Everyone remembers the Findus scandal, with horse meat, or Nutella, with palm oil. Following a compromising truth or a bad buzz, the company concerned must act intelligently, and this is where crisis communication comes in.
Understanding crisis communication
During one week, the students of SP4 Strategic Planning and SP4 Public Relations, Reputation and Influence were immersed in the heart of crisis communication. Thanks to a specialized speaker, they learned about the methods to adopt and applied them in groups in simulated situations.
The night of crisis communication
The event is launched!
From 9pm to 6am, students are immersed in real-life crisis situations.
In teams, they analyze the situation, set up a strategy and create media (social network posts, press release, video…).
In a second step, each group analyzes and evaluates the work of another team.
Finally, the achievements and evaluations are presented in an amphitheater to all participants.
A rewarding experience:
The Night of Crisis Communication, it is the students who speak best about it! So, we let them speak:
“Having the seminar right before the crisis com night was the perfect format as we were able to fully immerse ourselves in the world of crisis communication. It allowed us to have all the elements fresh in our minds to pull off the night.” Zoé
“We came across Nestlé. A very current subject which deals with environmental and societal issues. Nestlé has an unauthorized landfill in the Vosges that has been polluting for many decades. We started with a press release, with a long-term communication plan.” Naël
“I found that being mixed with the other majors was interesting, the topics are top notch, it’s a cool test, an interesting experience to do.” Chloe
“The night was really motivating. I think my favorite part was the enforced speed period and the stressful conditions. We all got caught up in it and it pushed us to be hyper productive.” Romain
“Through this experience, I learned, within a group, how to organize task assignments, how to be more concise and organized. It also allowed me to manage my stress and manage the speed of the rendering.” Laurianne
“I really learned how it was possible to manage a crisis, in what way and with what strategy: you can defend yourself in different ways while managing the intervention of different stakeholders, I had never thought of that. I really think it’s an important aspect whether it’s in internal or external com, you’re not immune one day to having to use crisis communication.” Fanny