Crisis Planning

A Quick Checklist

Planning Objectives:

An effective crisis communications plan should:

• define response strategies that can be implemented when a crisis occurs;
• assign crisis communications resources and responsibilities;
• enable you to reach target audiences with key messages, and
• enable crisis communications managers to launch public information and media relations campaigns immediately during a crisis.

Planning Questions 

Crisis planners should answer these questions:

• Can we move immediately?
• Can we switch on a plan?
• Can resources be called out immediately, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day?
• Do we know what to say?
• Do we know who we want to reach - in order of priority?
• Do we have trained crisis communications managers to implement our plan?
• Do we have media trained competent public spokespersons?

Planning Steps   

Now develop a basic working draft of a plan which contains the following elements:

1. An outline of the need for and benefits of the plan.
2. A description of the types of crises which your organization may face.
3. Categorize these possible crises under broad headings: accidents, financial, personnel, abuse, etc. Assess and prioritise each crisis as to its level of probability and impact.
4. Identify crisis management team - both permanent and ad hoc members, the decision-making process, approvals, etc..
5. Establish protocols, sign-offs, responsibilities, time frames (the goal is to short-circuit the usual decision-making approvals to allow the organization to be able to react quickly enough in a crisis). Identify third-party potential supporters or credible experts who can play a role in public assurances
6. Coordinate responsibilities with other Departments and agencies, and corporations and how they are to be involved - define criteria for designating lead agency status.
7. The principles which apply when communicating with the media.
8. Identify and prioritize target audiences and then identify channels of communications; update media list; consider alternate communications sources: newsletters, Internet dark site, email, fax-on-demand, 1-800 lines,
9. Develop stand-by message and tactics. Prepare template media tools, ready-to-use: news releases, media statements, fact sheets, backgrounds which should be prepared in advance, etc.
10. Devise a system to regularly test and drill the crisis communications plan.
11. Define how the implementation of the crisis communications plan is to be assessed post-crisis so that the organization can learn from and improve on each experience.