CC 404Risk and Crisis in Corporate Communication

3 credits · Corporate Communication · Penn State

Explores crisis communication theory and practice as related to internal and external processes. Every organization will encounter crisis. Understanding how to communicate before, during, and after a crisis can dramatically alter the trajectory of an organization. This course approaches the topic of crisis holistically, as part of the organizational lifecycle, with a focus on internal and external organizing, and ultimately positions crisis as an organizational learning opportunity. The course is broken into four sections: key concepts, and pre-, during, and post-crisis organizing and communicating. The first section will cover foundation concepts such as crisis, risk, and uncertainty, as well as provide an overview of crisis types and stages. The second section of the course will explore pre-crisis issues such as risk assessment, crisis management teams and plans, and contingencies for crisis eventualities. The third section will focus on the acute stage of crisis, including activating the crisis management plan and exogenous variables that affect crisis communication. The final section of the course will focus on the post-crisis stage, including organizational learning, evaluation, and preparing for future crises.