Crisis management training
Prepare your leaders to make decisions and communicate under pressure. Training comes from former CIA, DIA and State Department officers, including an emergency operations manager, the former head of CIA University and a diplomatic spokesperson who served in war zones.
Sarah CarlsonEx CIA officer & DIA analystWorked as an emergency operations manager after leaving CIA and now teaches corporate leaders how to lead during a crisis.
John GuyantEx CIA chief learning officerHeaded CIA University as chief learning officer and teaches crisis management through case studies, group exercises and facilitated panels.
Joshua PolacheckEx DoS diplomat and public affairs specialistServed as a State Department spokesperson in Mosul, Beirut and Islamabad, advising ambassadors on the public impact of policy decisions.
What your team learns
Each subject is taught by an expert who managed crises for an intelligence agency, the State Department or in the field. These are sessions they already deliver; we shape the mix around your team.
Leading through a crisis
What leaders need to do in the first hours of a crisis, and how to keep a team steady and effective while under fire.
Leadership in Crisis
Taught by Sarah Carlson, Ex CIA officer & DIA analyst
Preparing leadership to manage while under fire
Taught by Joshua Polacheck, Ex DoS diplomat and public affairs specialist
Crisis management essentials
Preparation, expertise and risk taking, and how to make decisions without perfect information, from people who managed crises for the CIA and in emergency operations.
Crisis Management
Taught by Sarah Carlson, Ex CIA officer & DIA analyst
Crisis Management
Taught by John Guyant, Ex CIA chief learning officer
Decisions and risk under pressure
How to keep thinking clearly when the stakes are high, and how to read risk during crises and negotiations.
Thriving Under Pressure
Taught by Toby Harnden, Orwell Prize-winning author and ex foreign correspondent
Understanding risk in crises and negotiations, especially in emerging / frontier markets in risk mitigation
Taught by Kenneth Dekleva, Ex DoS medical officer & psychiatrist
Crisis communications and public narratives
Handling the media and shaping the public story when a crisis becomes news, taught by a former State Department spokesperson.
Public affairs & crisis management
Taught by Joshua Polacheck, Ex DoS diplomat and public affairs specialist
Managing & influencing public narratives
Taught by Joshua Polacheck, Ex DoS diplomat and public affairs specialist
Media management
Taught by Joshua Polacheck, Ex DoS diplomat and public affairs specialist
Personal preparedness and hostile environments
How individuals prepare for emergencies and survive life-threatening situations, from people who have operated in hostile territory.
How to Survive a Life-threatening Crisis
Taught by Toby Harnden, Orwell Prize-winning author and ex foreign correspondent
Personal Preparedness
Taught by Sarah Carlson, Ex CIA officer & DIA analyst
Wit, Grit and the Art of Operating in Hostile Territories
Taught by Joseph Assad, Ex counterterrorism official
Built for the people who lead in a crisis
Executives and leadership teams
Leading people through a crisis and making the hard calls without perfect information.
Risk and security leaders
Preparedness, risk in crises and negotiations, and operating safely in hostile environments.
Communications and public affairs
Media management and keeping control of the public narrative when a crisis becomes news.
Operations and emergency teams
The essentials of crisis management and personal preparedness for the people who respond first.
Your crisis management trainers
CIA officers, diplomats, a psychiatrist, a counterterrorism official and a war correspondent who have led, advised and survived under pressure.
- CIA & DIAThis former CIA officer is a deeply experienced emergency preparedness expert and a published author.Sarah CarlsonEx CIA officer & DIA analystExpert on emergency preparedness, counterterrorism, Middle East
- CIAThis former head of CIA University currently helps the CIA develop its world-class workforce & leads employee wellness programs.John GuyantEx CIA chief learning officerExpert on change management, executive leadership, corporate learning
- DoSThis master of public narrative management was honored by the State Department for constructive dissent.Joshua PolacheckEx DoS diplomat and public affairs specialistExpert on media management, public narratives, crisis and change management
- CIA
This 28-year veteran of CIA’s clandestine service & security expert retired in 2018 with a rank equivalent to a three-star general.Darrell BlockerEx CIA officer & station chiefExpert on security, risk, crisis management, diversity & inclusion, entertainment - Sunday Times
This best-selling author was the Washington Bureau Chief of the Sunday Times of London.Toby HarndenOrwell Prize-winning author and ex foreign correspondentExpert on war reporting, CIA operations after 9/11, and thriving under pressure - DoS
This former U.S. DOS medical officer & psychiatrist has provided mental health support to 60,000 U.S. diplomats and family members.Kenneth DeklevaEx DoS medical officer & psychiatristExpert on leadership analysis, mental health, psychiatry-medicine integration - US Gov
This SPYEX consultant facilitated a multi-million dollar settlement between a US-based client and a foreign government.Joseph AssadEx counterterrorism officialExpert on security, negotiating, counterterrorism, counterintelligence, human rights - CIA
This security, intel and entertainment consultant also specializes in the history of intelligence collection.Doug PattesonEx CIA operations officerExpert on security, intelligence, firearms, hostage advocacy, entertainment
What audiences say
"Sarah was an exceptional CIA counterterrorism analyst, who eloquently recounts lessons learned from her exhilarating and inspirational career — all of which are highly meaningful for any private sector audience."
Daniel Hoffman
Ex senior executive Clandestine Services officer and station chief, CIA, on Sarah Carlson
"Whether consulting on film projects — from historical to modern — or helping us sort out a tricky security issue, we know we can count on Doug to deliver exceptional support to Sony and our extended network of partners."
Tom Bernard
Co-President, Sony Pictures Classics, on Doug Patteson
"Darrell is a compelling communicator who captivates audiences within moments. His talks on leadership, diversity and inclusion against the backdrop of the world of espionage are inspiring, motivating and timely."
Jayne Amelia Larson
New York Times best-selling author and entertainment professional, on Darrell Blocker
Crisis management training questions
More on SPYEX training, consulting and risk assessment and mitigation.
Crisis management training prepares leaders and their teams to act when something goes wrong: making decisions under pressure, leading people through the event, managing risk and communicating with the public. SPYEX sessions are taught by former intelligence, diplomatic and emergency management professionals who handled crises themselves.
Experts including Sarah Carlson (ex CIA officer and DIA analyst, later an emergency operations manager), John Guyant (ex CIA chief learning officer), Joshua Polacheck (ex State Department diplomat and spokesperson), Toby Harnden (Orwell Prize-winning author and ex foreign correspondent), Kenneth Dekleva (ex State Department medical officer and psychiatrist) and Joseph Assad (ex counterterrorism official).
Sessions can be shaped for executives and leadership teams, risk and security leaders, communications and public affairs teams, or operations and emergency teams. Tell us who will be in the room and we will match the expert and topic to them.
Yes. Joshua Polacheck served as a State Department spokesperson in Mosul, Beirut and Islamabad and trains teams in media management, public narratives and preparing leadership to manage while under fire.
Yes. SPYEX also arranges consulting and speaking engagements. Darrell Blocker, a 28-year veteran of CIA's clandestine service, is COO of MOSAIC, a strategic risk and crisis management, intelligence and security advisory firm, and is available for consulting and speaking.
Fill in the booking form on this page or contact us. Tell us about your project and we will connect you with the best expert.
Book crisis management training
Tell us about your project and we will connect you with the best expert.