{"id":38203,"date":"2024-01-29T16:34:11","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T21:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=38203"},"modified":"2024-01-30T13:49:58","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T18:49:58","slug":"practice-makes-perfect-for-the-next-generation-of-crisis-managers","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/practice-makes-perfect-for-the-next-generation-of-crisis-managers\/","title":{"rendered":"Practice Makes Perfect for the Next Generation of Crisis Managers"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin bu-blocks-block-editorial-leadin is-style-default has-media has-media-focus-center-middle\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-pr-crisis-banner.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Amy Shanler speaks in front of a group of students during a visit to IBM.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-pr-crisis-banner.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-pr-crisis-banner-636x358.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-pr-crisis-banner-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-pr-crisis-banner-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-pr-crisis-banner-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-pr-crisis-banner-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-pr-crisis-banner-992x558.jpg 992w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-pr-crisis-banner-1500x844.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-pr-crisis-banner-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-pr-crisis-banner-1984x1116.jpg 1984w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-pr-crisis-banner-1628x916.jpg 1628w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-pr-crisis-banner-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-pr-crisis-banner-1366x768.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-pr-crisis-banner-1280x720.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-pr-crisis-banner-854x480.jpg 854w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Amy Shanler, an associate professor of the practice of public relations, addresses students during a public relations crisis simulation at IBM\u2019s X-Force Cyber Range in Cambridge, Mass. <em>Photos by Derek Palmer<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPractice Makes Perfect for the Next Generation of Crisis Managers\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">PR students take on IBM\u2019s high-tech cybersecurity simulator<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-categories\">\n\t\t\t<ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/public-relations\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPublic Relations\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">January 29, 2024<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/authors\/steve-holt\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSteve Holt\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div style=\"display:none;\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-inner js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t<h4>Share<\/h4>\n\t\t<p class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-title\">Practice Makes Perfect for the Next Generation of Crisis Managers<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-link\">\n\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" value=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/practice-makes-perfect-for-the-next-generation-of-crisis-managers\/\" readonly>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<label>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Copy URL:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Copy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/label>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">In a dark corporate command center, a phone rings, and the room goes silent. Yijin Ruan picks up. On the other end of the line is a reporter for a digital technology website claiming that customer and employee data records connected to banking and investment firm Bane &amp; Ox have been leaked on the internet. The reporter is writing a story that will go live within the hour\u2014and she\u2019s seeking a comment from the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the Bane &amp; Ox side, Ruan (\u201924) seems nervous, but she asks the reporter to repeat and spell her name, then says she will call her back. Thus begins a flood of incidents into the high-tech command center\u2014resulting in serious blows to the company\u2019s finances and public opinion. The room even lights up red, signaling a full-on crisis. The crisis responders in the room, which include executives from across the company, jump to action.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This would be a terrifying scenario for any senior leadership team. In this case, however, it\u2019s only a simulation. Bane &amp; Ox is a fictional company being hacked by a made-up cyberterrorism group. And the team charged with leading the company out of the crisis created by the attack is a group of COM students in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/profile\/amy-shanler\/\">Amy Shanler\u2019s<\/a> Managing Corporate Crises (CM 522) class. The simulation is playing out at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ibm.com\/services\/xforce-cyber-range\">IBM\u2019s X-Force Cyber Range<\/a>, a state-of-the-art command center in Cambridge, Mass., typically filled with corporate executives who\u2019ve flown in from around the globe to pressure-test their cybersecurity and business crisis response protocols. IBM has two other ranges besides its Kendall Square flagship: Bangalore, India, and Ottawa, Canada, in partnership with the University of Ottawa.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-thirds-1-2\">\n<div class=\"photo-1\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"400\" height=\"560\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-crisis-student.