Crisis Communication
Staying Cool in the "Hot Seat"
You never know when you’ll be in the “hot seat,” facing angry clients, disgruntled staff, dissatisfied Board Members, irate citizens at a public hearing, skeptical legislators, or “in your face” reporters.
Your crisis might take the form of:
- A sexual harassment suit filed against you
- A product recall due to defective parts
- A medical mistake resulting in an untimely death
- A sudden illness spreading at epidemic proportions
- “Accounting irregularities” found in your books
- Students held hostage in your school
- Criminal misconduct by a high-profile official
…or any other bad news that makes headlines, causing publicity nightmares for you.
In the heat of the moment, when tempers are flaring, would you be able to keep your cool and deliver your message with confidence and composure? A simple mistake, a slip of the tongue, a slight contradiction caught by the press could spell immediate disaster for you, your company, or your organization.
How you respond to a crisis is often more important than the crisis itself.
Candace BelAir, a former Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist, knows what it takes to succeed and stay on message in high-stakes appearances and interviews of all kinds.
In this valuable, interactive session you'll learn:
- When you’ve got bad news to deliver, this is where you start
- How to formulate positive “key messages” that state your position unequivocally
- “Bridging,” “flagging,” and “hooking” techniques to handle questioners whose agenda conflicts with yours
- How to deal with the questioner who interrupts you; uses the “pregnant pause”; or asks “gotcha!” questions
- The secret to rephrasing a “loaded” question into a neutral one, and answering it confidently
- When “no comment” is the same as saying, “we’re guilty”
- When talking about the victims, what you need to say, and how to say it
- When to admit you’re wrong and how to win back the public’s trust
During this training, you’ll experience first-hand how to cope with a crisis using a real-time mock disaster. You’ll formulate your key messages under deadline pressure, and answer questions from hostile audiences and aggressive reporters. You also have the option of being video-recorded as you respond to tough questions, with personalized feedback from an Emmy Award-winning journalist. Finally, you’ll receive a Crisis Communications Action Plan with logistics and communications tools to help you respond quickly and responsibly in ANY crisis situation.
Having a solid crisis communications strategy is like first aid training: you never know when you’ll need it, but the knowledge can save your most valuable asset — your reputation.