Crisis management testing

Crisis management testing

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

How confident do you feel about your organisation's crisis management performance?

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.

Putting your organisation's crisis management performance to the test with a bespoke scenario

Increasing numbers of businesses turn to us to test their organisation's crisis management performance. 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.

Led by our team of expert current working journalists – people who report on crises all the time – your team will get a full debrief and detailed analysis of your organisation's crisis management performance. This analysis will capture what went well, any gaps that emerged, and the lessons to learn. And it will ensure you have the best preparation for remaining in control when the real thing happens.

What makes our crisis testing services different?

Our testing services provide scalable live crisis scenarios and simulations based on your risks and testing needs, where participants make decisions and interact in real-time. And they are delivered by experienced journalists.

Journalists are communication experts. No one is better placed to evaluate the effectiveness of your organisation's crisis plans and reputation management. And provide detailed analysis and insights so mistakes are not repeated in the real world.

We have been delivering bespoke scenario-based simulations and testing, as part of our range of communication training, for around 40 years.

And we work with 40 of the FTSE 100, as well as public relations companies, charities, public sector organisations and businesses of all sizes. But what really makes our testing services different is that we spend time getting to know your business, its risks and vulnerabilities.

Our experienced account managers will work with you to identify your testing needs - who, what, when and how to test. They will turn that analysis into a bespoke scenario.

And we can use the latest immersive simulation technology - such as Conducttr – to bring it to life. This ensures we develop a bespoke scenario that will provide the most realistic test of your organisation's crisis management performance.

What are my crisis management testing options?

Our crisis management testing services and simulations are flexible.

Face-to-face exercises and simulations based on your risks

We can host bespoke scenario-based simulations at our training studios in Reading, where you will have access to broadcast-quality television and radio studios. We can also come to your offices. Or we can host the session at a hired space anywhere in the country and beyond.

Online exercises and simulations

We are also running more remote bespoke scenario-based exercises. A pandemic, lockdown restrictions, and hybrid working should not prevent you from testing your organisation's crisis management performance.

We will still create a bespoke scenario, and you will experience the same pressures you would in a face-to-face session.

It is a great way to test the effectiveness of your crisis plan with the modern way of working.

If you've moved to hybrid working, it is unlikely your crisis team is all going to be sat around the same table when a risk becomes reality. Would your crisis communication plan still work? Would your crisis team still be effective?

Blended exercises

We also have an option allowing your crisis team to refresh their knowledge ahead of a crisis management test. They will be given access to our online on-demand Essential Crisis Management course.

The interactive course reminds and guides you through all the theory, techniques, resources and tools needed for good crisis management and communication. It includes how you can prepare crisis holding statements now, how you should communicate, and the different types of interviews you could face.

It takes around an hour to complete. How, when and where you do it is up to you – you just need to finish it before the crisis test exercise.

How do I book a crisis exercise simulation?

Do you like the sound of our testing? Is it time to test the effectiveness of your business crisis communication plan and crisis management team with a bespoke scenario-based exercise?

Have a chat with one of our account managers.

They’ll answer any questions you may have. They will explore your testing needs and potential crisis risks. And they will take you through all our testing and scenario options in more detail, and help you start to build your exercise.