Introduction

No society on earth is immune to disasters and crises; the history of nations is often marked by such events. The terms crises, disasters, emergencies, and critical situations share common characteristics: severe threat, sudden onset, and limited time for decision-making. Consequently, Crisis Management has emerged as a modern administrative discipline built on specific scientific principles and foundations, yet it also requires special foresight skills from those managing crises.

Thus, foresight studies and future predictions have gained significant attention across various fields, particularly in crisis, disaster, and emergency management. These studies form the solid base upon which planning and organizational development efforts rest, translating the visionary outlook of wise leadership into measurable goals that define desired societal outcomes. Utilizing foresight tools as a specialized managerial process aims to produce strategic responses to critical situations. This requires qualified individuals adept at handling future risks and challenges, minimizing negatives, and maximizing positives.

Course Objectives

• To understand the general concepts of crisis and critical situation management, enabling scientific approaches to handling them.
• To effectively manage crises by developing suitable scenarios and using methods that mitigate their harmful effects.
• To manage critical situations by controlling them and ensuring the optimal performance of those involved.
• To enhance future foresight in addressing risks and threats by focusing on strategies, tools, and methods.

Target Audience

• Professionals working in crisis and disaster management.
• Personnel involved in planning.
• Public relations and media professionals, given their role in crisis management.
• Individuals working in institutional security.
• Anyone interested in controlling and managing future uncertainties.
• Individuals seeking to use foresight tools to increase awareness of environmental changes and developments, boost the dynamism of predicting overwhelming challenges, and ultimately foresee risks and threats.
• Those who understand that accurately identifying threats is the first step in strategic planning for effective crisis, disaster, and emergency management.

Course Outline

Day 1: Understanding Crises, Disasters, Emergencies, and Risks

• Definitions of crises, their elements, and dimensions.
• Definitions of disasters, their types, and risks.
• Definitions of critical situations, risks, and emergencies.
• Differentiating crises from similar terms.
• Definitions and characteristics of security crises.

Crisis and disaster management.

• Understanding crisis and disaster management.
• Identifying the causes and dimensions of crises.
• Tracking the crisis lifecycle and handling it.
• Methods for managing crises and disasters.
• Managing crises through crisis management approaches.

Day 2: Elements of Crisis and Disaster Management

• Receiving early warning signals for crises and disasters.
• Scenario planning for crises and disasters.
• Containing the impacts of security crises and disasters.
• Developing alternative solutions for crisis and disaster management.
• Restoring operations in the face of crises and disasters.
• Drawing lessons learned from crises and disasters.

Day 3: Crisis and Disaster Management Team

• Formation of crisis and disaster management teams.
• Specifications of team members.
• Role of the crisis and disaster management team leader.
• Authority of the crisis and disaster management team.
• Responsibilities and duties of the team.

Crisis and disaster management room.

• Requirements for establishing a crisis management room.
• Components of the crisis and disaster management room.
• Operating procedures in crisis management rooms.

Day 4: Scenario Planning for Managing Security Crises and Disasters

• The concept, importance, and objectives of scenario planning.
• Steps for preparing scenarios.
• Types of scenarios (normal, bad, worst).
• Crisis and disaster scenario portfolio.
• Supporting rational administrative decision-making.
• Pareto analysis for crisis management scenarios.
• Fishbone strategy for crisis management.

Day 5: Relationships and Communications in Crisis and Disaster Management

• Public relations: facts and concepts.
• Relations with strategic partners.
• Building partnerships with key stakeholders.
• Human relations with crisis and disaster audiences.
• Communication system requirements for control and management.
• Governance of crisis and disaster information management.
• The role of communication and public relations professionals in crisis prediction.

Media management of crises and disasters.

• The life cycle of mass communication.
• Media influence and public opinion guidance.
• Methods and tools of new media.
• Crisis media: nature and role.
• Media's role in safeguarding public opinion during crises and disasters.
• Impact of crisis media on public opinion formation.
• Mechanisms for media management of crises and disasters.
• Requirements for an effective spokesperson.
• Leading international practices in media management of crises and disasters.