Main spokesperson
The first thing to decide is who will be the main spokesperson for your organisation. The most obvious choice would usually be the CEO/Executive director/president. But not necessarily! Especially in case of a crisis, it is important that your spokesperson has the skills to stay calm facing tough questions, knows how to frame a message for different audiences and speaks clearly and concise in public. Even though your director is very knowledgeable, it might be a better choice to leave the crisis communication to someone that has these skills. This could be, for example, the vice president, a communication officer, a staff person who is an expert on the subject or maybe an assigned press officer. Make sure that all communication goes through this same person to avoid delivering unclear or, worse still, contradictory messages.
Key roles
If you have a crisis management team, it is likely that these members are also part of your crisis communication team. Think about the CEO, Communication Officer and Management Team, but also involve those colleagues or volunteers who publish messages on your website and social media. Maybe you also need some legal advice: involve those responsible as well.
Think about the things your organisation needs to communicate in a time of crisis, and write those involved down in the Excel file in the next step. Keep in mind that you won’t be only sending information, you also need to monitor what is being said about you. And have clear instructions on what to answer to questions that will be asked through phone, e-mail and social media.
Know How
Examples
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