How to plan for, manage and mitigate reputational threats
As your trust builds and protects its reputation, it is critical that any potentially negative issues and stories are carefully managed to ensure that they do not threaten the credibility and even viability of your organisation, and by association those who learn and work in it.
This course will explore the importance of both internal and external stakeholder management and getting your messaging and communication channels right. Drawing upon practical examples, it will equip you with the knowledge and confidence to identify key reputational risks for your trust and develop appropriate strategies to respond.
Who is it for?
- Communications leads
- Executive leaders
- Chairs of trustees
What you will gain
This course will give you:
- Knowledge of the key reputational risks facing trusts of any size
- Understanding what the process of developing a crisis communication strategy involves, including how to engage the right people and channels
- Awareness of what not to do in a crisis
- Confidence to manage internal and external stakeholders in a crisis and get your messaging right
Course overview
This three-part course aims to give you the confidence and knowledge to meet a crisis head on. From safeguarding and tricky parental complaints to negative inspection outcomes and challenging change management situations, it will help you to identify key reputational risks and develop appropriate communication strategies that will enable you to shape the right messages for the right channels under pressure.
Whilst this course will take you through the principles and practice of crisis management through case studies and group working, it does not provide templates or model plans. This is because we believe that a significant part of the value lies in the process that you go through to create your crisis strategy - working together to identify risks, challenges and appropriate responses unique to your trust. We hope this masterclass will inspire and support you in this journey.
Session one: Understanding the landscape
- What is a crisis?
- Key principles of crisis management
- Understanding the media landscape and what makes news stories
- Building and maintaining media relationships
- How to deal with journalists in a crisis
Session two: Preparation and prevention
- Preventative measures: how to avoid creating unnecessary problems
- Stakeholder mapping
- The Goldilocks approach
- Framing your communications
Session three: Recognising and preparing for a social media crisis
- What is a social media crisis?
- Common behaviours and triggers
- What’s involved in being social media crisis-ready
- What to do when crisis hits and what a strong public response looks like
Course speakers
This course provided incredible expertise and knowledge from all the speakers. It was delivered in an accessible, ‘palatable’ way for those working at all levels in trust communication teams. I learned so much, and intend to put the advice and suggestions into action in the near future. The speakers also made it relaxed and informal - and enjoyable! I’d highly recommend.
11:30 am
23 Apr 2026 10:00 am to
11:30 am
30 Apr 2026 10:00 am to
11:30 am
- CST members £270+VAT
- Non-members £330+VAT
