Healthcare Crisis Media Communications Training

Healthcare Crisis Media Training

Technological advances in medicine and the increases in knowledge of today’s medical professionals have enabled the sick and injured to recover faster and more fully than ever before. Procedures such as hernia operations that once led to weeks of recovery can now be performed via outpatient surgery. Diseases like polio that once ravaged the country have been controlled and rarely threaten the public. Yet, in today’s “connected” world, a healthcare crisis is only a plane ride away and could easily spread onto our shores with little or no warning. With the advent of SARS, the bird flu, the Ebola virus and possible biological terrorist attacks, the healthcare industry and medical professionals must cope with the fact that a healthcare crisis could occur at any time. Without adequate preparation in how to deal with the media, a healthcare crisis can lead to public panic and overreaction. Our Healthcare Crisis Media Training workshop provides healthcare officials, medical personnel, spokesmen, government and agency representatives and other public relations professionals with the ability to effectively manage a healthcare crisis situation with the media.

The Healthcare Crisis Media Training workshop focuses on empowering healthcare individuals who must deal with the media during any type of healthcare crises, even those that are relatively contained and pose little danger to the public, with the tools and skills required to successfully communicate and inform the public and media. These time-tested training skills can be utilized by multiple parties, regardless of their role in dealing with the media during a healthcare crisis. Federal government agencies such as the CDC can utilize the skills in this training workshop to communicate with the media to discuss activities and relief efforts during a healthcare crisis. Medical and healthcare personnel companies such as doctors, spokesmen, hospital officials and others who must answer to concerned crowds, the media and other concerned parties can use these training skills when a healthcare crisis may seem severe. Multiple training sessions, press conferences and question and answer situations are utilized to provide participants with crisis media skill practice. Coaching sessions and training feedback provide personalized feedback from a training instructor. Time is also spent working on various lecture-style training modules, application exercises, discussion sessions and other training activities to reinforce the learning process in this crisis media workshop.

Healthcare Crisis Media Training program participants will learn to:

Understand the issues faced during a healthcare crisis
Deal with the emotions of angry crowds, hostile print media and broadcast media
Properly interact with the media during a crisis
Maintain credibility when conveying healthcare crisis information
Determine media attitudes, needs, concerns and requirements
Overcome nervousness during a high pressure crisis situation
Use training skills to build visual aids and other media to reinforce a message
Conduct face-to-face media interviews during a crisis
Present accurate information without appearing misinformed or tight-lipped
Plan a crisis media presentation
Maintain control under the most challenging situations
Build a statement for use when working with the media
Cope with the concerns and difficulties faced when lives are in danger