NBAS Breakfast Talk 18 January: Crisis psychology and communication – vital when things heat up

Exciting new research shows the importance of dealing with people hit by a crisis in a competent manner. The aim is to limit long term negative effects to people as well as companies.

Serious incidents represent moments of truth for companies and organizations. How you deal with the people involved in accidents or other dramatic events to a large extend shapes your reputation.

Professor Atle Dyregrov is an international capacity within crisis psychology. He established “Center for Crisis Psychology” in Bergen, Norway some 25 years back. Over the years, he has gained international recognition for his contribution at a number of major crisis. He has worked with Chinese authorities after the earthquake in Sichuan, South Korean government after the ferry disaster – and is heading for new assignments for the authorities in Hong Kong. In Norway, he served as an advisor to the authorities after the terrorist attack in 2011, where 77 people were killed.

Mr. Dyregrov is very clear on one point: “Recent research has increased our understanding of how people react to dramatic events. We now know more about how we can deal with traumatized people in order to limit their suffering and bring them back to a normal life as soon as possible. This new knowledge must be made available to companies and organizations working in areas of high risk.

Atle Dyregrov will share his experiences together with Tore Høifødt, communication expert and former Senior Vice President at DNV. From 2010, he was based in Singapore, heading DNV’s communications efforts in Middle East and Asia. He has handled DNV’s involvement in crisis like Deepwater Horizon, Brent Spar and Estonia.

Communicating well through a crisis has become much more challenging since the introduction of social media. With a great number of channels available for communication, one fact remains: The importance of true leadership when things heat up. Mr. Høifødt adds: “In all crisis, people and reputation are at stake. How leadership is executed, decides how a company or an organization is perceived – when the crisis is over.”

When: Wednesday, 18 January 2017, 8:30 am

Where: Fullerton Hotel, EDB Room, Lower Level

Price: NBAS Member SGD 40, Non-Member SGD 60

Register at: http://nbas.org.sg/events/upcoming-events/

Welcome to a morning talk of reflection and good discussion on an important topic.