Crisis Management Issues and Challenges in Higher Institutions

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

COURSE CONTENT

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
• Case studies: examples and consequences of strong and weak crisis communication in practice
• Key ingredients and approaches to formulating a crisis communication strategy

Crisis radar: risk assessment and issues mapping

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

Crisis systems, teams and protocols

• Who does what in a crisis?
• How should we define teams and roles?
• Integrating communications with other departments in a crisis
• Crisis escalation protocols
• Securing internal commitment and engagement
• Coordination with top management and other departments
• Crisis communication response systems and protocols best practice
• Topical case studies showing effective approaches to crisis communication

Crisis communication resources and planning

• Drafting a “Red book” (comprehensive crisis manual)
• Creating a “Dark site” (a crisis website prepared in advance ready to go live at short notice)
• Proforma messages and holding statements
• Physical resources
• Simulation and training

FOR WHOM

Teachers, Lecturers, HOD, HOS, Educational planners, policy analysts, education statisticians and other professionals involved in educational planning at central or decentralized level.

TRAINING METHODOLOGY

The training methodology combines lectures, discussions, group exercises and illustrations. Participants will gain both theoretical and practical knowledge of the topics. The emphasis is on the practical application of the topics and as a result participant will go back to the workplace with both the ability and the confidence to apply the techniques learned to their duties.