Students reflect on a mock press conference in a crisis planning and communication course, highlighting role-play methods, real-time pressures, and learning outcomes.
📊 Quick Facts
| Type | Interview |
| Author | Alexandre GAIN |
| Published | April 1, 2026 |
| Source | Visit Source |
| Location(s) | The DEBRIEF Magazine |
🖼️ Illustrations
📝 Abstract
[Summary generated by AI] The person interviewed describes a cohort-based simulation conducted in a university course on crisis planning and communication. Using a student-authored crisis scenario as the primary resource and a classroom audience acting as journalists and stakeholders, participants staged a mock press conference. Roles were distributed to mirror an institutional response team, including a Chancellor responsible for crafting and delivering an opening statement and a Chief Communication Officer charged with moderating the briefing, monitoring social media, and allocating questions. Methods emphasized real-time decision-making under pressure, disciplined message control, and ethical judgment about what information could or could not be released. The exercise delivered concrete outputs—prepared remarks, live answers to reporters’ questions, and in-situ moderation—while surfacing operational challenges such as maintaining order, triaging simultaneous inputs, and projecting confidence. Reported outcomes included strengthened public-speaking competence, improved media-handling skills, heightened awareness of wording and message discipline, and a deeper understanding of role coordination during crises. The activity is positioned as directly transferable to professional practice in crisis communication and public relations.