Crisis Communications Plan Template Sample Via
Crisis Communications Plan Template Sample Via
Crisis Communications Plan Template Sample Via
Plan
The information in this document is for informational purposes only and does not constitute tax, business, accounting, or legal
advice, nor does the information necessarily reflect the opinions of Workshop or any of its advisors. This article provides general
information, which may or may not be correct, complete, or current at the time of reading. Workshop accepts no responsibility
for the accuracy of the information in this article and expressly disclaims all liability for any actions taken or not taken based on
the information in this article. The information contained in this article is not intended to be used as a substitute for specific legal
or other advice or opinions. You should seek advice from the appropriate professional for your specific situation.
This crisis communications plan defines the responsibilities and procedures for communicating
with internal and external stakeholders in the event of a significant, unforeseen business
disruption or threat to the company’s reputation.
At any point, you can find a digital copy of this Crisis Communication Plan here (link) and physical
copies of this plan here (detail location), along with an up-to-date org chart, employee directory,
emergency evacuation procedures, and more.
We’ve created a framework to further define these crises and ensure swift action and an
appropriate response to match it, and provided some examples alongside them. These examples
may not always match the level listed here; for example, we may have a Level 3 crisis of executive
misconduct. These examples are used simply to illustrate the gravity of the “level” and ensure that
all parties understand the seriousness of the situation at hand.
Level Description
1 This is the highest level of crisis escalation and involves an all-hands-on-deck approach.
The situation is immediate and could potentially result in some sort of calamity, or
another massive threat to the company. The problem may linger for years and require a
long term intervention.
3 It doesn’t yet pose a long-term or immediate risk to the business, but the team should
still be on the same page for responding. This level is well-suited for an emerging crisis,
or any situation that can potentially be anticipated or addressed early in its
development to minimize the impact.
Examples: Rumors, corporate restructuring, short service outages, long wait times,
personnel issues, issues with company culture, weather emergencies, etc.
4 This is where most “crises” will fall into. They are typically bigger versions of day-to-day
issues that may need extra effort to be fully resolved and/or addressed.
Examples: Negative Glassdoor reviews, negative tweets from a customer, fire alarms,
other small disruptions to operations, etc.
The point person for any and all of these crises is our VP of Communications, Clara Jackson.
If you believe the crisis has a potential to be a Level 1 or a Level 2 (or you are unsure), please contact her
directly and immediately.
The following individuals make up our ‘first line of defense,’ and will also be informed once the
company is aware of a crisis at Levels 1-3.
If specific (or all) departments need to be brought in as part of the crisis response and/or a larger
response team is needed, these are the designated individuals and their contact information.
In an unknown crisis, we have outlined a generic set of roles and responsibilities to help outline
our communications to key stakeholders.
Internal FAQs
External FAQs
Spokesperson preparation
Spokesperson
Media communications
Board communications
Employee communications
Vendor communications
Community outreach
1. Determine a location for the crisis response center and begin setup. The crisis response
center needs to include:
i. Copies of the response plan, prepared statements and crisis &
communication team contact information
ii. Computers and phones
iii. Internet and phone/cell phone access with multiple phone lines available
iv. Scanner and copier access
v. Media and social media monitoring software
vi. Media contact lists (print and digital versions)
vii. Social media, monitoring sites and web login information
viii. Emergency supplies
ix. Anything else we might need to handle the crisis effectively
2. Convene the communications team to act on communications-related strategic objectives
issued by the first line of response team.
3. Develop a specific communication plan relevant to the actual circumstances of the crisis. It
will include:
a. Identifying and prioritizing our audiences.
b. Communication mechanisms for each audience (email, phone call, etc.).
c. Responsibilities and timelines for each task.
4. Assign a team member to create a timeline of the actual events related to the crisis, and
any and all responses given and actions taken.
5. Notify other department heads/the Greater Response Team to help manage the crisis.
6. Fill out the Crisis Factsheet (listed below) with as much information as you have available.
7. Craft key messages related to the actual circumstances (and refine/adapt them as needed).
8. Identify and prepare the spokesperson most appropriate for the situation.
9. Prepare possible response statements for telephone, email, text messages, website, social
media and crisis site inquiries using key messages.
10. Make sure your crisis response center is set up accurately and with copies of the crisis
communications response plan, the response statement and contact information for all
members of the crisis management team and communications team.
11. Assign responsibility to create and maintain phone and email logs of news
organizations/reporters/bloggers/websites covering the crisis and any other key
personnel, client, vendor partner, etc., who may be inquiring about the situation.
12. Notify staff.
a. Use available communication vehicles (Workshop, email, intranet, etc.) to call staff
to action as needed.
b. Hold a short briefing meeting onsite, or at a predetermined offsite location or via
conference call, to reassure staff members and prepare them for crisis
management.
c. Remind staff of existing media (social and traditional) policies.
d. Set predetermined times for staff members to reconvene to receive regular
updates and guidance.
e. Provide staff with key messages to communicate to customers, constituents and
vendors as appropriate.
