Monitoring and Evaluation of Crisis & Strategic Communication Training Course

When a product fails, a scandal breaks or a public health message is ignored, leaders want to know whether communication helped. Strategic campaigns raise similar questions about value for money. Counting press cuttings or social media impressions no longer satisfies boards, donors or regulators, who look for evidence of changed awareness, trust and behaviour.

This course introduces a structured approach to evaluating both planned and crisis communication. Participants learn to set measurable objectives, trace the chain from activity to audience action and choose a balanced mix of indicators. They study media and social analysis, survey and interview methods, and ways to isolate communication effects from other influences. Specific attention is given to crisis phases: preparedness, response and recovery, with measures for speed, accuracy, stakeholder confidence and reputation.

Delegates also learn how to report findings to executives and communication teams in a way that changes future plans. Sessions combine short lectures with practical work on sample media data, survey instruments and dashboard layouts. Participants finish by drafting a measurement and learning framework for a campaign or crisis plan from their own organisation.

On completion, participants will be able to:

• Set SMART communication objectives linked to organisational goals.
• Build a logic model connecting communication activities to audience outcomes.
• Select indicators using the AMEC framework and avoid vanity metrics.
• Carry out media monitoring, content analysis and sentiment tracking.
• Design audience and stakeholder surveys and message tests.
• Evaluate preparedness, response and recovery in a crisis through after-action review.
• Estimate cost-effectiveness and attribute results credibly.
• Create dashboards and reports that inform leadership decisions.

The programme is relevant for communicators, evaluators and managers, such as:

• Public relations and corporate communication officers
• Government communication and information officers
• Crisis, emergency and risk communication specialists
• Humanitarian and NGO advocacy and awareness staff
• Campaign and social media managers
• Monitoring and evaluation officers supporting communication teams
• Brand and reputation managers
• Agency consultants reporting results to clients

Participants will take away:

• A communication measurement plan with objectives, indicators and data sources.
• A crisis communication scorecard covering the full response cycle.
• A media and social listening framework with coding guidance.
• A survey template for tracking awareness, trust and behaviour change.
• A dashboard layout for monthly leadership reporting.
• An after-action review format for use after any incident.

Sessions balance measurement theory with hands-on analysis. Participants experience:

• Instructor-led walkthroughs of evaluation frameworks
• Analysis labs using sample media coverage and social media data
• A crisis simulation scored against agreed indicators
• Template-building workshops for surveys, scorecards and dashboards
• Peer clinics on each participant's own campaign or crisis plan

Attendance at all sessions and completion of the practical tasks earns a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion, issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy.