The Business Continuity Crisis Lead Manager course prepares professionals to structure, lead and govern crisis management in contexts of high uncertainty, time pressure and potential strategic, reputational and operational impact. The training frames crisis as a phenomenon distinct from incidents, emergencies and current operational continuity, enabling participants to make decisions under pressure, coordinate teams and functions, communicate with interested parties and integrate response, continuity and recovery in a coherent manner.
Quick Access: Introduction· Why this course exists· What this course enables· Frameworks and standards· Value· Objectives· Target audience· Programme· Exam & Certification· Other information· Benefits· Logistics· Registration
Upcoming dates
Confirmed dates.
Synchronous, live training. Interaction with the trainer and the group.
Live Online • next edition
Live Online • base price
Language: available in Portuguese or English
Training: practical and case-study based
Exam: 2h
SPECIALIST LEVEL — advanced competences to lead, coordinate and govern crisis management.
Why this course exists
To bridge the critical gap between operational incident response and strategic direction in a crisis context.
Many organisations have partial response, continuity, communication or operational management capabilities, but do not have a structured crisis management capability that enables escalation to be recognised, appropriate governance to be activated, cross-functional decisions to be coordinated, communication to be consistent and the organisation to be sustained during a period of high instability.
The Business Continuity Crisis Lead Manager course exists to bridge that gap, focusing on crisis capability as a strategic and organisational function: context, governance, leadership, decision-making, escalation, coordination, communication, integration with continuity and recovery, and post-crisis learning.
What this course enables you to do
Distinguish
Distinguish issues, incidents, emergencies, disasters and crises, recognising when the situation has exceeded normal operational management and requires strategic direction.
Structure
Structure crisis governance models, defining roles, responsibilities, lines of authority, activation criteria and coordination mechanisms.
Decide
Make and sustain decisions in contexts of pressure, uncertainty, incomplete information and potentially high consequences.
Coordinate
Coordinate crisis teams and functions, articulating leadership, operational situation, continuity, recovery, third parties and interested parties.
Communicate
Prepare and conduct internal and external crisis communication in a structured, coherent and defensible way, protecting trust, reputation and response capability.
Learn
Transform crises and near-crises into critical review, lessons learned, continuous improvement and capability strengthening.
Frameworks, standards and best practices addressed throughout the course
ISO 22361:2022 — Crisis management: guidelines
ISO 22320:2018 — incident management (operational interface)
ISO 22300:2025 — vocabulary and terminology
ISO 22301 — interface with the BCMS
ISO 22313 — guidance on the use of ISO 22301
PD CEN/TS 17091:2018 — strategic capability for crisis management (reference)
NFPA 1600 — continuity, emergency and crisis management (reference)
ENISA — cyber crisis management (interface reference)
CNCS — risk and crisis communication in cybersecurity (national interface reference)
Value for the organisation
- Strengthens leadership and coordination capability in situations of high pressure and instability.
- Creates a common language and a defensible method for crisis activation, governance, decision-making and communication.
- Reduces improvisation and misalignment between leadership, operational functions, communication, continuity and recovery.
- Establishes a solid basis for preparation, validation, audit, reporting, evidence and continuous improvement of crisis capability.
Introduction
The Business Continuity Crisis Lead Manager course is a Behaviour specialisation in Crisis Management, aligned with ISO/TS 22360:2024, ISO 22361:2022 and recognised international practices.
The course enables professionals to understand the nature and evolution of crises, distinguish crisis from other forms of disruption, structure crisis governance and teams, lead strategic decisions, communicate with interested parties and integrate response, continuity and recovery under a coherent and auditable logic.
As participants progress through the course topics, the integration between context, leadership, decision-making, coordination, communication and organisational learning is reinforced. The course works with a transversal case study and respective sub-scenarios, used as a basis for practical activities and contextualised questions carried out exclusively online.
This course prepares participants for the Certified Business Continuity Crisis Lead Manager personal certification.
This Training Plan and all associated documents are protected by Copyright and registered as a literary work with IGAC.
General Objectives
At the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Understand crisis management and the positioning of the course, distinguishing crisis from risk management, incident response, emergency management, Business Impact Analysis (BIA), continuity strategies, exercises and other specialisations within the Behaviour Business Continuity architecture.
- Distinguish emerging issues, incidents, emergencies, disasters and crises, recognising escalation, breaking points and signs of deterioration.
- Structure crisis governance models, defining roles, responsibilities, lines of authority, activation criteria and coordination mechanisms.
- Lead and support strategic decision-making processes in contexts of pressure, uncertainty and incomplete information.
- Organise crisis teams and functions, promoting situational awareness, information flow and coordination between strategic, operational and technical levels.
- Define and sustain crisis communication approaches with internal and external interested parties, including reputation, messages, media and communication consistency.
- Integrate crisis management with business continuity, operational response and recovery, avoiding overlaps and governance gaps.
- Contribute to validation, post-crisis review, lessons learned and continuous improvement of organisational crisis management capability.
- Prepare the approach to simulations and the final exam, with focus on scenario reading, judgement and time management.
Target Audience
- Business Continuity and Organisational Resilience professionals who need to deepen the crisis management component.
- Risk, GRC, Operations, Security, Corporate Affairs, Communication, Compliance and Operational Resilience professionals.
- Executives and functional managers with a relevant role in crisis structures.
- Consultants, auditors and managers responsible for the design, assessment or evolution of crisis and continuity capabilities.
- Professionals who need to articulate response, continuity, recovery and communication in a governed manner.
Prerequisites
There are no mandatory formal prerequisites. Fundamental knowledge of business continuity, organisational resilience or governance is recommended. Experience in coordination, management, risk, operations, security, communication or related functions is valued, but not mandatory.
However, other specific requirements may apply, where relevant, depending on the quotation or proposal presented.
Programme
Introduction to the course
- Presentation of the course and learning experience
- Training rules and information
- Course objectives
- Transversal case study and sub-scenario logic
- Exam, certification and general framework
- Course calendar
Crisis Management Framework and Fundamentals
- Role of crisis management
- What crisis management is — and what it is not
- Boundaries with risk, BIA, strategy, exercises, ICT readiness and incident response
- Relationship between crisis, continuity, response and recovery
- Introduction to the case study
Nature, Categories and Evolution of Crisis
- Emerging issues, incidents, emergencies, disasters and crises
- Crisis as a contextual, systemic and dynamic phenomenon
- Progression, escalation and breaking points
- Acute, incubated and recurring crisis
- Application to the case study
Crisis Governance Structures and Models
- Crisis governance and framework
- Leadership and direction structures
- Roles, responsibilities and authority
- Activation and escalation criteria
- Relationship between strategic, operational and technical levels
- Application to the case study
Leadership, Decision-Making and Escalation
- Leadership in crisis
- Strategic decision-making under pressure
- Dilemmas, delays and decision avoidance
- Prioritisation and decision criteria
- Escalation and consequences
- Application to the case study
Teams, Functions, Situation and Coordination
- Organisation of crisis teams and functions
- Situation, information and situational awareness
- Internal and external coordination
- Resources, interfaces and dependencies
- Common operational view
- Application to the case study
Crisis Communication and Interested Parties
- Internal and external communication in crisis
- Interested parties and reputation
- Communication strategy
- Spokesperson, media relations and message consistency
- Communication barriers and communication risks
- Application to the case study
Integration with Continuity, Response, Recovery and Learning
- Interface with business continuity
- Interface with incident management and recovery
- Readiness and capability
- Training, validation and review
- Lessons learned and improvement
- Application to the case study
Consolidation and Exam Preparation
- Cross-cutting integration and scenario-based review
- Frequent errors
- Exam approach strategy
- Time management and scenario reading
- Presentation of simulations
- Closing and next steps
Exam(s) and Certification
Exam “Certified Business Continuity Crisis Lead Manager”
The exam covers the following competence domains:
- Domain 1: Crisis Management Fundamentals and Framework
- Domain 2: Nature, Categories and Evolution of Crisis
- Domain 3: Crisis Governance Structures and Activation
- Domain 4: Leadership, Strategic Decision-Making and Escalation
- Domain 5: Teams, Functions, Situation and Coordination
- Domain 6: Crisis Communication and Interested Parties
- Domain 7: Integration, Readiness, Validation and Learning
Language(s): Portuguese and English.
Duration: 2 hours (120 minutes).
Format: Multiple-choice questions, scenario-based.
Number of questions: 90 questions.
Pass mark: 700/1000 points.
Results: Pass or Fail.
Issuing entity: Behaviour (legal entity), through its certification service Behaviour Certification Services.
Retake: 1 free retake within a maximum period of 2 months after the release date of the exam result.
Certification
After passing the exam and signing the agreement / Code of Ethics, the candidate may apply for one of the three levels, according to experience:
- Certified Business Continuity Crisis Associate: no previous experience required
- Certified Business Continuity Crisis Manager: 2 years of professional experience in areas such as crisis management, business continuity, operational resilience, risk management, GRC, security, operations, corporate communication, Corporate Affairs or equivalent functions
- Certified Business Continuity Crisis Lead Manager: 5 years of professional experience, including effective responsibility in coordination, governance, strategic leadership or functional leadership in crisis management, business continuity, organisational resilience, emergency management, corporate security, critical operations, crisis communication or equivalent functions
A Certificate and a Digital Certification Badge will be issued to participants who successfully complete the certification exam and satisfy all requirements of the certification for which they are applying. Certification is issued by Behaviour (legal entity), through its certification service Behaviour Certification Services.
The personal certification programme “Certified Business Continuity Crisis Lead Manager” is designed and maintained in accordance with the ISO/IEC 17024 standard.
Certification programmes are valid only for individuals, and the award and maintenance of certification depend on the exam result, professional experience and compliance with the applicable agreement / Code of Ethics.
If the professional does not comply with the agreement / Code of Ethics, certification is not granted or is revoked.
Other Information
General Information
- Training available in Portuguese or English.
- Online training materials available in Portuguese or English, with online access, in accordance with the awarded conditions.
- Practical step-by-step implementation methodology.
- Behaviour digital Training Attendance Certificate with 24 CPD/CPE credits.
- Online Certification Exam, in Portuguese or English. The exam may be taken up to 2 months from the course start date.
- If the candidate does not pass the exam, they are entitled to one free retake within a maximum period of 2 months from the release date of the initial exam result.
- Digital Certification Diploma and Digital Certification Badge after passing the exam and completing the application process. This process has no associated cost.
Trainer(s)
Benefits
View benefits
- Distinctive specialisation in crisis management applied to demanding organisational contexts.
- Real capability to structure and lead crisis governance beyond immediate operational response.
- Solid preparation for regulated, auditable and highly reputation-exposed environments.
- Strengthened articulation between leadership, continuity, communication, recovery and continuous improvement.
Logistics
Useful information
- Live Online (synchronous time): 09h30–17h30 (Lisbon time), with lunch break and short breaks
- Classroom (synchronous time): 09h30–17h30 (Lisbon time), with lunch break and short breaks
- 21 hours of synchronous training, distributed across 3 consecutive days
- Estimated 3 hours of guided autonomous work, intended for content consolidation and exam preparation, carried out flexibly outside synchronous sessions
- Requirements: computer with stable internet, browser, PDF reader and audio/video
Hotels in Lisbon
Frequently Asked Questions
Objective answers to additional questions about the Business Continuity Crisis Lead Manager course framework and usefulness.
Is this course useful for organisations that do not yet have a formal crisis management structure?
Yes. The course helps create a common foundation, clarify lines of authority, define activation criteria and structure coordination mechanisms, even when the organisation has not yet formalised a crisis management model.
Does the course help define criteria to activate and escalate a crisis?
Yes. The training addresses activation, escalation, governance and decision-making criteria, enabling participants to frame when a situation exceeds normal operational response and requires strategic direction.
Is this course applicable only to cyber crises?
No. The course applies to different types of crisis, including operational, reputational, technological, regulatory, multi-cause or hybrid crises, whenever they require strategic coordination, communication and strengthened governance.
Does the course address crisis communication with management, employees, clients, regulators and media?
Yes. The course addresses internal and external communication, interested parties, message consistency, the role of the spokesperson and communication risks in scenarios of high exposure and pressure.
Is this course also useful for reviewing and improving an existing crisis model?
Yes. In addition to supporting organisations in the structuring phase, the course is also useful to review roles, interfaces, decision criteria, evidence, post-crisis review and lessons learned in existing models.
For general questions about registration, delivery modes, exams, certification and recertification, please consult the BEHAVIOUR® FAQs.
Registration
Complete the form to request your registration for the preferred edition. Check the upcoming dates.
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For team registrations, we provide volume conditions and a proposal tailored to the organisational need.
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This course may be attended by individual professionals. It may also be integrated into capability-building paths for teams and managers with leadership, coordination and decision-making roles in crisis contexts.