How a CIPR trainer supports PR professionals navigate risk and crisis

A CIPR course could help shift your strategy to predict and prepare for a crisis and give you the tools to respond effectively. We caught up with trainer Ben Verinder to find out more.

Tell us about your experience and specialisms.

I'm a reputation research agency MD, former in-house comms director, co-editor of AI for PR, Founding Chartered PR Practitioner with specialisms in responsible AI adoption and the use of behavioural psychology in PR and crisis communications. I am a longstanding researcher into PR populations and author of the State of Profession studies.

Which CIPR courses do you deliver?

Risk issues management and crisis, crisis communications, creating a crisis comms plan, creating a PR strategy, AI for reputation leadership, reputation management, and strategic AI adoption for PR teams. [See below]

What challenge or frustration are PR professionals struggling with most in this area right now?

Shifting from experimental usage of AI at a personal level to strategic, impactful and responsible adoption across the team.

What changes or trends are reshaping this area of work?

Swift technological development, shifts in public awareness and trust, legal and regulatory developments and a lot more besides.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about this area of practice?

That AI deployment is an IT project. When it is, in fact, a people project with huge ramifications for relationships and reputations, internal and external, and is thus the domain of public relations.