About this event
When crisis hits, will your message help or harm? Learn how to protect trust, control the narrative and lead with confidence.
Everything you do is a press release: crisis communications for when people problems become public problems
9.30– 9.40
Welcome: why communication decides the damage
Set the frame for the session: when something goes wrong the facts matter and the response affects your reputation. This seminar is about how leaders communicate under pressure, how quickly stories move, and why HR professionals can pick up the first warning signs before a problem becomes visible outside the organisation.
Case study space: 9.40 – 9.50
9.50 – 10.10
The first thing you do matters: how crises escalate
A practical look at what happens when leaders hesitate, hide, over-explain, under-react or allow others to define the story. This section focuses on speed, tone, ownership and the dangers involved in making the wrong first move.
Case study space: 10.10– 10.20
10.20 – 10.40
The message: what to say, what not to say and what must be controlled
How to build a clear crisis message that accepts reality without creating unnecessary exposure. This covers holding lines, leadership statements, internal messages, stakeholder lines and the difference between being legally careful and sounding evasive.
Case study space: 10.40 – 10.50
10.50 – 11.05
Break
11.05 – 11.25
The spokesperson: leadership under scrutiny
Why the person fronting the response matters, and who they say it to. This section looks at how leaders lose authority in a crisis, how to sound calm rather than coached, and how to show grip without becoming defensive, cold or robotic.
Case study space: 11.25 – 11.35
11.35 – 11.50
The audience matters: staff, customers, stakeholders and media
A crisis is rarely one conversation. This section works through who needs to hear what, in what order, and why internal communication, stakeholder reassurance and external messaging have to support each other rather than contradict each other.
Case study space: 11.50 – 11.58
11.58 – 12.00
Close: the response becomes the reputation
Final takeaway: something going wrong is part of leadership. Owning it, controlling the message and shutting it down quickly is the non-negotiable test.
What attendees can expect to gain from the event:
1. What kicks off a crisis
2. How it can escalate through the organisation’s response
3. How controlling the narrative is essential to the long term reputation of the organisation.
Dr Tim Aker
Dr Tim Aker is a communications adviser, media trainer, author and former elected representative who helps leaders communicate clearly when pressure is highest.
With more than 15 years’ experience in live broadcast, public speaking, political messaging and reputation-sensitive environments, Tim works with business owners, directors and public-facing leaders on how to stay calm, credible and in control when something has gone wrong.
His work focuses on crisis communications, message discipline, media handling, stakeholder reassurance and leadership under scrutiny. He helps organisations understand what to say, what not to say, who needs to hear it, and how to stop a difficult moment becoming lasting reputational damage.
A former Member of the European Parliament and senior local government councillor, Tim has handled hostile questioning, live interviews, public scrutiny and high-pressure communication throughout his career. He now uses that experience to help clients own the issue, control the message and communicate with authority when the response matters as much as the facts.
For this CIPD Kent session, Tim will explore why people problems can quickly become public problems, how poor communication can escalate a crisis, and why, when something goes wrong, the response becomes the reputation.
Please note:
- Participants will receive a reminder email the day before, with a further reminder on the morning of the event.
- Photography and video production may take place at the event, and these images may be used in the CIPD newsletters.
- By attending the event, participants are giving their consent for their image to be used in CIPD promotional materials.
- If you can no longer attend, please cancel your ticket so someone else can take your place.
- If there is an external speaker, their views will be their own and may not necessarily reflect those of the CIPD.
- If any reasonable adjustments are required, participants are encouraged to make this known and assistance will be provided.
