How to avoid a PR crisis

Caryll Van Dort -Group Director, MSL Sri Lanka

With an ever-evolving media landscape and the rise of social media in particular, a PR crisis can have serious repercussions on a brand and business. If proper management protocols are not in place, a small crisis can easily become a full-blown PR disaster – that could tarnish a brand’s reputation amongst all of its key stakeholders, in a matter of minutes. To provide businesses across multiple industry verticals with the guidance and tools that they need to avoid such crises, industry veteran Caryll Van Dort, who currently serves as the Group Director of MSL Sri Lanka, a leading global PR agency, will be presenting an insightful training programme that will share her wealth of experience and specialist knowledge with business leaders and senior management professionals.

Filled with practical insights, case studies and references from Caryll’s 18-year long career, ‘How to Avoid a PR crisis’ will take place at The Galadari  Hotel on the 11th of March, from 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm. Conducted by Leo Burnett Sri Lanka, MSL and Acclivity, the course will cover a broad range of areas including preventive measures that businesses can put in place to act on a crises effectively, communication risk analysis tools, tips on how to recognize the warning signs of a PR crisis and advice on how to develop a crisis management plan. Emphasizing the important role that strong internal communications play in keeping a PR crisis under control and providing an overview of how to manage media interviews with skill and confidence, the course is designed to provide businesses with the tools that they need to put an immediate plan of action into place if required. 

Caryll is recognized as one of the country’s foremost PR experts, and currently oversees the PR requirements of a diverse portfolio of local and global clients. She has helped Leo Burnett Sri Lanka and MSL secure global recognition for their PR work at the world’s top awards shows and in 2014, her team won the first-ever gold metal for the country in the Public Relations & Corporate Responsibility category at Spikes Asia. Known for her passion, her unwavering dedication and her calm and strategic approach to any challenge that comes her way, Caryll has also made her mark at a regional level. She was featured on Campaign Asia’s ‘Top 40 women to watch’ list, which celebrates the most innovative and successful women in the communications industry in the Asia-Pacific region. She has also won countless internal awards and has served on the world’s most renowned advertising and judging panels. 

Commenting on the programme, Caryll Van Dort said: “This course will offer practical tips and advice, on how brands from a cross-section of industries can anticipate, act on and turn any PR crisis around. Rather than take a “dust it under the rug” approach, we call on brands to openly address the problems that they are facing in a calm and collected manner, and this hands-on and honest response is what helps to prevent a crisis from snowballing. The course will cover of the key areas that a business leader would need to consider to be well-prepared to respond to and handle a PR crisis of any nature - be it a negative story that keeps circulating, a damaging video or photograph that’s going viral on social media, or general discontent that’s brewing amidst a community. Public relations is all about building a brand’s reputation and by having all of the correct tools, plans and protocols in place, you will be able to prevent, minimize and even avoid many PR crises altogether.”

Only a limited amount of places are available at this training progamme, which is designed to be both informative and interactive, and will end with a Q&A session. 

To book your place at this programme or for more information, kindly call 0713331466.