The first version of a story about documentary storytelling tends to become the reference version. Credibility in this aspect of communications and media practice is spent quickly and rebuilt slowly. What blocks progress on the communications and media practice capability is usually unclear ownership rather than unclear intent. Participants apply documentary storytelling to their own communications function throughout, so the output is directly usable. Participants leave with a method for this aspect of communications and media practice, not a set of opinions about it. Across sectors, teams that rehearse this area of communications and media practice outperform teams that only plan it. Participants come from operational and oversight roles, and both perspectives on documentary storytelling are used deliberately. Participants gain a realistic view of what this aspect of communications and media practice costs and what it returns. Participants leave with a plan for the practice within communications and media practice sized to what their organisation can realistically absorb.
Expected Learning Outcomes
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Design the crisis response plan for documentary storytelling with named roles and pre-agreed authority.
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Measure the effect of communication on documentary storytelling beyond volume of coverage.
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Test the organisation's response to documentary storytelling under conditions that are less than ideal.
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Distinguish the parts of documentary storytelling that must be standardised from those that require judgement.
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Align documentary storytelling with the wider objectives of the communications function rather than optimising it in isolation.
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Plan the recovery arc after a reputational event involving documentary storytelling.
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Prepare spokespeople to handle hostile questioning on documentary storytelling.
Who Should Attend
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Procurement and contracting staff whose agreements set obligations around documentary storytelling.
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Crisis management team members with a role in documentary storytelling.
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Spokespeople and executives who speak publicly about documentary storytelling.
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Community relations staff engaging stakeholders about documentary storytelling.
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Digital and social media managers handling documentary storytelling online.
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Anyone whose accountability for documentary storytelling exceeds their current formal training in it.
Course Modules
Open any module to see its sessions and topics.
01
Documentary storytelling: monitoring, sentiment and early warning
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Who decides what during a crisis involving documentary storytelling
Benchmark the organisation's documentary storytelling against comparable operations.
Identify the data already collected that bears on documentary storytelling.
Write the three key messages on documentary storytelling and test them against hard questions.
Configure monitoring that flags coverage of documentary storytelling within the hour.
Session 2Answering the hostile question about documentary storytelling
Name the crisis roles for documentary storytelling and confirm authority to speak.
Agree who signs off statements on documentary storytelling outside working hours.
Check that documentary storytelling still works when volumes rise unexpectedly.
Sequence internal notification about documentary storytelling ahead of external release.
02
Documentary storytelling: misinformation, correction and restraint
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Closing out documentary storytelling and capturing what was learned
Plan the sequence in which improvements to documentary storytelling will be introduced.
Agree the smallest change to documentary storytelling that would be visibly useful.
Prepare the holding statement for documentary storytelling in advance.
Archive every statement issued on documentary storytelling with date and approver.
Session 2Correcting a false story about documentary storytelling without amplifying it
Check communication on documentary storytelling against legal and regulatory constraint.
Rank the weaknesses in documentary storytelling by consequence rather than by ease of fixing.
Rehearse the hostile interview on documentary storytelling with a real challenger.
Decide in advance when to correct misinformation about documentary storytelling and when not to.
