The goal of a crisis management communication plan is to convey information to the intended audience as quickly as possible. One of the main reasons people get upset with how a crisis is handled is that they feel uninformed. That’s why it is important to provide timely and accurate information to those seeking it. The information must be accurate, accessible, and timely.

However, during a crisis, there will be times when you have incomplete information. It’s okay to admit what you don’t know. People will ask for more information than you have, and the worst thing you can do is dig yourself into a deeper hole by speculating or being dishonest about what is actually known.

Develop a plan

Before the crisis hits, it is important to have a crisis management communication plan in place. The plan should include key personnel and their roles during a crisis, the communications channels that can be used, as well as your general approach and philosophy during a crisis.

Communicate

After informing your management team of the crisis at hand, develop an apology message that communicates your solution to the audience. Use the appropriate communication channel to convey that message to those who would be affected. This includes your followers, stakeholders, coworkers, customers, or anyone who could have seen the original miscommunicated content.

Before you send out your primary message, you should have secondary responses prepared for questions from reactors. This could be as simple as having someone take phone calls, a crisis FAQ sheet on your social media site, or a news release to address public concerns.

When developing secondary responses, create a list of objections or potential criticisms. Take opinions from outside sources to make your list comprehensive and objective. Once you determine your main messages, emphasize those key points in all public responses.

Keep your team informed

Be sure that your entire team is aware of their responsibilities regarding the crisis management communication plan. Your team will be under scrutiny if the crisis escalates, so be sure they are well-trained and competent before your initial public response. Each team member should have weighted responsibility in relation to their role in the organization and the current situation.

If you have any further questions about crisis management communication plans, please feel free to contact Darren Richards with Tucker/Hall at 813.228.0652 or via email at drichards@tuckerhall.com.