All M&CM training programmes are designed to complement and enhance the value of our retained services by ensuring that the company and its in-house teams are fully prepared, rehearsed and ready to deliver the best response.

There are four main programmes but across these broad headings there is a high degree of flexibility to allow for variations in company crisis response policy, personnel variations and budgets.

All training is delivered by experienced specialists in their particular field. Usually, it is carried out at client premises – provided that a suitable facility can be arranged. But M&CM can arrange for an outside venue or clients can use the M&CM training suite at our head office.

Exercises are a vital part of ensuring response readiness and M&CM can organise exercises ranging from a simple tabletop to a full-scale role play programme involving Emergency Services, local authorities, other agencies, casualty actors and real time action.

Media Training and presentation training is available at a number of different levels, starting from basic half day sessions for line managers who may be the first to face the media in a crisis, up to the really testing M&CM Media Training Masterclass in which more experienced company spokesmen are given expert tuition in the finer points by a top level television news professional.

The M&CM team always includes an experienced journalist and a professional news cameraman. We provide all equipment, cameras, projectors, microphones and support material.

All candidates receive an individual DVD of their performance plus course completion certificates. Confidential assessments can be provided if required.

Telephone Responder courses can cover Media and Relative Responder disciplines. Both are designed to give training and practice to in-house personnel who have been selected or have volunteered to staff the response telephones in an emergency.

The media course is delivered by a journalist and includes a outline of how the media works and what it needs. The second half of the programme includes live role play, with candidates answering calls from real journalists working to a developing scenario.

Because of the likely additional emotional demands upon personnel tasked with the relative responder role, M&CM use a trained counsellor for this training. At the end of the course we will also advise the client on the suitability or otherwise of personnel for this job.

As with the media course, the programme concludes with a live role play session, again to a developing scenario and with “relatives” calling in.

Incident Management team training is also scenario based and is designed to exercise in-house IM teams, familiarise them with their individual roles and responsibilities, room operations. If required, the exercise can include tests of call-out and room set-up procedures and intra company communications. A separate specialist course for Team Leaders is also available. This is an intensive session in which those who may be in charge of the room are schooled in the required room disciplines including control and command, how to hold effective time-outs and how to manage the team to best effect.