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Unit VII only.  Please read!!!!

Course Syllabus

Course Description

Explores strategies for leading and communicating effectively with both internal and external audiences during crisis
situations. Discusses the development of a communication plan and how to craft and deliver messaging during the crisis
situation.

Course Textbook(s)

Ulmer, R. R., Sellnow, T. L, & Seeger, M. W. (2019). Effective crisis communication: Moving from crisis to opportunity (4th
ed.). SAGE. https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781506315744

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Apply crisis communication theory to real-world crisis situations.
2. Evaluate leaders’ approaches to crisis communication and action.
3. Apply strategies for communicating and leading during times of uncertainty.
4. Apply strategies for communicating a message to neutralize risk or scandal.
5. Create opportunities for positive messaging in the midst of crisis, in order to support the organization, its people, and

its brand.
6. Evaluate ethical demands of the leader during crisis situations.
7. Create a leadership communication plan for a crisis situation.
8. Develop strategies for leading the organization toward crisis recovery and renewal.

Academic Integrity

Honesty and integrity are taken very seriously at Waldorf University. All students should be familiar with the Waldorf
University Academic Integrity Policy (found in the current Student Handbook) and the consequences that will result from
breaches of this policy.

Credits

Upon completion of this course, the students will earn 3.00 hours of college credit.

Course Structure

COM 5360, Crisis
Communication and Leadership

COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership 1

1. Study Guide: Course units contain a Study Guide that provides students with the learning outcomes, unit lesson,
required unit resources, assignments, and supplemental resources.

2. Learning Outcomes: Each unit contains Learning Outcomes that specify the measurable skills and knowledge
students should gain upon completion of the unit.

3. Unit Lesson: Unit Lessons, which are located in the Study Guide, discuss lesson material.
4. Required Unit Resources: Units contain Required Unit Resources from one or more chapters from the textbook

and/or outside resources.
5. Discussion Boards: Students are required to submit Discussion Board posts in Units I-VIII. Discussion Boards

provide students the opportunity for student-to-student and professor-to-student interaction based on relevant course
concepts and ideas. Specific information about accessing the Discussion Board rubric is provided below.

6. Unit Assignments: Students are required to submit for grading Unit Assignments. Specific information and
instructions regarding these assignments are provided below. Grading rubrics are included with each assignment.
Specific information about accessing these rubrics is provided below.

7. Ask the Professor: This communication forum provides students with an opportunity to ask their professor general
questions or questions related to course content.

8. Student Break Room: This communication forum allows for casual conversation with other classmates.

Unit Assignments

Unit I Assignment

Conduct a search of news reports that involve an organization responding to crisis events. Search for a range of reports to
get an overview of the types of crises that organizations have responded to in recent years. Then, select one crisis event to
develop your paper, addressing the following points. Support your response with specific examples from the news report
and our assigned readings, and illustrate the specific course concepts you relied on to draw your conclusions.

Define organizational crisis, and explain the difference between risk and crisis.
Describe the criteria leaders should use to determine whether an event constitutes a crisis event.
Who were the stakeholders? Who was impacted by the crisis—both inside and outside of the company?
Was the crisis preventable?
Were the circumstances of the crisis predictable/unpredictable? Were there elements of uncertainty that were outside of
the organizational leaders’ control?
What can the organizational leaders learn from the crisis and their responses?
Who spoke to the media/public on behalf of the organization? What message did he or she convey on behalf of the
organization (i.e., did he or she seek to support stakeholders, assign/accept blame for the crisis, communicate the
organization’s plan for recovery)?
How could the organization make the response more effective?

See the grading rubric for additional guidelines. It is recommended that you use the rubric as a checklist as you draft the
essay. Refer to the rubric often, and be sure to fulfill the requirements for all criteria listed.

Your paper must be at least two pages in length. Adhere to APA Style when constructing this assignment, including in-text
citations and references for all sources that are used. Please note that no abstract is needed.

This formal paper example provided by the Waldorf University Writing Center shows this type of formatting.

