Crisis Communication and Reputation Management

Crisis communication required leaders who could guide decision-makers through volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) situations while protecting the organization’s reputation, brand, credibility, and trust, ensuring its ability to thrive.

The art of being an effective spokesperson was a valuable tool at any level. The Rutgers Crisis Communication and Reputation Management Certificate (CCRM) program offered learners a transformative opportunity to navigate uncertainty and unforeseen business challenges with confidence. The comprehensive online program included six four-week courses, plus two one-hour, one-on-one media training sessions. The most successful learners had three-plus years of experience in communication, PR, marketing, community relations, human resources, or other professional duties.

Crisis communication required leaders who could guide decision-makers through challenging times while protecting the organization’s reputation, standing with target audiences, and ability to thrive.

The Rutgers Crisis Communication and Reputation Management Certificate program offered learners these key benefits:

• Increased confidence in leading their organization or clients through crisis situations.

• Creation of a ready-to-use crisis communication plan for their organization or unit.

• Completion of a risk assessment for their organization.

• Development of the tools and responses necessary for a variety of crisis scenarios.

• One-on-one media training to refine their spokesperson skills or those of colleagues.

Each course was comprised of a four-week learning experience, culminating in the creation of an industry-specific Crisis Management Plan:

1. Fundamentals of Crisis Communication

   Learners were introduced to the overarching principles and theories of crisis communication management. They learned how to identify potential crises, explored top crisis mitigation strategies, examined facets of artificial intelligence in crisis response, and studied how other organizations navigated their challenges.

2. Crisis Communication Planning

   Learners were guided in developing their custom crisis management plan for their organization. They learned about the dynamics of managing a crisis team and how to develop relationships with key publics.

3. Crisis Response Strategies

   Learners developed a comprehensive set of techniques for responding to active crisis scenarios and created a toolkit for managing online and traditional media for effective crisis responses.

4. Communication During a Crisis

   Learners developed branding and related communication strategies applied during crisis events, including essential messaging and other tools for internal and external crisis communication.

5. Navigate Media and Community Interfaces, Media Engagement

   Learners prepared strategies for interacting with media and other stakeholders on behalf of the organization during crisis events, effectively providing statements, working with hostile questions, and directing multiple spokespeople with different agendas.

6. Risk and Reputation Management

   Learners developed strategies for managing risk and protecting reputations throughout their organization. They created a custom risk and vulnerabilities assessment, incorporated best practices for improving reputations, and developed ethical decision-making tools.