What separates a PR leader who steers an organization safely through a crisis from one who gets overtaken by it? Usually, preparation long before the crisis hits. This Arab British Fellowship Training Academy training course builds that preparation from the ground up — the skills to design, organize and run a special event as part of a wider PR program or as its own standalone communication tool, whether it sits inside media relations, marketing communications, government relations, internal communications, issues management or international communications. Real business-event case studies anchor the discussion in what actually happens in the field.

Participants also learn to visualize and measure public opinion, understand how it shapes policy decisions, and use the concerns of both the public and the media to produce outcomes that work in the organization's favor. Crisis management runs through the entire course, examined through a PR lens grounded in the life cycle of real cases, persuasion theory, and a balance between internal priorities and the interests of the wider environment and consumers — with hands-on practice in problem definition, strategic analysis and implementation, built around current issues and crises at local, national and international levels.

Because Public Relations increasingly carries responsibility for corporate reputation and social responsibility through issues management, this course also positions PR leaders as agents of change — helping organizations advance new sustainability agendas by improving relationships and keeping public dialogue open.

Who Should Attend?

• Directors of companies and establishments, board members and executive directors.
• Shareholders and business owners looking to deepen their understanding of media management.
• Communications managers and PR professionals.
• Senior managers, operations managers and project managers.
• Professionals working in media, PR and business, and officials in government institutions.

Program Objectives

• Study public opinion across a wide range of subject areas.
• Accurately identify where public opinions and attitudes originate.
• Conduct comprehensive surveys on subjects relevant to the course.
• Interpret survey results and use the data to manage crises and shape PR plans that deliver positive outcomes.
• Turn raw survey data into clear, self-explanatory information.

Module 1: The PR Leader's Role in Crisis and Change

• The PR officer's role in managing crises and disasters.
• Contribution to rational administrative decisions and organizational development.
• Influence on campaign design and effective handling of public opinion during campaigns.

Module 2: Reputation, Identity and Brand

• Introduction to PR management and institutional reputation.
• Identifying corporate image and identity.
• Brand management and its link to institutional reputation.

Module 3: Strategy, Structure and Stakeholder Engagement

• Strategy 1: structure and style in PR leadership.
• Strategy 2: engaging stakeholders and developing media content.
• Media relations and their role in brand promotion.

Module 4: Risk, Governance and Social Responsibility

• Risk analysis, institutional issues and crisis management.
• Corporate social responsibility as a leadership function.
• Care and effectiveness management within the organization.

Module 5: Media Foundations for PR Leaders

• Introduction to media and how the concept has evolved.
• Media's role in forming public image and news values in the industry.
• Contemporary media applications and dealing with high-level personalities.

Module 6: Internal Culture and Innovative Business Models

• Internal communication and commitment to work.
• Innovative business models and commercial communications.
• Rationalizing organizational conflict and improving the internal environment.