Unit II Case Study

After reviewing the case described in Example 4.3 on pages 57-60 of your textbook, write an analysis using discourse of
renewal theory as a framework to analyze the organization’s crisis response. Using the Waldorf Online Library, conduct any
additional research necessary to fully evaluate the aspects of the crisis response described in the theory. Cite specific
examples to support your points.

See the grading rubric for additional guidelines. It is recommended that you use the rubric as a checklist as you draft the
essay. Refer to the rubric often and be sure to fulfill the requirements for all criteria listed.

Your case study must be at least two pages in length. Adhere to APA Style when constructing this assignment, including in-
text citations and references for all sources that are used. Please note that no abstract is needed.

This formal paper example provided by the Waldorf University Writing Center shows this type of formatting.

COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership 2

Unit III Case Study

After reviewing the case described in Example 4.6 on pages 68-72 of your textbook, write an analysis by responding to the
questions listed in the table under “You Make the Call” on pages 71-72 named “Lessons on Producing Effective Crisis
Communication”. After answering these questions, also write a brief analysis on Dominos’ organizational leader’s goals
during their crisis response.

Present your responses in a format you would use if you had been hired by Domino’s as a crisis communication consultant
and were preparing this report to provide to the client directly. Ensure the content, tone, and presentation are appropriate for
your intended audience.

See the grading rubric for additional guidelines. It is recommended that you use the rubric as a checklist as you draft the
analysis. Refer to the rubric often, and be sure to fulfill the requirements for all criteria listed.

Your paper must be at least three pages in length. Adhere to APA Style when creating citations and references for this
assignment. APA formatting, however, is not necessary

Unit IV Assignment

This assignment has two components – an outline and a code of ethics. Please prepare both portions and submit as one
single Word document. Use section headings to organize the information, but do not paste the assignment instructions into
your document.

Part I: Introduction and Outline

The final project in this course is to create a crisis communication plan. From within the course syllabus, review the
assignment instructions for the final project. Approach the project as if you are the director of communications for an
organization, which can be a for-profit or non-profit organization.

Please use complete sentences within the outline/introduction and be sure your outline/introduction applies course
concepts. Draft the outline/introduction by performing the following actions:

Describe the industry/organization you are representing.
List the stakeholders (specific customers, clients, shareholders, and other groups) that your organization serves and/or
impacts.
Explain any concerns or challenges the organization might face, including potential risks, previous crises, or other issues
that will need to be considered when you develop the crisis communication plan.
Find an existing crisis communication plan for a similar organization, and link to the document. Identify at least two
lessons described in Chapter 3 that are followed in the plan.
Discuss whether or not any lessons are evident in the plan and the impact, if any, on the effectiveness of the plan.

Part II: Code of Ethics

Create a code of ethics for leaders responding to crisis events. The code must

have at least 10 original, ethical guideline statements,
include statements that are written in complete sentences (For example, accountability is a guiding principle, but it is not
a specific guideline. Instead, an ethical guideline based on the principle of accountability might be, “We will publicly
acknowledge errors in production, policy, or judgment that harmed stakeholders.”), and
include guidelines that demonstrate you are applying course concepts.

For examples of codes of ethics, you can conduct a search for policies from organizations and industry associations like
the one you have selected for the project. Be sure to review the codes only to familiarize yourself with the types of
statements that are included and the overall format.

To complete the assignment, you must write original guidelines. Ensure that you do not plagiarize another policy by using
guidelines contained in existing codes.

See the grading rubric for additional guidelines. It is recommended that you use the rubric as a checklist as you draft the
code of ethics. Refer to the rubric often and be sure to fulfill the requirements for all criteria listed.

Your introduction, outline, and code of ethics all together in one document must be at least three pages in length. Adhere to
APA Style when creating citations and references for this assignment. APA formatting, however, is not necessary

COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership 3

Unit V Assignment

Press Release

Review Example 6.4 on pages 98-101 of your textbook. Assuming the role of the public relations director for King Car,
create a press release in response to the second round of testing that came back positive for high levels of melamine.

