Crisis Communications Plan

A Crisis Communications Plan is a strategic framework for an institution to communicate effectively in the event of a crisis. An effective plan is crucial for maintaining credibility, providing timely and accurate information, and protecting the organization’s reputation during and after a crisis.

Key Components of a Crisis Communications Plan include:

• • Identifying key audiences and communication channels

    • Key Audiences

      • Faculty, Staff and Students

      • Parents and Alumni

      • Board of Trustees members

      • Media

    • Communication Channels

• Multiple communication channels should be used to reach audiences effectively

• Types of channels:

  •  SMS notifications

  • email

  • social media

  • press releases

  • internal messaging apps

  • websites

• Preparing Messaging Guidelines and Sample Communications

  • Craft clear, concise messages

  • Express empathy and accountability

  • Be transparent and avoid speculation

• Determining approval process for messages

  • Establishing streamlined process to ensure messages are quickly approved by relevant decision-makers, including legal and executive teams.

• Implementing Monitoring and Response Mechanisms

  • Social media and news monitoring

  • Employ employee feedback mechanism

  • Set up FAQ page and/or hotline

• Developing Action Plan for first 48 hours

  • Immediate actions

  • Initial official statement

  • Regular updates

• Training for communications team, spokesperson(s), executive leadership

• Post-Crisis Review

Prepared Campus Consulting will help you develop templates for communications to stakeholder groups in a crisis.  Pre-approved templates minimize the time to send communications and reduces errors in crafting messages.