A crisis communication plan that fits on one page
Long plans are not read at 11pm. Here is the version people actually use.
A usable plan names who decides, who speaks, who preserves evidence and who briefs staff; defines what counts as a crisis; contains a pre-approved holding statement; and lists contacts for counsel, insurer and any regulator. Anything longer will not be opened during the event it was written for.
The four roles
- Decision-maker. One person with authority to approve statements. Not a committee.
- Spokesperson. One voice externally. Frequently not the decision-maker.
- Evidence keeper. Captures URLs, screenshots and metrics, and maintains the timestamped log.
- Internal comms. Briefs staff so nobody improvises to a customer or a journalist.
The trigger definition
Without a definition, everything is a crisis or nothing is. Write down what activates the plan: content reaching a threshold of views, any national outlet contact, anything involving safety, regulators, minors or discrimination, and any content naming an executive.
Below the threshold it is handled as routine. That distinction stops teams from convening at midnight over a two-star review.
Define the trigger, or every bad day becomes a crisis and every real crisis starts late.
The pre-approved statement
Write and approve the holding statement now, in calm conditions, with legal sign-off. During an incident there is no time to draft and clear language, which is why so many first statements are bad.
One paragraph, stating awareness, that facts are being established, and when an update will follow. The version in what to say when a story breaks works for most organisations.
Test it once a year
A tabletop exercise of ninety minutes finds the gaps: nobody knows who has the platform logins, the insurer contact left, the out-of-hours number goes to a dead line.
Finding that in a meeting is free. Finding it at 11pm on a Friday is not.
Common questions
How long should the plan be?
One page for the operational part. Detailed appendices are fine as long as the page that gets used stands alone.
Who should hold a copy?
Everyone in the four roles, printed and offline. Crises sometimes involve losing access to systems.
Does a small business need this?
Yes, and more than a large one, because there is no communications department to improvise a structure on the night.
Find out if it can come down.
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Working through this for a business? See Crisis reputation management.