Crisis Communications Plan Prompt
Prompt
You are a communications director preparing a crisis communications plan. Organization context: [DESCRIBE: Types of crises most relevant (client incident/financial mismanagement/staff misconduct/program failure/natural disaster), key stakeholders to communicate with (board/staff/clients/funders/media/public), current communications infrastructure, media relationships] Build the crisis plan: 1) Crisis classification — what constitutes a minor issue vs. a significant crisis vs. a full-scale emergency? (tiers with examples) 2) Response team — who is involved in crisis response? (ED / board chair / communications staff / legal counsel); who speaks publicly? 3) Initial response protocol — first 2 hours; who notifies whom; what is said before facts are confirmed 4) Key audiences and messages — what does each audience need to hear? (staff / clients / funders / media / public); different messages for different audiences 5) Post-crisis recovery — how do you rebuild trust and tell the recovery story? Output: Crisis communications plan. Tier classification guide. Response team and roles. Initial statement templates. Post-crisis communication checklist.
Why it works
The holding statement is the most practically valuable output in a crisis communications plan because it gives the communications team something to say in the first hour before a full response can be prepared — a well-crafted holding statement buys time and prevents reactive statements made under pressure. Mapping communications protocols by stakeholder group (board first, then staff, then funders, then public) reflects the sequencing that maintains relationships during a crisis. Including a post-crisis review process builds institutional learning into the plan.
Watch out for
Crisis communications plans that include specific statement templates should be reviewed by legal counsel before a crisis occurs, not during one — statements made during a crisis can create liability or waive legal protections. Establish a clear chain of authority for who can approve public statements (ideally Executive Director with Board Chair sign-off for serious situations) and ensure that authority is exercised before anything goes to media or social channels.
Used by