29-30 April
Nashville
29–30 April 2027 | Nashville
50+ editions. 40+ cities worldwide. Nashville is next.
The Crisis Communications Boot Camp has been delivered more than 50 times in over 40 cities around the world. Senior communicators from global brands, government agencies, universities, healthcare systems and fast-growing companies have used it to sharpen how they lead when everything is on the line.
Every edition has made the program stronger. Each one adds new case studies, new lessons from real crises and frameworks that have been pressure-tested in boardrooms and newsrooms.
Now it’s Nashville’s turn.
Pre-registration is open, and places are limited.
A product recall. A data breach. A viral video. An executive scandal. A severe weather event that takes down operations. A post that spirals out of control overnight.
When it happens, you are expected to lead. You will need to advise the CEO, align legal, reassure employees, brief the media and stay ahead of the headlines, often before you have the full picture.
The decisions you make in those first hours can protect your organization’s reputation for years, or damage it for just as long.
This boot camp is built for that moment. It is not theory. It is practical, experience-based training from senior communications leaders who have made high-stakes decisions in real time.
You will learn a clear, repeatable approach to the first 60 minutes of a crisis, when most teams lose control. Instead of reacting, you will know what to do first, who to bring in and which decisions can’t wait.
Crisis is when communicators prove their strategic value. You will learn how to give fearless counsel to the CEO, push back when needed and guide leadership decisions under pressure. You will be the person leaders turn to, not the person who is told what to say.
You will learn how to communicate transparently without fueling speculation, how to balance speed with accuracy and how to keep trust intact while the situation is still unfolding.
Not every issue demands a statement. You will leave with a decision framework that helps you assess risk, align stakeholders and make deliberate, defensible choices that are driven by strategy, not pressure.
AI search and algorithms now decide which version of your story people see. You will learn how misinformation spreads in this new environment, how to correct the record quickly and how to protect your organization’s visibility when systems you don’t control are shaping your reputation.
On Day Two, you will step into a live crisis simulation. You will make decisions, draft messages and manage stakeholders as the scenario unfolds, building the instincts you can only develop by doing.
Most crisis plans look good on paper and fail in execution. You will bring back practical guidance on roles, escalation protocols, governance and activation, so your plan becomes a working program rather than a document on a shelf.
You will learn proven methods to resolve friction when Legal, HR, Operations and Communications have competing priorities. That means less time lost to internal debate and a faster, more coordinated response.
Every framework in this program has one goal: helping your organization respond in a way that protects trust with customers, employees, investors, regulators and the public.
You will return with the tools to build executive readiness and embed crisis thinking into everyday operations, so your leadership team stays calm and decisive when it matters most.
Most crisis training gives you the textbook version. This one gives you the real one.
A full-day, hands-on tabletop exercise based on a real-world incident involving a global consumer brand.
Working in small teams, you will face the crisis as it unfolds. You will move through identification, fact-finding, resolution planning and message development. Social media virality, litigation risk, investor pressure and employee concern are all built in, just as they would be in real life.
You will leave with:
This program is designed for professionals who are responsible for protecting their organization’s reputation, including:
Crisis can be isolating. In Nashville, you will spend two days alongside senior peers who face the same pressures you do. The small-group format is designed for real conversation, so you can share challenges, compare approaches and build relationships with people you can call when the next crisis hits.
A crisis response is only as strong as the team behind it. When your team trains together, you come back with a shared language, a common framework and a faster, more aligned response.
Teams save up to 20%.
This is a senior-level, highly interactive program with deliberately small groups. Seats fill early.
Pre-registration is now open. Secure your place today.
Brochure download
When a crisis hits, a communicator’s influence is only as strong as the credibility they have built long before it. This session explores how communications leaders earn the trust of executives, colleagues, and external stakeholders, and how that trust becomes the foundation for making fast, sound decisions under pressure. Chris Chiames will examine what effective crisis leadership looks like in practice, where decision-making breaks down, and how communicators can position themselves as the voice leadership turns to first. You will leave with practical insights on strengthening your internal and external reputation so you can lead with authority when everything is on the line.
Chris Chiames, Chief Communications Officer, Carnival Cruise Line
The crisis may end, but the damage to public trust often lingers long after the headlines fade. This session focuses on the critical recovery phase: how organizations can acknowledge what went wrong, re-engage angry or skeptical communities, and rebuild credibility step by step. Drawing on his experience in public-sector communications, Matt Myerhoff will share how to listen to and respond to public criticism, communicate consistently through a long recovery, and turn transparency and accountability into renewed trust. You will leave with a practical approach to moving your organization from backlash to recovery, and to emerging with a stronger, more resilient reputation.
Matt Myerhoff, Public Information Officer, City of Malibu
In a crisis, the toughest battles are often fought inside the organization. Legal wants to limit liability, HR is focused on employees and policy, and Communications is pushing to protect trust and reputation, all while the clock is ticking. This session explores how to navigate these competing priorities without losing time, alignment, or credibility. Tricia Taylor will share how to build strong working relationships with legal and HR partners before a crisis hits, find common ground when perspectives clash, and make the case for transparency in a way other functions can support. You will leave with practical strategies to turn internal tension into a unified, decisive response.
Tricia Taylor, Vice President, Corporate Communications & Change Management, Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Sales & Services Company
In a crisis, every word is scrutinized, shared, and challenged within minutes. Messages that sound right in a conference room can quickly fall apart in the face of public fear, misinformation, changing facts, and media pressure. This session explores how to craft messaging that is clear, credible, and resilient from the very first statement through every update that follows. Vivi Siegel will share how to communicate with confidence when information is incomplete, address uncertainty without losing trust, and keep messages consistent across spokespeople and channels. You will leave with practical tools to build messaging that stays strong when the pressure is at its highest.
Vivi Siegel, Emergency Risk Communication Team Lead, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
A live simulation that opens with a memo leaking two days early. It then escalates through a recorded all hands circulating online, a reporter's call, legal constraints on what can be said, and a quiet but disengaging remaining workforce. Teams make sequencing and messaging decisions in real time, followed by a debrief.
Attendees would leave with:
Peter LoFrumento, Strategic Internal Communications, HR & Executive Comms, Change Management, Business Transformation, Weill Cornell Medicine
When a crisis breaks, the most important conversations happen behind closed doors, and communicators who earn a seat at that table can shape the outcome long before a statement goes out. This session explores how communications leaders can move from being the team that drafts the response to the trusted voice that shapes the decision. Kelly Nantel will share how to give candid counsel to senior executives under intense pressure, how to frame reputational risk in terms leadership acts on, and how to prepare executives to stay composed and credible in the spotlight. You will leave with practical approaches to strengthening your influence with leadership and ensuring communications is part of the decision, not just the announcement.
Kelly A. Nantel, Director, Global Media Relations, Amazon
This program can also be delivered as a tailored in-house training for your organization. We adapt the content to your industry, objectives, and level of maturity, focusing on real challenges your teams face and the decisions they need to make. In-house formats allow your people to align on a shared approach, work through relevant scenarios, and build skills they can apply immediately.
If you’re exploring an in-house option, tell us a bit about your team, priorities, and timing, and we’ll recommend the right format.
Contact us about in-house training
