Managing Crisis Communications
Duration
- One Semester or equivalent
Contact hours
- 36
On-campus unit delivery combines face-to-face and digital learning. For Online unit delivery, learning is conducted exclusively online.
2022 teaching periods
Swinburne Online
| Teaching Period 1 | Teaching Period 3 | |
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Dates: Results: Last self enrolment: Census: Last withdraw without fail: |
Dates: Results: Last self enrolment: Census: Last withdraw without fail: |
Prerequisites
50 Credit PointsAims and objectives
Crisis communication is one of the most important aspects of crisis management and is one of the many specialised areas or functions of public relations. This unit develops students' ability to manage communication issues arising before, during and after a crisis within organisations.
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
1. Critically evaluate differences in issues and crisis communication management within contemporary organisations with reference to cyber threats
2. Develop a crisis communication plan for an organisation
3. Formulate and deploy a crisis communication policy and describe its implementations using a variety of management techniques
4. Analyse the impact of digital media on organisational issues and crises and the consequences for communication management
5. Work collaboratively as a member or leader of a team and/or with stakeholders and implement methods for optimising collaboration
2. Develop a crisis communication plan for an organisation
3. Formulate and deploy a crisis communication policy and describe its implementations using a variety of management techniques
4. Analyse the impact of digital media on organisational issues and crises and the consequences for communication management
5. Work collaboratively as a member or leader of a team and/or with stakeholders and implement methods for optimising collaboration
Unit information in detail
- Teaching methods, assessment, general skills outcomes and content.
Teaching methods
Face to Face Mode: Class 3 hours per week
Online Mode (SOL):
Engaging with online content and discussions
Student workload:
For all teaching and learning structures (both face to face and online), students are expected to spend an average of 150 hours per unit in total over the duration of the study period
This includes all:
• Scheduled teaching and learning events and activities (contact hours timetabled in a face-to-face teaching space) and scheduled online learning events (contact hours scheduled in an online teaching space), and
To be successful, students should:
• Read all prescribed materials and/or view videos in preparation for each class
• Attend and engage in all scheduled classes (face to face or online)
• Start assessment tasks well ahead of the due date, and submit assessments promptly
• Read / listen to all feedback carefully, and consider it for future assessment
• Engage with fellow students and teaching staff (don’t hesitate to ask questions)
Online Mode (SOL):
Engaging with online content and discussions
Student workload:
For all teaching and learning structures (both face to face and online), students are expected to spend an average of 150 hours per unit in total over the duration of the study period
This includes all:
• Scheduled teaching and learning events and activities (contact hours timetabled in a face-to-face teaching space) and scheduled online learning events (contact hours scheduled in an online teaching space), and
• Non-scheduled learning events and activities (including directed online learning activities, assessments, independent study, student group meetings, and research)
• Read all prescribed materials and/or view videos in preparation for each class
• Attend and engage in all scheduled classes (face to face or online)
• Start assessment tasks well ahead of the due date, and submit assessments promptly
• Read / listen to all feedback carefully, and consider it for future assessment
• Engage with fellow students and teaching staff (don’t hesitate to ask questions)
Assessment
Online Discussion (Individual) 10-20%
Research Methods Review (Individual) 30-40%
Crisis Communication Plan (Group) 30-50%
General skills outcomes
• problem solving skills
• communication skills
• team work skills
• ability to tackle unfamiliar problems
• communication skills
• team work skills
• ability to tackle unfamiliar problems
Content
• Crisis identification
• Issues management and issues management planning
• Crisis management and planning
• Agile crisis management
• Risk communication
• Relationship management and stakeholder engagement
• Legal and ethical management of issues and crises
• Media relations in a crisis
• Preparing for a crisis
• Developing a crisis communication plan
• Developing a series of scenarios that reflect crises an organisation may face
• Agile crisis management
• Risk communication
• Relationship management and stakeholder engagement
• Legal and ethical management of issues and crises
• Media relations in a crisis
• Preparing for a crisis
• Developing a crisis communication plan
• Developing a series of scenarios that reflect crises an organisation may face
Study resources
- References.
References
• Ulmer RR, Sellnow TL, Seeger, MW 2018, Effective Crisis Communication, 4th Edition Sage Publishing