Reputation Management and Crisis Communication

5 Day Training

Dates: 07 – 11 April 2025
Locations: Grayston Ridge Office Park, Sandton
Platform: Available In-Class / Online

Price: Available on request

Course Introduction

It’s the role of public relations to make sure that the organisation is getting credit for the good it does. Great reputations are built on doing this consistently over a period of time in which a track record of delivering on promises and engendering trust is evident to everyone. All members of an organisation have a contribution to make to building and sustaining reputation. (Murray and White, 2004, p. 10)

The reality is, nonetheless, that good reputation can increase an organisation’s sustainability and interest among customers. Still, an organisation’s reputation does not consist of only what the customers’ opinions of it are. Also, employees, investors, funders, and even analytics have an impact on how the organisation’s reputation is seen. Building a reputation can be a long and complicated process, but to break it down it only takes, for example, few dissatisfied and loud enough employees and/or customers.

Thus, to reach organisational goals and prosper, good reputation paves the organisational path to acceptance and approval by stakeholders. The public opinion on issues is one of the factors that shape the image and brand of the organisation. Stakeholder engagement and management supports the development of strong, constructive, and responsive relationships. Thus, effective stakeholder identification, engagement and management should enhance your business’s acceptance and ownership.

Corporate communication is defined as activities involved in managing both internal and external communications in a workplace – this can include internal presentations, staff newsletters, media releases for journalists, investor correspondence, social media and more. The aim of corporate communications is to create a favourable perception amongst stakeholders the business depends on, such as investors, employees, or the public. In corporate communications, there are typically three principal areas which are interdependent in ensuring that the organisation successfully communicates with all stakeholders. Some organisations say our reputation is shaped by what we do and what products and services we offer but this does not stop public misperception and so the need for crisis management for the sake of the organisation’s reputation.

Course Objectives

By the end of this Reputation Management and Crisis Communication training participants should be able to:

Prepare his or her own working definition of reputation management
Identify best practices in reputation management
Understand the transnational nature of reputation and its management
Prepare strategies to plan, research and evaluate reputation in a corporate entity
Distinguish reputation and brand image
Explore how corporate image adds to stakeholder relations and value addition
Identify elements of good brand image
Discover how brand communication enhances business value
Understand how a brand communicates for the organisation
Develop techniques for developing corporate culture
Develop effective communication for brand, image and reputation management
Undertake stakeholder relations building , engagement and participation
Conduct effective crisis communication tools and techniques

Who should attend?

Public Relations Officers and Managers
Corporate Communications staff
HR specialists
Marketing Officers
Project Managers
Community based Workers
Corporate Social Responsibility Specialists

Training Methodology

Our diverse instructional approaches ensure effective learning:

– Lectures & Presentations: Engage with expert-driven, stimulating content.
– Course Material: Access well-crafted supporting resources.
– Group Work: Collaborate on discussions and case studies for practical insights.
– Workshops & Role-Play: Participate in immersive, scenario-based activities.
– Practical Application: Focus on applying theoretical knowledge in real situations.
– Post-Training Support: Receive extensive support after training for skill implementation.

Training Outline

Module 1 – Brand development and management

Developing, building and maintaining a brand
Developing, building and maintaining a brand
To brand or rebrand is a major strategic decision
Brand development and resourcing process
Building brand awareness and trust

Module 2 – Branding & Marketing Activities

Customer interaction and participation
Audience segmentation and targeting
Raising awareness and awareness education
Promotion activities and brand carrying merchandise
Targeted communication and campaigns
Highlighting disinformation and image threats

MODULE 3 – Tools and Channels for Building and Maintaining Brand and Reputation

Website communication and non-electronic efforts
How traffic is coming to your website?
Services must be designed around citizens’ needs
Key messages and information
stakeholder feedback and metrics
Social media content strategy
Choosing a platform for engagement
Content creation and management
Inform the conversation
Digital platforms and interaction management
Staff as brand ambassadors
Internal Communication and buy in strategies

MODULE 4 – STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS AND STAKEHOLDER MAMAGEMENT

Demonstrate understanding of the organisation
Explain the structure of the industry in which the organisation operates and the organisation’s role within the industry
Explain the organisation’s purpose and the environment within which it operates
Identify the people, groups, or organisations (internal and external stakeholders) that could impact or be impacted upon by your developmental intervention
Perform stakeholder analysis/mapping to optimally understand stakeholder needs and interest
Describing stakeholder’s relationship with the organisation
Describing the stakeholder’s relationship to each other
Develop appropriate stakeholder management strategies for effectively engaging and managing stakeholders
Apply basic negotiation skills to maximise the impact of the stakeholder management plan

MODULE 5 – STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION

Lifecycle of stakeholder management
Techniques of stakeholder management
Power vs. Interest grid
Influence – Impact Grid
Power-Influence Grid
Importance – Influence Grid
Salience Model
Stakeholder analysis techniques and prioritisation
Stakeholder management plan
Determining the approach to manage the stakeholders
Understand how to build internal capacity
Building Trust and credibility

MODULE 6 – CRISIS COMMUNICATION

Crisis communications defined.
Fundamentals of Crisis Communications and Channels.
Developing a Crisis Communications Plan.
Media relations
Crisis management process
Pre-crisis phase
Crisis Management Plan (CMP)
Crisis Management Team (CMT)
The spokesperson’s role
Crisis event phase
Initial response
Reputation repair
Post crisis phase and lessons learnt
Follow up with communication
Dimensions of crisis communication management
Standard operating decisions dimension
Victims management dimension
Trust and credibility dimension
Behavior dimension
Professional expectations dimension
Ethical dimension

MODULE 7 – THE SIX REPUTATION MANAGEMENT COMPONENTS

Managing your product or service
Leadership for reputation management
Building relationships with customers, employees and suppliers
Handling reputation errors
Engage people’s positive interest
Using own and the business’s personality to communicate with stakeholders (Wheeler, 2001, pp. 9–10)
Maintaining and sustaining the corporate reputation