crisis communications
Planned and rapid communication to manage reputation and trust when an organization faces a serious problem.
Definition
Crisis communications covers how an organization speaks during a threatening event such as a product failure, data breach, accident or public controversy. Good practice includes a prepared plan, named spokespeople, fast factual statements, empathy for those affected, consistent messaging across channels and legal review where needed. It is shaped by honesty: attempts to hide or spin facts often make things worse. Many organizations rehearse scenarios and hold agency support on call. Run a short rehearsal once a year, because the first hours of a real crisis are not the time to learn who holds approval.
In a sentence
The crisis communications plan named who speaks to the press.
They issued a first statement within hours and updated it as facts emerged.