The press release must

show you relied on the 10 lessons in Chapter 5 as a guide to develop the content of the press release,
include any relevant information described in the case study (conduct additional research on the case as needed),
follow this press release format/template
include at least one quote from a King Car representative (attribute the quote to yourself as the PR director for King
Car).

Your press release must be at least one page, but no longer than two pages in length. Adhere to APA Style when creating
citations and references for this assignment. APA formatting, however, is not necessary.

You can conduct a search for press releases to use as examples. Review the press releases only only to familiarize
yourself with the structure and overall format. To complete the assignment, you must write an original press release.

Ensure you do not plagiarize another press release by using content in any example press releases. (For more information
about the consequences of plagiarism, please see Waldorf’s Academic Integrity Policy in the Waldorf University Online
Programs Catalog.

Unit VI PowerPoint Presentation

PowerPoint Presentation

Review Example 4.1 on pages 49-53 of your textbook. Using the 10 lessons in Chapter 7 as a guide, assume the role of a
crisis communications consultant hired by BP one month after the spill has been contained. Develop a PowerPoint
presentation for BP leadership to use during a press conference that will be given within the next week, with the purpose of
employing positive messaging, repairing the company’s image, and explaining the company’s future plans.

The presentation must be at least eight slides, not including the introduction or citation slide. Use image repair theory
(described in Chapter 2) as a framework for your approach.

When using images in a public presentation, you can use any of your own original images for which you own the copyright
(such as photos you took yourself). If you search for images online, keep in mind that some photos might not be public
domain (i.e., free to use). They could have a copyright that requires either permission or purchase to use. To avoid copyright
infringement, it is best to use photos that you can clearly identify as public domain. Free stock photos (which are public
domain photos and do not have a copyright) are available at http://www.freeimages.com/.

Unit VII Assignment

Social Media Policy

Create a social media policy for an organization (of your choice) with the goal of positive messaging, neutralizing risk, and
crisis prevention. Select the same organization as for the final project (creating a crisis communication plan). This social
media policy will be incorporated into the final project as one section of the entire crisis communication plan. The format
should follow the same format used in the crisis communication plan.

Your policy must:

clearly identify the organization/target audience that the social media policy is written for.
describe procedures regarding how employees (such as the PR director/spokesperson) should use social media when
representing the organization. Explain how social media can be used for positive messaging, crisis prevention, and
neutralizing risk. Add any other sections that might be relevant to your organization. Apply course concepts when you
create the policy.
include clear, detailed procedures using a format that is easy to follow.
add any templates or worksheets that might be helpful for leaders to use.
use text enhancements and visuals to emphasize and for clarity. In addition to basic enhancements, such as bold,
underline, italics, caps, font/font size, and color-coding, you can include graphs, illustrations, or other visual elements.

COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership 4

You can refer to examples of crisis communication plans to determine a format for the policy. Review these plans ONLY to
familiarize yourself with the structure and overall format. To complete the assignment, you must write an original policy.
Ensure you do not plagiarize another policy by using content in any example social media policies or crisis communication
plans.

Your policy must be at least three pages in length. Adhere to APA Style when creating citations and references for this
assignment. APA formatting, however, is not necessary

Unit VIII Final Project

Crisis Communication Plan

Create a crisis communication plan for leaders in a specific organization.

The plan must

clearly identify the organization/target audience the plan is written for,
create sections describing each type of potential crisis this organization might encounter and an appropriate response,

The sections should be tailored to your specific organization. For example, if your company produces a food product,
recalls could be an important topic to address. Be sure to apply course concepts, including those related to positive
messaging and crisis prevention/risk.
NOTE: Include the social media policy created during Unit VII as one section of the plan. You can update the policy
and make any necessary revisions to the version you submitted in Unit VII.

identify stakeholders who might be affected by the crisis,
Include procedures to communicate internally with those inside of the company and externally with stakeholders
outside of the company.

include clear, detailed procedures using a format that is easy to follow,
add any templates or worksheets that might be helpful for the leaders to use when responding to a crisis event, and
use text enhancements and visuals to emphasize and for clarity.