13. Begin contacting those affected by the crisis. Identify best mechanisms to reach each
person, including phone, face-to-face meetings, conference calls, email, media briefings,
press releases, instant alerts, etc. Make specific assignments and include them on the
timeline.
14. Avoid a media crisis with response statements posted on your nonprofit’s website home
page and social media feeds as appropriate. If crisis warrants, develop additional online
pages to include press releases, photos, etc. Update all as needed.
15. Set regular times for communicating updates as needed.
16. Contact local emergency officials and government officials as necessary.
17. Make sure those affected by the crisis are being kept informed through regular phone
updates, email updates, RSS feeds, text messages, Intranet messages, etc.
18. Keep your timeline updated, documenting all actions taken and team members responsible
and make accessible to all crisis management team members to review.
Crisis Factsheet
Event name
Crisis level
Communication goal
DETAILS:
What happened?
Who is involved?
Who is affected?
Do we have credible
sources of information?
Messaging templates
The following templates will be used by the communications team in the event of a crisis we have
not prepared for. Only include definitive facts and not speculative details; verify everything you
say. Make sure that the statement is authentic and appropriate for the situation at hand.
We have recently been informed that a [what happened] at [location] involving [who] occurred today at
[time]. The incident is under investigation and more information is forthcoming.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you, and are working tirelessly to
ensure this issue doesn’t happen again.
This afternoon, we were made aware of a technical issue/outage that is affecting our [specify which
service or product].
This [issue] took place [date and time] and affected [this group of individuals]. We apologize that we are
not able to provide you with [service or product] at the moment. Our technicians are working diligently to
get our operations to full functionality as soon as possible.
We will continue to update you on our progress in resolving this matter at [website] and on Twitter. We
have created a dedicated customer service line to address any inquiries related to this issue. We ask that
you please be patient with our customer support team as they work to help address your concerns/needs.
The support team can be reached at 1-800-123-4567.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you, and are working tirelessly to
ensure this issue doesn’t happen again.
HOLDING STATEMENT - OFFENSIVE STATEMENT OR ACTION BY EMPLOYEE
Accusation only:
We are saddened by the recent allegations surrounding the [incident/accusation] with/against
[employee]. [Company] is committed to being a safe and inclusive workplace for all. We’re still assessing
the situation and these accusations. We want to understand what happened, and our next step will be to
work with our [people operations/human resources/executive/legal] team(s) to determine the best course
of action. In the meantime, we would like to offer our sincerest apologies to all of those affected or upset
by these accusations.
Confirmed evidence:
The viewpoints expressed by this employee do not represent [company’s] values at all, and we empathize
with those hurt, upset, and disturbed by the employee’s [words/actions]. We emphatically denounce
what [employee] has [said/done], and as a result, have made the decision that we can no longer
[represent/employ/collaborate/partner with] [employee]. We are determined to provide a safe and
inclusive work environment at [company] and are working with our [people operations/human
resources/executive/legal] team(s) to determine the best course of action. Again, we wholeheartedly
apologize to [person/people] affected.
We cannot comment on ongoing litigation, but [company] is committed to [statement that does not
divulge information or opinion about lawsuit].
Key messages
Customers
Employees
General
public/community
Media
Board
FAQs
Consistent messaging is needed for all of these questions when responding to a crisis. Though we
should anticipate and address specific questions as part of our crisis response planning, this
provides a place to start.
Crisis debrief
Approximately one to two weeks after the crisis event is substantially or completely handled, run
a full debrief of the event with the communications team. Evaluate both the short- and long-term
impact of the crisis, and how they will be addressed.
PERSONNEL CRISIS
HOLDING STATEMENTS
Accusation only:
We are saddened by the recent allegations surrounding the [incident/accusation] with/against
[employee]. [Company] is committed to being a safe and inclusive workplace for all. We’re still assessing
the situation and these accusations. We want to understand what happened, and our next step will be to
work with our [people operations/human resources/executive/legal] team(s) to determine the best course
of action. In the meantime, we would like to offer our sincerest apologies to all of those affected or upset
by these accusations.
Confirmed evidence:
The viewpoints expressed by this employee do not represent [company’s] values at all, and we empathize
with those hurt, upset, and disturbed by the employee’s [words/actions]. We emphatically denounce
what [employee] has [said/done], and as a result, have made the decision that we can no longer
[represent/employ/collaborate/partner with] [employee]. We are determined to provide a safe and
inclusive work environment at [company] and are working with our [people operations/human
resources/executive/legal] team(s) to determine the best course of action. Again, we wholeheartedly
apologize to [person/people] affected.
KEY MESSAGES
Customers
Employees
Media
Board
You can continue to use the above format for any and all scenarios you identified; include contact
information, specific procedures and processes, and anything else that might be necessary.