Crisis communications plan: How to build one, with template

Importance of crisis communications

Without a crisis communication plan, employees and their families will not know how the organization is responding to a crisis. Stakeholders and other third parties will not know what is happening, and government agencies, first responders and other emergency services will not know how the crisis is progressing. In short, a lack of communication about the crisis can be almost as serious as the crisis itself.

Events such as wildfires in the western U.S. and Canada and serious flooding from storms in the center of the country are among the situations where crisis communications is an essential activity. Government agencies, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, strongly encourage the preparation of crisis communications activities and offer guidance on preparing and testing plans.

A crisis communications plan defines the overall strategy and methodology for communicating information about the crisis to everyone who needs to know. The plan's success, especially over a protracted time, will affect the overall perception of how the crisis was handled. This can also help ensure the company's reputation is preserved -- and possibly even enhanced.

Stories involving ineffective crisis communications abound, such as the Tylenol scare in the 1980s, where poor communications -- both internal and external -- had a dramatic effect on Johnson & Johnson's reputation. The Tylenol crisis is also a case study in how a major organization used communications to turn its fortunes around and exit the crisis stronger than before.

Crisis communications plan template

Crisis communications plans will vary among organizations due to different requirements and resources. Download the included crisis communications plan template and customize it to suit your needs. This template can be used to initiate a new plan or update an existing one.

6 steps to build a crisis communications plan

The following steps will help in the planning, preparation, development, testing and execution of crisis communications plans. When creating a crisis communications plan, don't overlook these critical actions.

Download our crisis
communications plan
template here.

1. Preplan for crisis communications

To create a crisis communications plan, several components must be identified, developed and approved. Complete the following actions early to get crisis communications planning off the ground:

• Secure senior management approval to create/update a plan.
• Gather input from departments, including human resources, security, risk management, IT and facilities.
• Identify members of the crisis communications team.
• Identify the crisis communications team leadership.
• Identify authorized company spokespeople.
• Conduct training and preparation for spokespeople.
• Develop an approach for managing TV/radio/print media.
• Develop an approach for managing social media.
• Develop a process for testing and documenting the plan.
• Develop an approach for communicating with families and other key entities.

Many books and articles have been written about crisis communications. Examples include The Manager's Guide to Quick Crisis Response: Effective Action in an Emergency and Executing Crisis: A C-Suite Crisis Leadership Survival Guide, both from Rothstein Publishing. These can be helpful in getting started and as handy reference guides for use as needed during a crisis.

2. Identify potential audiences

Crisis communications plans affect many different people and organizations. Among the most important are employees and their families; stakeholders, shareholders and investors; clients and B2B customers; members of the company supply chain; government at all levels; and the general public via traditional media and social media.

Plans can fail because they do not reach all the relevant consumers of information about the crisis. Therefore, company leaders and emergency team leaders must define message recipients in the planning stages.

3. Gather technologies and resources

Aligned with a crisis communications plan are various technologies and resources that help deliver messages to the appropriate parties. These can include the following:

• Preparing prewritten messages, such as press releases, that can be updated and distributed as needed.
• Preparing blank messaging templates that can be formatted into whatever message needs to be sent.
• Deploying emergency notification system (ENS) technology, which can quickly distribute messages to employees, stakeholders, third parties and others quickly and accurately.
• Deploying an externally hosted ENS, if possible, that can reduce the likelihood that the system is disrupted by the crisis.
• Deploying internal collaboration platforms, such as SharePoint, that can be accessed by employees and other authorized parties for message distribution both locally and remotely.
• Using a phone system all-page feature, in which all phones can be used for audio message delivery using their built-in speakers; commands can be entered into the phone system to broadcast a message to all phones equipped with a speaker.
• Deploying audio and video conferencing systems, whether on-site or via the internet, to facilitate timely meetings and other crisis management activities.
• Implementing a social media strategy, where messages about the crisis can be posted to provide updated information, quash rumors and post brief stories on how employees have been coping with the crisis.
• Preparing a media briefing area, equipped for delivering status reports, answering media questions and keeping audiences informed.

4. Identify and analyze key risks

When developing emergency response activities, it is always useful to examine the risks, threats and vulnerabilities the organization faces. A risk assessment can help tailor crisis plans to specific situations the organization might face and develop communications protocols to address them. For example, organizations located in tornado and hurricane zones must ensure their plans have procedures that respond to the likely outcomes of such events.

Does the organization have remote workers? Employees who work remotely will likely be affected by a disruption and face different risks than onsite workers. A crisis communications plan must provide the specific information needed by those remote workers to make sure they are safe and able to continue working.

5. Outline steps for each stage of the crisis

Communication must remain a priority through all stages of a crisis to keep decision-makers and stakeholders informed. Organizations should identify how to communicate during each stage of a crisis.

Precrisis. Activities can involve preparing message distribution systems, such as ensuring all contact databases, call trees and other lists are up to date. Prepare general press release templates that can be quickly edited based on the crisis, and train the employees you've selected as company spokespeople to deal with the media. Establish or identify social media accounts where official communication will occur. Train employees on what to say to external parties during a crisis.

During the crisis. The primary goal is to keep communicating, even if nothing has changed. It is better to communicate too often than not enough. Conduct periodic meetings or conference calls with business leaders to ensure that the information to be distributed is accurate and current. Keep in contact with crisis management teams and keep senior management informed of new information. Ensure that senior management -- or whoever is designated to authorize releases -- approves any new or updated information.

Postcrisis. Once the crisis has subsided -- or, at least, is being managed effectively -- conduct meetings with all communications team members and spokespeople to discuss how well the crisis communications plan worked and lessons learned. Prepare a report for senior management on crisis communications.

Like any plan dealing with emergency situations, be sure to review and update your crisis communications plan periodically and exercise it to ensure that all players know their roles and responsibilities when a crisis occurs.

Paul Kirvan, FBCI, CISA, is an independent consultant and technical writer with more than 35 years of experience in business continuity, disaster recovery, resilience, cybersecurity, GRC, telecom and technical writing.