Business Continuity and Crisis Management

Situational Awareness for Crisis Teams

Crisis teams can only make good decisions if they share an accurate picture of what is happening. This course teaches situational awareness for crisis teams: information gathering, verification, common operating pictures, dashboards and maps, managing uncertainty and rumours, briefing techniques and avoiding tunnel vision.

5 days Classroom or live online English

Smart Horizon Certified - Global Leadership Consultants

Take the course details with you.

Download the full standard outline: why attend, methodology, objectives, audience, competencies, the daily outline and current plans.

Download course PDF

Why attend

From knowledge to real-world impact.

Poor situational awareness leads to wrong decisions in crises. You will learn methods to build and maintain a shared picture.

Workplace challenges

Professional Problems This Course Is Designed to Solve

The programme explores practical approaches to the following challenges. Results depend on how the learning is applied in your organisation.

Difficulty translating subject knowledge into practical workplace decisions.
Inconsistent approaches to the activities covered in the course outline.
Lack of a structured plan for applying and reviewing new skills.

Course methodology

How you will learn.

Information management simulations, briefing practice, dashboard design and case studies.

Course objectives

What you'll take away.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Explain levels of situational awareness
Gather and verify incident information
Build common operating pictures
Use dashboards and maps for crisis teams
Manage uncertainty, rumours and information overload
Brief decision makers effectively

Target audience

Who should attend.

This course is suitable for:

Crisis team members and coordinators
Emergency operations staff
Business continuity managers
Security managers
Communication staff

Target competencies

Capabilities you will build.

Participants will develop competencies in:

Information management
Verification
Visualisation
Briefing
Critical thinking

Course outline

Your learning journey.

A focused, practical outline with time to explore, apply and reflect.

Day 1Situational Awareness

09:00–10:08Perception, comprehension and projection
10:08–11:00Failures in crises
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Failures in crises (continued)
11:45–12:53Case study
12:53–14:00Exercise

Day 2Information Gathering

09:00–10:08Sources
10:08–11:00Verification
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Verification (continued)
11:45–12:53Logging
12:53–14:00Workshop

Day 3Common Operating Picture

09:00–10:08Dashboards
10:08–11:00Maps
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Maps (continued)
11:45–12:53Status boards
12:53–14:00Exercise

Day 4Uncertainty

09:00–10:08Rumours and misinformation
10:08–11:00Assumptions
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Assumptions (continued)
11:45–12:53Tunnel vision
12:53–14:00Simulation

Day 5Briefing

09:00–10:08Briefing formats
10:08–11:00Decision support
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Decision support (continued)
11:45–12:53Handover
12:53–14:00Action plan

The timings provided are estimates and may vary depending on the number of participants and the discussions taking place during the sessions. They are indicative only and do not constitute a binding commitment.

Dates & venues

Find a session that works for you.

Confirmed dates accept registration requests. Tentative dates are enquiry only.

Good to know

A few things to know.

How is the course delivered?

Our classroom programmes combine facilitated discussion, case studies, exercises and reflection. The precise format will be confirmed before enrolment.

Can you deliver this programme for our team?

Yes, you can enquire about a tailored programme. Share your goals, group size and preferred dates with our learning team.

Will I receive a certificate?

Participants who complete the programme receive a Smart Horizon certificate of attendance. Smart Horizon programmes are not externally accredited and do not award a professional qualification, licence or designation. Where a course title or outline refers to a professional certification (for example, AACE International's Certified Cost Professional), the programme supports learning and preparation only; the credential itself is awarded solely by the relevant professional body under its own application and examination requirements.

What should I confirm before booking travel?

Please confirm the session, exact venue, accessibility arrangements, fees and any visa requirements with the team before arranging travel. Tentative dates are not confirmed sessions.

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