From chaos to control in a crisis

Crises can emerge suddenly and spread rapidly, wreaking havoc on business operations and jeopardising an organisation’s reputation, finances, and long-term stability. 

A crisis can also have a measurable impact on customers, employees, stakeholders and the wider community. Even minor incidents, if poorly handled, can have a far-reaching, negative impact.

But everyone knows this, right?

Underprepared and exposed 

Being ready to effectively respond to incidents and crises is crucial for any organisation, but surprisingly, many communications teams are inadequately prepared.

In far too many cases (research says around 50%), crisis communication plans are incomplete, outdated, or non-existent, leaving organisations vulnerable. And fewer than 35% of those who have plans in place conduct regular training drills.

The statistics are quite shocking.

Gaps in crisis communications planning may be because leaders have underestimated the likelihood or potential severity of incidents due to poorly considered risk profiling. Or it may be that communications teams, already burdened with daily responsibilities and ongoing projects, struggle to allocate sufficient time for preparation. Carving out chunks of time to create plans and test scenarios can feel overwhelming.

Without robust talent pipelines, staff turnover can also leave organisations ill-prepared and exposed – a crisis ‘brain drain’ of sorts.

Developing a comprehensive crisis communications plan and training program is a crucial investment that requires dedicated time, expertise and ongoing commitment. Inaction breeds complacency, leading to inadequate processes, unusable documents, unreliable platforms, and untrained teams, heightening the potential for a slow, clumsy and costly response.

Control the chaos in a crisis 

Five key elements for crisis communications planning and preparedness include: 

1. Identifying, assessing and monitoring risks. 

2. Establishing a structure, capable team, protocols and principles. 

3. Pinpointing spokespeople and providing thorough training. 

4. Determining channels, ensuring readiness and identifying stakeholders. 

5. Conducting training simulations and evaluating performance. 

Crisis planning often brings with it pressure to prepare detailed responses for specific scenarios that can be dusted off in an emergency. However, investing too much time and effort into meticulously crafted messages can be somewhat of a futile endeavor, as crises rarely unfold exactly as anticipated.

Developing flexible templates and high-level messaging linked to organisational risks and response principles, on the other hand, is extremely useful. Messaging and templates can be scrutinised alongside crisis structures, systems and processes via scenario-based simulations and training. In fact, any minor issue or incident should be considered an opportunity to test and evaluate crisis preparedness.

Connecting the dots

A crisis communications plan can only be truly effective if it operates in partnership with an overarching organisational crisis management plan. Poor coordination, indecision, slow approvals or misaligned principles within the central incident team during a crisis can undermine even the strongest communications plan.

When each plan is up-to-date and well-tested, it enables a communications team to swiftly take control of a situation, share accurate, timely, and consistent information, calmly prepare spokespeople, shape the narrative, and minimise the risk of confusion, misinformation and speculation.

Abiding by consistent and clearly defined principles, such as honesty, transparency and accountability can also build trust and confidence, and may even prevent long-term reputational damage.

Essential ingredients

Crisis plans are essential for every organisation, regardless of size or scale. With genuine commitment and when regularly tested and reviewed, they serve as highly effective tools to minimise chaos and maintain control in a crisis.