Doha, Qatar – January 26, 2018:   Resilience is one of the key issues in strategic and crisis communication, and professional communicators will have the opportunity to learn strategies to address this issue at an executive education program being offered by Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q). 

 

NU-Q’s Dean and CEO Everette E. Dennis pointed to the blockade of Qatar as an example of navigating an institution during a time of sudden change. “This course,” Dennis said, “will offer insight on how Qatari-based businesses can keep running smoothly and be resilient in spite of such changes and challenges. Facilitated by leading specialists in this area, this program is an extension of NU-Q’s expertise in the area of media and communication.”

 

The three-part masterclass will feature prominent experts in academia and the industry over a two-day period:  

 

 

J. Brian Houston, associate professor and chair of the Department of Communication and the director for the Disaster and Community Crisis Center (DCC) at the University of Missouri, will examine how strategic communication and public relations approaches can help foster collective resilience. Emergent issues related to social media and resilience also will be discussed.

 

 

The global communications director for Save the Children, Kirsten Walkom, who has developed world-class brands in more than 120 countries, will explain how trust and reputation play a role in making humanitarian aid relevant, the challenges that occur when what is reported and perceived differs from the reality of a situation, and what communication can do to influence change and alter the narrative – even in the most challenging contexts.

 

• The New Social, Business, Media, and Cultural Drivers of Reputation 

 

This course will be taught by Ephraim Cohen, general manager of FleishmanHillard New York – one of the leading public relations and marketing firms in the world. Cohen has designed and implemented communication programs for brands such as Samsung, Johnson & Johnson, and Facebook. From fake news and overnight social movements to new business dynamics and data-driven issues, Cohen will discuss how rapidly the social and business drivers of reputation are changing and how companies can prepare.

 

Jairo Lugo-Ocando, director of the Executive and Graduate Education Program, said that the program was designed with Qatar in mind. “As Qatar continues to grow its global voice, strategic communication professionals and others in positions of authority would benefit from enhancing their understanding of how strategic communication methods can improve resilience of their organizations,” he said.

 

This executive education program will take place in NU-Q’s state-of-the-art building in Education City on February 10th and 11th, 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree and have at least two to three years of professional experience.