“Lessons on Crisis Communications in the Internet Age”
Building on the previous webinar about practicing good cyber hygiene in virtual meetings to safeguard data and information, this webinar will tackle how governments can effectively communicate with their citizens when face-to-face is no longer an option. It also takes a holistic approach to address the interconnections between official communication, audience interaction and media dissemination in building effective crisis communications efforts.
The current crisis reveals that governments are confronted with information asymmetry that create challenges to official communications. Fake news spreading like wildfire on social media adds another layer of complexity to the challenge of information asymmetry. Dissemination of rumours as well as misinformation campaigns reach audiences faster than the governments can release their official statements.
The inability to adapt communication strategies to the ongoing situation can breed mistrust in official narratives and skepticism on mainstream media, leaving people vulnerable to misinformation campaigns.
How can governments work with various communications channels to ensure effective crisis communication? In a recent survey conducted by Edelman, citizens of the 10 countries surveyed find it difficult to access reliable and trustworthy information.
Equally important to ask is: how can governments improve their public diplomacy efforts in the Internet age?
In line with ASEF Public Diplomacy Training’s practical approach to learning, our second webinar aims to equip diplomats and public servants engaged in public communications with basic strategies of crisis communications to support efficient and accurate dissemination of data and information during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Target Audience:
Diplomats and public servants engaged in public communications
Panellists:
Ms Liz GALVEZ, Senior Lecturer, Fellow and Trainer, DiploFoundation; Former Senior Diplomat, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Dr Elmie M. NEKMAT, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communications and New Media, National University of Singapore
Ms Gwen ROBINSON, Editor-at-Large, Nikkei Asian Review; Senior Fellow, Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok)
Mr Lawrence ANDERSON, Director, ASEF’s Communications Department; Former Ambassador of Singapore to Saudi Arabia (Moderator)
Break-out Sessions:
During the webinar, we will open a 15-minute Break-Out Session. Participants will be divided into 3 sub-groups in which they will be able discuss more intensely a particular sub-topic with a speaker. Each sub-group will have a moderator that will facilitate the conversation. (This part will not be recorded.)
Sub-groups, speakers and topics:
Group A (Ms Liz GALVEZ): Public Diplomacy Efforts
Group B (Dr Elmie NEKMAT): Audience Psychology Behind Information Use
Group C (Ms Gwen ROBINSON): The Changing Media Landscape
The registration is closed. Thank you for your interest. Please stay tuned for more information on Episode III through the ASEF Website or our social media channels.
This webinar is part of the ASEF Public Diplomacy Training Webinar Series in partnership with the DiploFoundation (Malta and Switzerland).