In addition to basic enhancements such as bold, underline, italics, caps, font/font size, and color-coding, you can
include graphs, illustrations, or other visual elements.

Your crisis communication plan must be at least 6 pages in length. Adhere to APA Style when creating citations and
references for this assignment. APA formatting, however, is not necessary.

Note: In Unit I, you developed a definition of an organizational crisis and you have been applying that definition to your written
work throughout the term. This definition should become the basis for your crisis communication plan. In Unit II, you were
introduced to several key crisis communication theories. Rely on these concepts to guide your plan. Both the definition you
created in Unit I and the theories you learned about in Unit II should provide justification for your specific strategy. The Unit
VIII readings (Chapter 12 of your textbook) elaborate on a key theory presented in the course: discourse of renewal theory.

The four opportunities presented in the chapter are important aspects to consider as you develop the plan:

1. organizational learning,
2. ethical communication,
3. prospective rather than retrospective vision, and
4. effective organizational rhetoric.

To complete the assignment, you must write an original plan. Ensure you do not plagiarize another plan by using content in
any example crisis communication plans.

Submitting Course Papers/Projects

Once you have completed your papers/projects, submit your completed papers/projects by uploading through the
Assignment tab in each unit. Do not e-mail your paper directly to your professor. By using the Assignment tab, your record
will automatically be updated to indicate you have submitted your papers/projects, and the assignment will be provided to
your professor for grading. Instructions for submitting your assignment can be found under the Assignment tab in each unit.

COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership 5

APA Guidelines

Waldorf University requires that students use the APA style for papers and projects. Therefore, the APA rules for formatting,
quoting, paraphrasing, citing, and listing of sources are to be followed. Information about using APA style can be found in
APA Style Help in the Course Menu. This area provides links to Internet sites, tutorials, and guides that provide
comprehensive information on APA formatting, including examples and sample papers.

Grading Rubrics

This course utilizes analytic grading rubrics as tools for your professor in assigning grades for all learning activities. Each
rubric serves as a guide that communicates the expectations of the learning activity and describes the criteria for each level
of achievement. In addition, a rubric is a reference tool that lists evaluation criteria and can help you organize your efforts to
meet the requirements of that learning activity. It is imperative for you to familiarize yourself with these rubrics because
these are the primary tools your professor uses for assessing learning activities.

Rubric categories include (1) Discussion Board, (2) Assessment (Written Response), and (3) Assignment. However, it is
possible that not all of the listed rubric types will be used in a single course (e.g., some courses may not have
Assessments).

The Discussion Board rubric can be found within Unit I’s Discussion Board submission instructions.

The Assessment (Written Response) rubric can be found embedded in a link within the directions for each Unit
Assessment. However, these rubrics will only be used when written-response questions appear within the Assessment.

Each Assignment type (e.g., article critique, case study, research paper) will have its own rubric. The Assignment rubrics
are built into Blackboard, allowing students to review them prior to beginning the Assignment and again once the
Assignment has been scored. This rubric can be accessed via the Assignment link located within the unit where it is to be
submitted. Students may also access the rubric through the course menu by selecting the “Grades” link.

Again, it is vitally important for you to become familiar with these rubrics because their application to your
Discussion Boards, Assessments, and Assignments is the method by which your instructor assigns all grades.

Communication Forums

These are non-graded discussion forums that allow you to communicate with your professor and other students.
Participation in these discussion forums is encouraged, but not required. You can access these forums with the buttons in
the Course Menu. Instructions for subscribing/unsubscribing to these forums are provided below.

Click here for instructions on how to subscribe/unsubscribe and post to the Communication Forums.

Ask the Professor

This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content questions.
Questions may focus on Blackboard locations of online course components, textbook or course content elaboration,
additional guidance on assessment requirements, or general advice from other students.

