Skip to main content
SHORT COURSE

Managing Crisis Communication

$ 756.00

START DATE

14 April

MODE

Online

DURATION

4 wks

COMMITMENT

Avg 7 hrs/wk

Make an enquiry

Have a question?

















Meet the Expert

Dr Kate Delmo

Dr Kate Delmo
Head of Discipline, Strategic Communication, School of Communication, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Dr Kate Delmo teaches in both the Bachelor of Communication (Public Communication) and Executive Master and Master of Strategic Communication programs within the School of Communication. Her main area of expertise is in crisis communication.

Kate’s doctoral study examined the role of public relations in organisational crisis decision-making. Alongside issues in crisis communication, Kate’s current research interests are in disaster risk communication, digital influencers and social media in tourism. Her ongoing research projects are in these areas: 1) social media in government risk communication (cross-comparative study between Australia and Indonesia); 2) Instagram in post-disaster community engagement; 3) social media influencers’ role in crisis communication (collaboration with Kenya); and 4) webcare practices of hospitality organisations in Australia in managing negative online reviews.

More Less

Strategic, timely and decisive communication is essential during crises. This UTS Open short course will introduce you to the how and why of crisis communication, preparing you to analyse, plan for and respond to a range of scenarios that could impact your organisation.

 

About this course

Organisations operate in increasingly complex environments with stakeholders tuned into 24/7 media cycles. The business landscape means that organisational crises can become front-page news in the blink of an eye.

This UTS Open short course aims to equip you with the skills to roll out effective crisis communications that aim to minimise operational, financial and reputational damage. Explore the challenges that organisations face when engaging with stakeholders during a crisis and learn to deliver strategic responses across traditional and digital communication platforms.

Through the use of crisis case studies, crisis reports and multimedia resources, you will also develop skills in analysing crisis scenarios, monitoring stakeholder sentiment and perception during crises and using research-informed crisis communication strategy and tactics.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the Managing Crisis Communication short course from UTS and would recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about crisis comms theory. The content featured a broad range of real life case studies and a wealth of information that is directly applicable to my work. I also loved the group format and chance to learn from and collaborate with others in the industry, as well as the course facilitators from UTS.

Jennifer Jefferys, Communications Manager, Intel Corporation

Key benefits of this course

This course has been designed to:

  • Strengthen your ability to communicate with stakeholders during crises
  • Develop your skills in using research-informed crisis communication strategy and tactics
  • Equip you with practical and industry-ready skills to analyse real-world crises
  • Immerse you in the latest thinking and approaches in the role that communication plays in crisis response.

Digital badge and certificate

A digital badge and certificate will be awarded following the successful completion of any necessary tasks or assessments to demonstrate acquired learning of the short course or for meeting attendance and/or participation requirements.

Learn more about UTS Open digital badges.

Price

Full price: $840 (GST-free)*

Early bird price: $756 (GST-free)*  Early bird price ends on Monday 17 March 2025, 11:59pm (AEDT).

*Price subject to change. Please check price at time of purchase. 

Discounts are available for this course. For further details and to verify if you qualify, please check the Discounts section under Additional course information.

Enrolment conditions

COVID-19 response 

Additional course information

Course outline

This course comprises four modules and is delivered over four weeks, part facilitated and part self-paced.

Module 1 - Analysing crises

  • Crisis communication: the why of it all
  • Causes, types and life cycles of crises.

Module 2 - Planning and preparing for crisis communication

  • Crisis communication planning: the why of it all
  • Crisis communication plan: how does it look?

Module 3 - Communicating in crises

  • Crisis response strategies: the how of it all
  • Media channels in crisis communication: what works?
  • Official crisis spokesperson: who should it be?
  • Time pressured communication: how does it unfold?

Module 4 - Monitoring crisis communication

  • Stakeholder responses to crisis communication: the why of it all
  • Tracking stakeholder views in crisis communication: how is it done?
  • Online and legacy media in crisis communication: where is the sweet spot?

Over the short course, you will be immersed in UTS’ innovative learning experience with:

  • A live, online 1.5-hour orientation session to get to know your facilitator and your peers through course-specific social activities
  • A live, online 1.5-hour interactive workshop to discuss a key crisis communications case study, with group and academic support
  • Ongoing expert academic support with collaborative online activities throughout the course
  • A live online 2.5-hour crisis simulation exercise at the end of the course to put your new-found crisis communication skills to the test.

In addition to the live sessions, participants will need to undertake approximately 22 hours of self-directed online learning during the 4 week course.

Course learning objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to: 

  • Understand crisis types, causes and life cycles
  • Identify appropriate communication platforms (both legacy and social media) to use in crisis response
  • Determine different crisis communication response strategies
  • Apply skills to write a crisis response communication kit
  • Utilise skills to monitor stakeholder feedback in crisis response cycles.

Requirements

Mandatory

  • To complete this online short course, you will need access to a computer or device with adequate internet access and sufficient software and bandwidth to support web conferencing. You will also require an operating system with a web browser compatible with Canvas and Zoom.

Discounts

Discounts are available for this course as follows:

  • 10% discount for UTS staff, alumni and students
  • 10% discount for group enrolments of 4 to 9 from the same organisation
  • 15% discount for group enrolments of 10 or more from the same organisation

See below for how to obtain your voucher code.

Discounts cannot be combined and only one discount can be applied per person per course session. Discounts can only be applied to the full price. Discounts cannot be applied to any offered special price.

How to enrol and obtain your UTS staff discount (UTS staff)

How to obtain your discount voucher code for 4+ enrolments from the same organisation:

  • Email support@open.uts.edu.au with your organisation name and your group enrolment size (4+ or 10+). Note that group enrolments will not be validated until the minimum number of criteria enrolments have been received.

Discounts cannot be combined and only one discount can be applied per person per course session. Discounts can only be applied to the full price. Discounts cannot be applied to any offered special price. 

Contact us

Please contact FASSSFL@uts.edu.au if you have any questions about the course content, delivery or requirements.

For any questions on enrolment or payment, please email support@open.uts.edu.au 

Who is this course for?

This course has been designed for professionals seeking strategic and practical crisis management skills. It’s suitable for:

  • Communication professionals

  • Business leaders

  • Managers

  • Team leaders

  • Marketers

  • In-house strategic communication professionals across industries, including the not-for-profit sector.

Book a session

Mon 14 Apr 2025-
Fri 09 May 2025
Expert: Dr Kate Delmo
  • This course will be delivered online through Canvas and Zoom sessions. Click on the underlined sessions and hours total link below to reveal specific session details.
  • Online
  • 3 sessions, 5.5 hours total

In addition to the live sessions, participants will need to undertake approximately 22 hours of self-directed online learning during the 4 week course.

Enrolments close on 14 April 2025 at 9:00am AEST, or when all places have been filled, whichever occurs first. 

Mon 22 Sep 2025-
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Expert: Dr Kate Delmo
  • This course will be delivered online through Canvas and Zoom sessions. Click on the underlined sessions and hours total link below to reveal specific session details.
  • Online
  • 3 sessions, 5.5 hours total

In addition to the live sessions, participants will need to undertake approximately 22 hours of self-directed online learning during the 4 week course.

Enrolments close on Monday 22 September 2025 at 9.00am AEST, or when all places have been filled, whichever occurs first.

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.

loading