Make it your New Year’s resolution to update your crisis communication plan

January 3, 2023 | Connor by

Connor

Updating your crisis communication plan, It’s the job we all put off because we have far more pressing things to deal with.

But crises never strike at a convenient time and there is nothing worse than leaving your organisation exposed to reputational damage because your plan was found wanting.

All the months and years of good work that your PR and marketing teams have done to build a positive PR profile can be undone in minutes. Is it worth the risk?

Here we provide seven easy steps to help you to get your Crisis Comms Plan shipshape. Make it your New Year’s resolution to do so.

  1. Check all your contact numbers are up-to-date and you have a process in place if key contacts are away. Make sure the relevant team members have access to your website and social media log-ins – so you can update them speedily in a crisis if needed.
  2. Make sure you have designated roles in a crisis – including who will be media spokespeople, who will be responsible for internal comms and who will monitor media and social media.
  3. Devise simple checklists itemising roles and responsibilities – in a crisis, time is of the essence and no-one will have time to read through a lengthy crisis document. It’s easy for a vital action to be missed, often because you think someone else is doing it. Make sure everyone knows what they have to do.
  4. Create simple templates covering incident brief, incident log, media inquiries log and media statements log. It is vital to record what happens when and these will help you capture what information is in the public domain and ensure efficiency and consistency of response.
  5. Arrange crisis media skills training for your spokespeople. The best media interviewee can crumble under pressure. And if your senior leaders haven’t been media trained, it is unlikely to go well when they have to respond to potentially hostile questions in a crisis situation.
  6. Ensure comms has a seat at the top table and communication arrangements are agreed in advance by your senior team. Crisis comms can’t be signed off by committee – it causes damaging delays which will threaten your company’s reputation. Avoid creating bottlenecks as communication needs to take place swiftly and regularly.
  7. Build resilience into your plans. A crisis may last days or weeks and, as fatigue sets in, so do bad decisions. It’s tempting to call everyone in when a crisis looms, make sure you have resources in reserve to handle the recovery phase.

How Mosaic can help shape your crisis communication plan

With decades of experience as journalists and in senior communications roles, including in the police service, Mosaic’s team can support you to develop and test your crisis communication plan. And we can provide ongoing support to help you out during a crisis.

We also offer tailored crisis communications training, providing practical experience of preparing for and undertaking challenging media interviews. Contact us for more information.

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