Questions that are specific in nature, such as inquiries regarding assessment/assignment grades or personal
accommodation requests, are NOT to be posted on this forum. If you have questions, comments, or concerns of a non-
public nature, please feel free to email your professor. Responses to your post will be addressed or emailed by the
professor within 48 hours.

Before posting, please ensure that you have read all relevant course documentation, including the syllabus,
assessment/assignment instructions, faculty feedback, and other important information.

Student Break Room

This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. Communication on this forum should
always maintain a standard of appropriateness and respect for your fellow classmates. This forum should NOT be used to
share assessment answers.

COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership 6

Schedule/Grading

The following pages contain a printable Course Schedule to assist you through this course. By following this schedule, you
will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted.

Unit I Defining Crisis Communication [ Weight: 10% ]

Read/View: Unit I Study Guide
Chapter 1: Defining Crisis Communication
Unit Resource (1 video): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit I Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit I Assignment 8%

Unit II Crisis Communication Theory in Practice [ Weight: 10% ]

Read/View: Unit II Study Guide
Chapter 2: Understanding Crisis Communication Theory and Practice
Chapter 4: Applying the Lessons to Produce Effective Crisis Communication, pp. 57-60
Unit Resource (1 article): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit II Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit II Case Study 8%

Unit III Approaches to Crisis Communication [ Weight: 10% ]

Read/View: Unit III Study Guide
Chapter 3: Lessons on Effective Crisis Communication
Chapter 4: Applying the Lessons to Produce Effective Crisis Communication
Unit Resource (1 article): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit III Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit III Case Study 8%

Unit IV Ethical Demands of the Leader [ Weight: 10% ]

Read/View: Unit IV Study Guide
Chapter 11: Responding to the Ethical Demands of Crisis

Discuss: Unit IV Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit IV Assignment 8%

COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership 7

Unit V Leading During Times of Uncertainty [ Weight: 10% ]

Read/View: Unit V Study Guide
Chapter 5: Lessons on Managing Crisis Uncertainty Effectively
Chapter 6: Applying the Lessons for Managing Crisis Uncertainty Effectively
Unit Resources (1 article, 1 video): See Study Guide

Discuss: Unit V Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit V Assignment 8%

Unit VI Recovery and Renewal [ Weight: 10% ]

Read/View: Unit VI Study Guide
Chapter 7: Lessons on Effective Crisis Leadership
Chapter 8: Applying the Lessons for Developing Effective Crisis Leadership

Discuss: Unit VI Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit VI PowerPoint Presentation 8%

Unit VII Positive Messaging and Neutralizing Risk [ Weight: 10% ]

Read/View: Unit VII Study Guide
Chapter 9: Learning Through Failure
Chapter 10: Risk Communication

Discuss: Unit VII Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit VII Assignment 8%

Unit VIII Creating a Crisis Communication Plan [ Weight: 30% ]

Read/View: Unit VIII Study Guide
Chapter 12: Facilitating Renewal Through Effective Crisis Communication

Discuss: Unit VIII Discussion Board 2%

Submit: Unit VIII Final Project 28%

COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership 8

  • COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership
  • Course Syllabus
    • Course Description
    • Course Textbook(s)
    • Course Learning Outcomes
    • Academic Integrity
    • Credits
    • Course Structure
    • Unit Assignments
      • Unit I Assignment
      • Unit II Case Study
      • Unit III Case Study
      • Unit IV Assignment
        • Part I: Introduction and Outline
        • Part II: Code of Ethics
      • Unit V Assignment
        • Press Release
      • Unit VI PowerPoint Presentation
        • PowerPoint Presentation
      • Unit VII Assignment
        • Social Media Policy
      • Unit VIII Final Project
        • Crisis Communication Plan
    • Submitting Course Papers/Projects
    • APA Guidelines
    • Grading Rubrics
    • Communication Forums
    • Schedule/Grading
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