By Delaney Crawford//
The Crisis Communication class is doing a live crisis simulation that will take place this week for the students enrolled in the course. The simulation will help the students see how things could pan out in real life.
“Before the simulation begins, students are assigned roles and will learn about the hypothetical organization that they will be representing,” Witherow said. “The crisis could be a number of things, for example, a natural disaster, or a CEO acting unethically.”
The crisis will be a data breech at a college and the simulation for it will take place over two days using two class periods. On the first day, the students will respond to the crisis. The students involved must monitor and respond to multiple mock social media threads, respond to the media, prepare statements, write press releases and just overall manage the crisis itself.
Day two will start with the class holding a mock press conference. The students will have to deliver their statements and answer any field questions from the reporters. These reporters will be student volunteers from Hood’s media writing courses.
“This simulation replicates this high-stakes environment better than a pen and paper exam,” Witherow said. “It helps students gain a deeper understanding of what it is like to apply the theories and best practices of crisis communication during an actual crisis.”
Crisis Communication, CMA 410, was a new course at Hood this fall semester. The class is taught by Professor Brooke Witherow and is about preparing students to effectively respond to a crisis on behalf of an organization.
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