Designed as a practical resource for board members across sectors, the guide - Crisis Communications for Boards: A Handbook for Good Governance - examines what constitutes a crisis, the potential impact on an organisation, and best practice in communications at each stage of the crisis lifecycle. It advises boards on how to predict, protect, prepare, respond, recover, and build enduring resilience.

The handbook is supported by a practical toolkit and in-depth recommendations for wider reading and practical resources. It also identifies case studies from leading academics and practitioners, examining recent and high-profile crises and the lessons they offer for boards looking to strengthen their preparedness, upskill their personnel, and scrutinise existing plans.

Emphasising how, in a crisis, ultimately the buck stops with the board, the handbook also examines how the modern reputation management landscape is evolving, and with it the crisis risks which boards face. These range from an increasingly turbulent geopolitical context to the growing challenges and opportunities presented by AI usage: a detailed section examines the emerging governance risks of AI and how, as its capabilities expand, so too do the associated ethical, legal, operational, and reputational risks.

The handbook also sets out to address a persistent gap: while reputation is increasingly becoming a standalone discussion point on board agendas, very few boards in fact include communications professionals or understand fully the role they can play.

• Download the best practice guide “Crisis Communications for Boards: A Handbook for Good Governance”
• Log 10 CPD points for reading the guide

Internal Crisis Communication – exclusive to CIPR members - was developed by crisis communication specialist Alison Arnot Chart.PR FCIPR, and provides practical guidance for communicating with employees, contractors, and other internal stakeholders before, during and after a crisis. The guide emphasises the essential role of informed, engaged and supported employees in preventing harm and enabling organisational recovery post-crisis.

It also explores the seven stages of Internal Crisis Communication, a staged model that helps communicators meet evolving human and organisational needs from the first moments of crisis through to long-term recovery. It offers clear advice on message development, choosing the right channels, involving multiple organisational voices, and monitoring and adapting communications as crises unfold.

• Download the Internal Crisis Communication Skills Guide
• Log 5 CPD points for reading the guide

The course - the first of its kind in Scotland - aims to provide participants with the tools, concepts, frameworks and confidence to navigate the exceptionally complex landscape of issues and crisis.

Aimed at public relations professionals, the course explores the world of business and the public sector, analysing the fundamentals of rapid response and data gathering, cultural and unconscious bias, human psychology and emotions, and crisis preparedness. 

The course will be launched at an event on 21 March. For further information, please visit the RGU website.