The Influence of Leaders on Crises Management

What is this seminar about? All organizations are under increasing threat from deliberate events or accidents which may cause severe harm to their business, their customers or their employees. Problems can arise overnight and come from any angle: terrorist attacks, natural disasters, accidents, pollution, food contamination, design faults, sabotage, unexpected takeover bids, accounting scandals, political issues, boycotts, problems with overseas operations - the list is endless. Managing a crisis is something we all hope will not be necessary, but few organizations are immune from the possibility and preparation is vital. You need to plan ahead for every contingency and address: Public interests - how would you deal with a massive, and sudden, media and public interest in your organization? Corporate interests - how can you manage the crisis whilst being sensitive to the requirements of the insurers and lawyers who must protect the company from additional loss through litigation and claims? Predicting and pre-empting crises - are any crises avoidable, particularly those arising from pressure groups and issues that can be foreseen? Dealing with new audiences - are you adaptable enough to deal with brand new audiences? How will you deal with groups such as the emergency services, Government and local communities - both their concerns and their public comment? Who should attend? This program is relevant to all corporate communications professionals, whether from the public or private sectors, agency or in-house, including: PR managers Communications managers Media and press officers Heads of corporate affairs Key benefits This seminar will: 1. Make you aware of the wide range of issues that need to be considered when preparing for a crisis 2. Help you convince others in your organization of the need to plan ahead 3. Warn you of the legal hazards - and show you how the law can also be used to your advantage 4. Show you how best to work with the media in a crisis 5. Remind you that not all communication goes through the press office - other staff need to be mobilized too but you need to stay in control of the message 6. Advise you on how to communicate in a crisis Program What makes a crisis? Characteristics of crises Management challenges Operating in the crisis zone Perceptions, truth and reality Guarding trust and credibility

Working under the spotlight of public scrutiny Understanding colliding agendas

Principles of crisis management and conflict communications Decision-making and information handling Working with and through the media Media speeds and Internet factors Defining all interested and concerned parties Integrated internal and external communication planning Rumor control and communication rules The media perspective How we decide if your minor difficulty is likely to become breaking news of national or international importance The media machine and how it can work for you or against you What happens when a story breaks and how time and the rest of the day's news can dictate how a story is handled What the 24/7 media race to beat the competition means for you what is required and when Sources and contacts - what the press will do to obtain information How to help the press and help yourself Dealing with the aftershocks and how to right the wrongs Fact and fiction - how the press is supposed to work and how it actually does Using the law to minimize adverse media coverage Review codes and identify best practices journalists should follow New pressures on journalists to abide by codes New codes for handling scientific issues The Human Rights Act Maintaining privacy and restricting secret filming Balancing freedom of expression with duty to act only in public interest Inter/intranet libel; avoiding the risks Mobilizing the front line for crisis communication Just because the crisis team is working overtime doesn't mean that the rest of the organization is no longer communicating with the outside world - this session will explore ways of ensuring that the whole organization (and particularly those staff in direct contact with customers and other stakeholders) stays 'on message' Getting your company ready to handle crises Building your risk and threat profile Building procedures and plans Communication manuals and materials Crisis team and specialist support Selecting and training spokespeople Crisis training and testing Validation through desktop and simulation training