringing the challenges you face in your daily work along to the training.