Staying Ahead of the Story: Crisis Management, Public Opinion and PR Training Course (Online / Remote)
1Summary
The organisations that survive a crisis intact are rarely the ones with the biggest budgets — they are the ones that read public opinion early and had a plan before they needed one. This specialised training programme from the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy is built around that gap between reacting and being ready, equipping participants with the knowledge and skills to manage crises proactively and effectively rather than scrambling once one is already underway.
The course covers the range of crises that can affect organisations across different fields — natural, social, political, or internal — and how to respond to each effectively. Participants also build strategic skills in understanding and analysing public opinion and tailoring media messages to an audience's actual needs, strengthening the organisation's image especially when it matters most: while a crisis is still unfolding.
2Objectives and target group
Who Should Attend?
- Executives and managers who oversee strategic decision-making in public and private organizations.
- Strategic consultants who help formulate crisis management strategies and guide decisions related to organizational communication.
- Public relations professionals involved in managing reputation and communicating with the media and the public.
- Marketing and media specialists who deal with shaping public opinion and building the organization's image during critical times.
- Community and civil leaders dealing with local or national crises and wishing to enhance their crisis management capabilities.
Knowledge and Benefits:
After completing the program, participants will be able to master the following:
- Manage a crisis end to end and shape an effective response for whatever type it turns out to be.
- Read and use public opinion to the organisation's advantage instead of just reacting to it.
- Apply PR strategies that enhance reputation and keep communication objectives on track.
- Build interactive action plans that strengthen relationships with stakeholders while addressing the crisis itself.
- Understand how PR builds trust between the organisation and the public, both during and after a crisis.
- Use advanced communication techniques to manage public opinion quickly when a crisis breaks.
3Course Content
Reading and Shaping Public Opinion Before a Crisis Hits
- What actually shapes public opinion, and reading it before it turns against the organisation.
- Media's role in shaping and directing that opinion.
- Building strategies to influence public opinion once a crisis is already underway, using persuasive messaging to keep it aligned with the organisation's objectives.
Recognising and Preparing for a Crisis
- The different types of crises an organisation can face, and what causes them.
- Why proactive planning beats reacting after the fact.
- Developing and updating emergency plans on a regular cycle, with prevention and containment strategies built in.
Building a Response That Doesn't Fall Apart Under Pressure
- Building fast, effective response mechanisms instead of relying on improvisation.
- Forming a crisis management team with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
- Designing a comprehensive crisis management plan that covers every realistic scenario, start to aftermath.
PR's Role Before, During and After the Crisis
- The relationship between public relations and crisis management, and why they can't be separated.
- How PR protects an organisation's reputation while the crisis is still active.
- Restoring reputation and trust afterward through long-term PR strategy.
Communicating with Stakeholders and Executing PR in Real Time
- Building communication strategies for clients, employees, media, and the local community.
- Communicating effectively with the media and responding to public inquiries without delay.
- Integrating PR strategy directly into the crisis plan and training spokespeople to handle media well.
Innovative and Modern Crisis Management Techniques
- Exploring the modern tools and techniques now used in crisis management.
- Applying advanced techniques that improve how a team responds under pressure.
- Building organisational resilience through smarter, technology-driven solutions.
Measuring, Analysing and Improving After the Fact
- Using measurement tools to assess how effective the crisis management and PR strategy actually were.
- Evaluating the organisation's response and raising its readiness for the next one.
- Preparing analytical reports for senior management and recommending concrete updates to future plans.