That’s the verdict of Gerry McCusker, a 30+ year PR veteran who has built the first Arabic-language crisis training tool for the future called The Drill. Crisis management training has finally met the digital and interactive age, via a software solution that spells the end for tabletop and flip-board crisis rehearsals.

The Drill’s live, online technology dramatises the way organisations prepare for crises with an interactive methodology that delivers training outcomes via realistic and time-sensitive publishing. And clients don’t need any special facilities, software or venues to access this innovative tool.

Creator of The Drill crisis simulation portal, Gerry McCusker, has tested and proven that his new digital technology can immerse clients into a wholly realistic PR disaster, safely within a secure online portal, enhancing crisis planning and preparedness.

Clients login, and for the next 4-8 hours all their communications - email, online, phones and content creation - are contained and escalated within the fully realistic, media-rich environment.

The Drill simulates multi-channel pressures - from crisis logs to emails plus online news media, radio and TV reports and social media.

“Digital technologies have revolutionised how interests attack brands and businesses online. Our portal revolutionises how companies train staff to handle such threats.” says McCusker.

As a crisis learning portal, The Drill’s interactive environment helps clients probe the right questions and formulate strategic - and online-savvy - crisis responses. It’s unique in that it guides clients through an issues management methodology, while allowing them to experience real-life crisis challenges, curve-balls and ‘tests’.

The product had its pre-launch at The International Emergency Management Society conference in San Diego in September 2016, and since then has been deployed by clients and peak bodies from Sydney to Singapore and Sharjah. Clients include organisations spanning the agriculture, construction, education, finance, food, healthcare, infrastructure and Oil & Gas sectors.

“We believe The Drill offers clients the worst day of their professional life. And after they’ve done our drill, they’ll be well-prepared for when it all gets real,” McCusker concludes.

About The Drill:

The Drill is the premier, boutique online crisis simulation technology, developed by seasoned crisis communications experts to provide bespoke, real-time training experiences for organisations across various sectors. Launched in 2016 at The International Emergency Management Society (TIEMS) Annual Conference in San Diego, The Drill has since been adopted by numerous corporations and government agencies.

Offering a realistic replication of the pressures experienced during actual crises, The Drill crisis simulator enables participants to engage in interactive publishing and strategic decision-making within a controlled, online environment. The platform delivers tailored crisis scenarios ranging from cyber attacks to product recalls, accommodating training sessions for small executive teams to large, remotely located groups. Its flexibility allows for scaling up to conference-sized cohorts, with the largest session to date involving around 220 participants.

The Drill remains committed to enhancing organisational resilience through innovative, interactive crisis management training, ensuring clients are well-prepared to navigate the complexities of modern crises. For more, please visit www.thedrill.com.au