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38210\"\/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Xiaomeng &#8220;Annie&#8221; Wang (\u201924) and fellow students in Amy Shanler\u2019s Managing Corporate Crises (CM 522) class were tasked with managing the fallout from a cybersecurity attack on a fictional company, Bane &amp; Ox. <\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"840\" height=\"560\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-crisis-wide.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38211\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-crisis-wide.jpg 840w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-crisis-wide-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-crisis-wide-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-crisis-wide-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2024\/01\/comtalk-ibm-crisis-wide-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><figcaption><p class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Shanler and Brenden Glynn, principal cybersecurity consultant in software and consulting at IBM, facilitated the two-hour-long simulation at IBM\u2019s headquarters in Kendall Square.<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Rarely do university classes have the opportunity to go through the simulation, which can last between two and four hours. So when Shanler (CAS\u201996, COM\u201996,\u201904), an associate professor of the practice of public relations, was given the opportunity, she jumped at the chance to put her class through a high-stakes situation\u2014even if it\u2019s only a simulation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAn athlete wouldn\u2019t take the field for the first time during the playoffs, and a musician wouldn\u2019t try a new instrument during a live concert,\u201d Shanler says. \u201cA public relations professional shouldn\u2019t try to manage a crisis without having some practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Feeling the Pressure<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As Matteo Joaquin Fehoko (\u201924) walked into IBM\u2019s hulking Kendall Square lobby earlier in the evening, a touch of nervousness came over him. Shanler had intentionally withheld from her students a detailed description of what they would experience. As he proceeded deeper into the simulation facility and \u201csaw how well set up everything was,\u201d Fehoko\u2019s nervousness turned into excitement. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to see how much effort and money is put into training for different business crises,\u201d he says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-teal-background-right\"><p>An athlete wouldn\u2019t take the field for the first time during the playoffs, and a musician wouldn\u2019t try a new instrument during a live concert. A public relations professional shouldn\u2019t try to manage a crisis without having some practice.<\/p><cite>Amy Shanler<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Fehoko is assigned to the communications team during the simulation, responsible for crafting the messaging that would go out to Bane &amp; Ox\u2019s customers, employees and the news media. Fehoko and fellow communications team member Mia Chai (\u201925) take a draft of their message to students on the legal team for approval. Chai, who was appointed Bane &amp; Ox\u2019s chief communications officer, then takes the high-level points of the message into an on-camera news interview in a separate room. A fictitious anchor peppers her with questions about how the firm could allow such a breach, and how it will now protect the data of scores of angry customers. Chai, who is interested in pursuing a career in financial communications or investor relations, appears unflappable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI felt the weight of having to represent and be the voice of a company going through a crisis,\u201d Chai says of her first on-camera interview. \u201cI was very conscientious of my word choice, tone and facial expressions and was less nervous than I anticipated.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Training Better Crisis Managers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Shanler has held lower-tech simulations in other classes, but says she plans to ask IBM if she can bring students back to the Cyber Range\u2014which she says allows students to apply what she teaches them in class and tests their communication, patience and collaboration skills. \u201cIBM was an incredible partner. They met our class where we were by adapting the simulation to our learning objectives,\u201d she adds. \u201cI hope to have this opportunity to work with IBM again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two hours after the reporter&#8217;s phone call, the simulation scenario ends and students share their takeaways: the importance of a company developing a crisis management plan <em>before<\/em> it\u2019s in a crisis; of confidence, calmness and cautiousness when speaking with a reporter; of better training for employees. Several days afterward, Chai reflects that she was surprised how many seemingly unrelated issues can arise from a central crisis like a data breach, and \u201cthe pace at which you have to make life-changing decisions that could potentially bankrupt the business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fehoko, who had appeared particularly calm and decisive during the simulation, says he learned it takes a certain type of person to do crisis management: \u201cquick-thinking, well-prepared and cannot freeze like a deer in the headlights if something goes wrong.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">After the IBM simulation, he thinks he\u2019s that kind of person: He says he\u2019s now interested in a career in crisis PR.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a dark corporate command center, a phone rings, and the room goes silent. Yijin Ruan picks up. 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