Tickets are available for $150pp through the National Association of Professional Staff in Public Safety, in partnership with UVA and NLEOMF.
The Challenge
When a crisis hits, leaders don’t have time to think. News breaks in minutes and narratives form instantly. Leaders must decide and communicate simultaneously, under intense pressure.
The Experience
Accelerate is a three-day, immersive leadership and crisis communications conference where participants don’t study a crisis; they operate inside one.
Why Accelerate Is Different
Who Should Attend
Accelerate is for leaders in public safety, higher education, government, or any organization which could face high-profile public relations crises.
What Participants Practice
You will practice real-time internal and external messaging, managing misinformation, media relations, and participate in a mock news conference with live feedback.
The Outcome
Participants leave with:
All meals are included and structured to extend learning through facilitated conversations with faculty, guest speakers, and peers.
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Day 1
A. Unit Time: 45 minutes
B. Unit Description: This introductory unit establishes the purpose, structure, and expectations of the course and introduces participants and facilitators. The unit also outlines participation expectations for scenario-based instruction used throughout the program.
C. Training Objectives: By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:
A. Unit Time: 60 minutes
B. Unit Description: This unit examines an actual crisis event in which early communication decisions significantly influenced public perception. Participants analyze how timing, transparency, and platform either mitigated or compounded reputational consequences, with emphasis on leadership judgment during the initial phase of a crisis.
C. Training Objectives: By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:
A. Unit Time: 90 minutes
B. Unit Description: This unit introduces a strategic communications philosophy that positions organizations as primary sources of accurate information during rapidly evolving events. Participants explore how structured communication processes, clear roles, and information monitoring support effective crisis response. The unit also introduces core concepts, including the three essential elements of every crisis message, and provides decision-making guidance on what information to share and what to withhold.
C. Training Objectives: By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:
A. Unit Time: 60 minutes
B. Unit Description: This Decision Lab places participants in the first 30 minutes of a rapidly unfolding event. Working in small groups, participants must determine what information to release, how to release it, and how to communicate with clarity and empathy while facts are limited and pressure is high.
C. Training Objectives: By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:
A. Unit Time: 90 minutes
B. Unit Description: This unit examines how disinformation, misinformation, and negative narratives develop and spread in emotionally charged environments. Participants explore audience psychology, escalation dynamics, and response strategies that influence organizational decision-making in public digital spaces.
C. Training Objectives: By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:
A. Unit Time: 60 minutes
B. Unit Description: This unit focuses on the legal and compliance considerations that shape crisis communications decision-making. Participants examine how constitutional, statutory, and regulatory requirements affect what organizations can say, how they say it, and how they manage public engagement during high-risk situations. Emphasis is placed on risk awareness rather than legal theory.
C. Training Objectives: By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:
A. Unit Time: 60 minutes
B. Unit Description: This Decision Lab places participants in a simulated environment where negative commentary, misinformation, and disinformation are spreading across digital platforms during an unfolding situation. Participants must assess audience sentiment, determine appropriate response strategies, and make real-time decisions about engagement, correction, restraint, and escalation. The exercise emphasizes leadership judgment, message discipline, and internal alignment while navigating reputationally sensitive online environments.
C. Training Objectives: By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:
A. Unit Time: 15 minutes
B. Unit Description: This unit provides a summary of Day One content and addresses participant questions.
Day 2
A. Unit Time: 60 minute
B. Unit Description: This unit examines how media organizations operate, including editorial pressures, deadlines, and decision-making processes, and how these dynamics have evolved with the rise of social media, digital platforms, and online influencers. Participants explore how traditional journalism, real-time reporting, and independent content creators intersect to shape public narratives, and how understanding this expanded media landscape and building professional relationships influence accuracy, tone, and public trust during crisis situations.
C. Training Objectives: By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:
A. Unit Time: 60 minutes
B. Unit Description: This unit introduces foundational public speaking principles through a leadership and crisis communications lens. Emphasis is placed on message construction, nonverbal communication, optics, and relatability during high-stakes public moments where credibility and trust are under scrutiny.
C. Training Objectives: By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:
A. Unit Time: 90 minutes
B. Unit Description: This unit focuses on managing high-risk questioning environments, including media interviews and public forums. Participants learn bridging techniques and examine common mistakes that lead to loss of message guidance, reputational damage, or unintended headlines.
C. Training Objectives: By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:
A. Unit Time: 60 minutes
B. Unit Description: Participants engage in simulated questioning scenarios designed to apply bridging techniques under pressure. Instructor critique reinforces disciplined messaging, tone control, and leadership presence during adversarial or emotionally charged exchanges.
C. Training Objectives: By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:
A. Unit Time: 60 minutes
B. Unit Description: This unit examines the strategic and logistical considerations involved in planning and conducting public-facing briefings and news conferences. Participants explore how timing, staging, visuals, sound, spokesperson selection, and coordination influence credibility, message clarity, and public confidence.
C. Training Objectives: By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:
A. Unit Time: 45 minutes
B. Unit Description: This unit focuses on written communication during crisis, emphasizing clarity, accuracy, and credibility. Participants examine how news releases function as official records and how structure, tone, and word choice influence media coverage and public understanding.
C. Training Objectives: By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:
A. Unit Time: 45 minutes
B. Unit Description: Participants draft an initial news release with limited information and evolving facts. Instructor critique focuses on clarity, accuracy, and leadership judgment in determining what information to include or withhold.
C. Training Objectives: By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:
A. Unit Time: 15 minutes
B. Unit Description: Review of key concepts and preparation for live execution on Day Three.
Evening Keynote Theme: Reputational Crises
Day 3
A. Unit Time: 4 hours
B. Unit Description: This capstone exercise places participants into a simulated high-impact event requiring them to plan, stage, and conduct a live public briefing or news conference. Participants assume leadership, spokesperson, and support roles while instructors act as members of the media. The exercise emphasizes message discipline, public speaking, bridging, leadership presence, and real-time decision-making under scrutiny.
C. Training Objectives: By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:
A. Unit Time: 60 minutes
B. Unit Description: This final unit consolidates course lessons and challenges participants to translate learning into actionable improvements within their organizations.
C. Training Objectives: By the end of this unit, participants will be able to:
Tickets are available for $150pp through the National Association of Professional Staff in Public Safety, in partnership with UVA and NLEOMF.
