A brand new resource has just been published to help comms pros respond in a crisis.
The Crisis Communications Planning Guide is designed to help government communicators create crisis comms plans for the major risks that their organisation, department or agency may face.
It’s a super useful read for any communicator, so I thought I would share it with you.
Congratulations to the Government Communication Service (GCS) here in the UK and thank you for making it available.
The guidance includes a STOP planning checklist which sets out the key elements of a good crisis comms plan:
- Strategy: crisis overview, objectives, audiences and impacts, guiding principles
- Tactics: quick reference handbook, holding line / key messages, clearance requirements, contact lists, channels/templates
- Organisation: senior comms lead, team emails/contact details, policy and organisational structures, logistics and business continuity
- People: number of people, required surge support, training plan.
Pic credit: GCS
Picture credit: GCS
See the GCS website for full information and a breakdown of each of the elements.
“Time is the most precious resource we have in a crisis. That’s why this guidance is so important. Doing the work in advance of a crisis to develop a strategy gives communicators more time to act decisively and provide vital information to the public when it matters most” says Simon Baugh, Chief Executive of Government Communications.
GCS say: “By their nature, crises are often short or no-notice events. When a crisis does hit, lives and livelihoods can depend on effective crisis communications planning: crisis management can succeed or fail depending on the effectiveness of its communications strategy. As government communicators, it is our responsibility to ensure that effective crisis communications plans are drafted, tested, agreed, and kept up to date for the key risks facing the UK.
“This guide provides an overview of how to put together a thorough crisis comms plan. It builds upon the Emergency Planning Framework. If you are a GCS member and you want to learn more, please get in touch with us at crisiscomms@cabinetoffice.gov.uk and sign-up for the GCS crisis comms e-learning module.”
The Krebs Framework
The guide also references the Krebs Framework, which you can see below. It sets out how messages should be structured during a crisis in order to give the public the information they need, and how this can be achieved.
It’s a useful tool for all communicators to keep in mind as they put together their holding lines and crisis comms strategies. The Krebs framework is detailed here:
- Communicate what is known
- Communicate what is not known yet
- Explain what the Government is doing
- Tell the public what they should do
- Explain when and where more information will be available
- Do not limit information ‘to control panic’….
- Communicate consistently and frequently
- Use trusted messengers
- Set expectations that information may change.
Picture credit: GCS
I encourage you to check out the whole guide online, which is available to download.
Tip: The quick reference sheet is particularly useful as it splits down your response into first hour, first day and first week.
Thank you for making this resource available,
Rachel.
Post author: Rachel Miller
First published on the All Things IC blog 2 October 2024.
