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Realistic Crisis Management Testing

Crisis Management Testing helps organizations simulate real-life crises to assess their response strategies.

 

Through these exercises, teams refine their communication and decision-making skills to handle emergencies effectively and confidently.

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Media First TV studios in Winnersh
Media First Podcasting Studios
Media training studios Berkshire
Online media training from Media First

You've got a crisis comms plan, but does it work?

Do you know your risks and vulnerabilities? 

Will your plan protect your reputation when the pressure is on, and you face a social media storm, 24-hour news coverage, unhappy customers, employees asking questions and falling share prices? Do your crisis team members know their roles and responsibilities inside out?

Your business continuity and crisis communication plan might look good on paper. But does it work? No crisis plan is complete until you’ve put it and those who will use it through a real test with scalable live crisis scenarios.

  • Better understand what the media and journalists look for and need

  • Deliver memorable messages that support your organisations goals

  • Refine comms skills that easily transfer across your working life

  • Feel confident and prepared to face the media and tell your story

  • Develop the skills to handle awkward and uncomfortable questions

  • Gain greater business and personal brand awareness and trust

Our crisis simulation software is realistic and secure

We use industry-leading immersive simulation technology to bring your crisis test to life.

Our software allows us to replicate an offline version of your desktop so your crisis response team decisions, emails, social media posts and media interactions are recorded in a secure.

By removing paper 'injects', fake social media accounts and spreadsheets, we will create a truly immersive experience that is safe and secure for you and your organisation.

Media First Podcasting Studios
Media training studios Berkshire
Online media training from Media First

What to expect during our crisis testing days

We’ll work with you to understand your crisis management testing needs. And devise a realistic, challenging, unpredictable and bespoke scenario based on your risks.

As the crisis ‘breaks’, we’ll provide TV, print, radio and social media coverage to reflect the public mood and move the story on. We’ll then take you through a testing role-play scenario with a crisis that builds throughout the day. And that tests the effectiveness of your response and decision-making.

It will see your team dealing with constant phone calls from journalists reporting on the story. And you'll need to put together statements and social media responses, manage press conferences, liaise with stakeholders and prioritise appropriate public responses, as the unpredictable situation escalates.

TESTIMONIALS

What our delegates think

View over 1,500 customer reviews on Coursecheck

Media First worked with us to create a realistic scenario which challenged us on a number of different levels. The fast-paced nature gave us insight into how we work under pressure, and the way the journalists responded in real-time made if feel as genuine as possible and was useful for us as we plan for the future.

Kew Gardens Executive Team

Really excellent guidance, tools and delivery that covered in a relatively short period all our objectives as well as providing an opportunity for practical work. Excellent trainer.

Henrietta A

Really worthwhile. Pushed me outside my comfort zone but lots of learnings throughout the day to help me in the future. The trainers were brilliant and really helped build confidence in all delegates.

Sally W

How it works

  • Step 1: Get in touch with us

    Submit your contact form or schedule a free meeting with us.

  • Step 2: We handle the details

    We will guide you through the briefing and booking process leaving no stone unturned.

  • Step 3: Crisis comms mastery

    Revel in the glory of booking the best crisis testing available and watch your external and internal reputation grow.

TEAM

Experts guiding you towards success

Our team of experienced trainers, journalists, PR and communication professionals, account managers and administrators make booking effective communications training easy, quick and pleasurable.

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Jim Rosenthal

Jim began his career in local newspapers and BBC local and national radio before becoming one of the best known presenters of television sport in Britain.

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Keme Nzerem

Keme is an award-winning news and current affairs television correspondent and presenter who has worked for Channel 4 News and ITV News for two decades.

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Lawrence McGinty

A multi-award winning journalist, Lawrence is the former Science and Medical Editor for ITV News and chair of the Medical Journalists' Association.

We've got the A's to your Q's

What can my team expect from this crisis management training?

A crisis test is an intense, time-pressured, fast-paced day. You won't know what is coming next.

It must be tough and testing to be a realistic test. But we pride ourselves on ensuring our crisis exercises are also supportive and nurturing to ensure all training and testing needs are met.

No one benefits from members of your crisis team feeling anxious or intimidated. Our tutors have delivered many crisis test exercises to help organisations across different industries and sectors identify risks and prepare and practice how to respond.

And they know how to strike the right balance between ensuring those participants with lots of crisis management experience are tested and the inexperienced are supported.

Who should we involve in our bespoke crisis scenario?

Everyone who is part of your organisation's crisis communication team and who would lead your response when crisis strikes should play an active role in the testing. This tends to vary with each organisation we work with, but a test is likely to include:

  • Crisis teams
  • Senior leadership teams
  • PR and communication professionals
  • Internal communication and social media teams
  • Risk managers
  • Partner agencies and key stakeholders
What will my organisation learn from holding a crisis management testing session?

There are many benefits to testing your organisation's crisis team and plans with bespoke and scalable live crisis scenarios. You will discover if your organisation's crisis management performance is up to scratch. And learn if your communication plan works.

But you will learn more than that. Here are a few other benefits our clients have identified from testing:

  • The strengths and weaknesses of your organisation's crisis team's performance. And a better understanding of roles, responsibilities, risks and capabilities.
  • Detailed analysis of whether your incident escalation process works.
  • Practical experience for your organisation of managing a crisis in real-time and executing your crisis plan.
  • Knowing whether you have spokespeople who can communicate with clarity and confidence under intense media pressure.
  • The knowledge to respond confidently and quickly when a crisis strikes.
  • Identification and analysis of future risks.
  • Improved team-building.
  • More trust between different parts of the crisis team.
  • Quicker decision-making and refined sign-off processes.
How does crisis management testing differ from crisis communication training?

They both have similar aims and will help ensure your organisation is well prepared to manage a crisis. But they are different.

Crisis management exercises and simulations test and challenge your organisation’s crisis team – everyone charged with protecting its reputation when a crisis strikes - with a bespoke scenario.

This is likely to include people in your organisation who would not be expected to face the media during a crisis, such as representatives from HR, legal, finance and internal communications. Sometimes these exercises are referred to as tabletop exercises, corporate war games, and full-scale exercises or full simulations.

Crisis communication training focuses on those who will be in the media spotlight during a crisis and helps them better prepare. That could be a crisis communication training session for comms and media colleagues to help them identify risks, prepare statements and manage press enquiries during a crisis. Or it may be for your spokespeople to ensure they are ready to face the media when the pressure is ramped up. In our experience, to be crisis-ready, organisations need both forms of training.

More than a training exercise

We promote continual learning and place a lot of focus on our aftercare. So, you can expect your crisis management test exercise to be more than a training day.

A few days after your test, you will receive written analysis of the effectiveness of your organisation's crisis management performance, lessons to learn and any risks that emerged.

If the testing included mock media interviews, we’ll provide you with recordings and feedback on each spokesperson’s performance.

Sign up to our blogs, and you and your delegates will receive regular analysis of how organisations manage crises, together with tips, tools and advice on what could have happened differently. And templates and resources to help you prepare and aid your crisis communication plan.