Skip to main learning content
xtraLesson

Crisis Communication & Reputation Management

Wishlist Share
PSC-605xtraLesson PublicCommunity Engagement & Public CommunicationIntermediate
Included with xtraLesson All Access

About Course

Course Code: PSC-605

Pillar: Community Engagement & Public Communication

Course Overview: During crises and sensitive incidents, people need information that is timely, factual, calm, empathetic, and consistent. Speed matters, but unverified or uncoordinated communication can deepen uncertainty, misinformation, and reputational harm.

Learners prepare crisis communication plans, coordinate stakeholders and approvals, develop messages, monitor public sentiment and misinformation, manage escalation, and support post-crisis learning and trust rebuilding.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Explain the role of crisis communication in government.
  • Understand how crises, disruptions, and sensitive issues affect public trust and institutional reputation.
  • Identify audiences, information needs, communication risks, and approval requirements during crises.
  • Develop clear, factual, timely, and empathetic crisis messages.
  • Coordinate crisis communication across leadership, communication, service, legal, media, and frontline teams.
  • Manage misinformation, public concern, negative sentiment, and reputation risks responsibly.
  • Support post-crisis communication, trust recovery, and reputation rebuilding.
  • Develop a practical crisis communication and reputation management plan.

Target Audience: Public-sector communication, public-affairs, media-relations and crisis teams, spokesperson support staff, managers, citizen-service and operations leaders, programme teams, digital communicators, and community-engagement officers.

Course-specific Learning Experience: Learners engage through focused video overviews, audio deep dives, study guides, practical examples, reflection prompts, workbook activities, applied tasks, discussion activities, knowledge checks, and end-of-module quizzes. Activities use crisis scenarios, stakeholder and approval maps, message development, misinformation monitoring, public-sentiment review, and reputation-recovery planning.

Course Structure: 5 modules / 20 lessons.

Special Feature: Every module concludes with a Putting It All Together audio deep dive that connects the key lessons and supports reflection and practical application.

Pathway Focus: Prepare early. Communicate calmly. Rebuild confidence.

Show More

Course Content

Course Introduction
content

  • Crisis Communication & Reputation Management
    00:00

Foundations of Crisis Communication and Reputation Management
This module introduces Foundations of Crisis Communication and Reputation Management within Crisis Communication & Reputation Management. Introduce learners to crisis communication and reputation management as essential public communication capabilities that protect trust, reduce confusion, and support effective crisis response. Learners explore Understanding Crisis Communication in Government, Crisis, Public Trust and Institutional Reputation, Principles of Effective Crisis Communication, and Roles and Responsibilities During Crisis Communication.

Crisis Communication Preparedness and Planning
This module introduces Crisis Communication Preparedness and Planning within Crisis Communication & Reputation Management. Help learners prepare before crises occur by identifying risks, audiences, messages, channels, approval routes, escalation triggers, and communication protocols. Learners explore Identifying Crisis Communication Risks, Audience and Stakeholder Needs During Crisis, Crisis Communication Protocols and Approval Routes, and Preparing Templates, Holding Statements and FAQs.

Communicating During Crisis and High-Pressure Situations
This module introduces Communicating During Crisis and High-Pressure Situations within Crisis Communication & Reputation Management. Enable learners to communicate clearly and responsibly during crisis situations, public concern, service disruption, uncertainty, reputational pressure, and fast-changing events. Learners explore Communicating What Is Known, Unknown and Being Done, Message Discipline Under Pressure, Empathy, Tone and Public Reassurance, and Communicating Service Disruptions and Public Impact.

Managing Misinformation, Reputation Risk and Public Sentiment
This module introduces Managing Misinformation, Reputation Risk and Public Sentiment within Crisis Communication & Reputation Management. Help learners monitor public response, identify misinformation, manage reputational risk, respond to criticism, and protect institutional credibility during sensitive situations. Learners explore Monitoring Public Sentiment and Communication Signals, Misinformation and Rumor Management, Responding to Criticism and Negative Public Reaction, and Reputation Recovery During Ongoing Issues.

Post-Crisis Communication and Reputation Rebuilding
This module introduces Post-Crisis Communication and Reputation Rebuilding within Crisis Communication & Reputation Management. Enable learners to support post-crisis communication, explain corrective action, rebuild trust, capture lessons learned, and improve future crisis communication readiness. Learners explore Communicating Recovery and Next Steps, Apology, Accountability and Corrective Action, Learning from Crisis Communication Performance, and Crisis Communication and Reputation Management Action Plan.

Learning Resources
content

Student Ratings & Reviews

No Review Yet
No Review Yet
Scroll to Top