The practical seminar at the Technical University of Ilmenau explores the opportunities that crises present and the mistakes that can be avoided through professional crisis management.
For 17 years now, the crisis communication seminar offered by Kaltwasser Kommunikation has been an integral part of the curriculum at TU Ilmenau. Over the course of three days, students of media and communication studies gain in-depth insights into the topic of crisis management. In addition to theoretical foundations, the seminar focuses primarily on practical exercises. These include navigating and surviving a war room scenario, as well as camera and interview training. The aim of the war room is to learn how to react in crisis situations, to what extent one can prepare for them, and what background knowledge one should possess or acquire.
Learning objectives:
- Recognising the opportunities presented by crises
- Avoiding mistakes through professional management
- Fundamentals of crisis preparation, crisis management and crisis follow-up
- Dealing with journalists in a considered manner
- Identifying, analysing and resolving unforeseeable problems
Course content:
- Theoretical tools and guidelines for crisis prevention, crisis management and post-crisis follow-up
- Participation in the “War Room”
On the first day, the theoretical foundations and measures for crisis prevention, crisis management and post-crisis follow-up are taught, which are put into practice directly the following day.
WarRoom:
The first step is to familiarise oneself with the background information provided in order to understand the context of the company in question. Only once the students have an idea of what kind of crisis situations might arise based on the company and its products or services do they find out what has actually happened. Now the race against time begins: whilst interviews and press releases are being prepared, the student PR consultants receive a constant stream of additional information, which simultaneously describes new problems. There is only one solution: teamwork and keeping a cool head. By dividing tasks and structuring the latest information, the students ensure the success of several public interviews and telephone calls with stakeholders. To prevent the original crisis from escalating, careful consideration must be given to which information is disseminated via which channels. After the team has spent several gruelling hours working on the crisis scenario, the crisis training concludes and the recorded interview material is analysed and evaluated together. The experience the students gain during the seminar helps them to be a little better prepared for future, real-life crises.
