UGA’s Grady College and Terry College to offer executive education program in crisis communication and management

The University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and Terry College of Business have partnered to offer an executive education program in crisis communication and management. This intensive, one-day, in-person program will supply business leaders with the knowledge, skills and efficacy to lead through crises, influence stakeholders, leverage resources and enhance business processes. 

“Crises affect all industries, and navigating the effects on business operations while communicating with transparency and trust are keystones to successful crisis management,” said Dr. Charles Davis, dean of Grady College. “This program will drive home the principle of readiness to successfully manage crises across industries.”

The program, “Empowering Leaders: How to Excel Through Crisis With Proven Strategies,” is set to kick off at the Terry Executive Education Center in Atlanta on April 12, 2024, and run from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

“Our goal is to prepare leaders and their teams to identify potential threats, to manage uncertainty and to identify effective strategies in mitigating risk and in leading crisis management planning and execution to internal and external stakeholders,” said Dr. Yan Jin, the C. Richard Yarbrough Professor in Crisis Communication Leadership and Crisis Communication Think Tank (CCTT) director.

Through case studies, peer-to-peer learning and a simulation exercise, attendees can expect to learn strategies and principles exemplifying excellence in crisis management and leadership and guidelines to identify and navigate proactive and resilient strategies that emerge amidst a crisis. Topics covered include business and strategic communication, law and risk management, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and media training.

The program is ideal for those in professional leadership seeking to build or improve crisis communication and management skills. It is designed for both management teams and individual leaders who make decisions that impact their organizations. It will be taught by top researchers and practitioners in the field of crisis communication and management, many of whom are members of Grady College’s CCTT. 

“At its core, crisis management is also strategic management,” said Mike Pfarrer, associate dean for research and executive programs at Terry College. “Strategic decisions involve trade-offs, and our goal is to prepare leaders to understand the benefits and risks of their choice of communication strategy. This can include what to say, how to say it and when to do so. By working together with other executives, we hope this program allows business leaders to share ideas and learn more about handling crisis situations in their organizations.”

Registration for the program is open now. To register and learn more about the program and its instructors, visit https://www.terry.uga.edu/executive/crisis-communication-think-tank/.

Contact: Jordan King, jordanking@uga.edu

Author: Jackson Schroeder, Jackson.Schroeder@uga.edu