Crisis Communication
Framework
IRON LAW: Respond in the Golden Hour
The first public response must come within 1 hour of the crisis becoming
public. Silence creates a vacuum that others fill with speculation.
A holding statement ("We are aware and investigating") is better than
no statement. Perfection is the enemy of timeliness.Three Phases
1. Prevention (before crisis)
- Identify potential crises (risk inventory)
- Prepare holding statements and spokesperson training
- Establish a crisis team with clear roles
- Monitor media and social channels
2. Response (during crisis)
- Activate crisis team
- Issue holding statement immediately
- Gather facts rapidly
- Issue full statement using 3C framework:
- Concern: Show empathy for affected parties - Commitment: State what you're doing about it - Control: Demonstrate you're managing the situation
3. Recovery (after crisis)
- Assess damage and lessons learned
- Implement corrective actions
- Rebuild stakeholder trust through actions (not just words)
- Update crisis plan based on learnings
SCCT (Situational Crisis Communication Theory)
| Crisis Type | Attribution of Blame | Response Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Victim (natural disaster, rumor) | Low — organization is also a victim | Deny / Diminish |
| Accidental (technical error, product defect) | Medium — unintentional | Diminish / Rebuild |
| Preventable (human error, organizational failure) | High — could have been avoided | Rebuild (full apology + corrective action) |
Crisis Statement Template
[Concern] We are deeply concerned about [specific situation] and our
thoughts are with [affected parties].
[Facts] Here is what we know: [factual summary, no speculation].
[Commitment] We are taking the following immediate actions:
1. [Action 1]
2. [Action 2]
[Control] We have activated [response team/process] and will provide
updates [frequency and channel].
[Contact] For questions, contact [spokesperson, channel].Output Format
# Crisis Response Plan: {Situation}
## Crisis Assessment
- Type: Victim / Accidental / Preventable
- Severity: Low / Medium / High
- Stakeholders affected: {list}
- Media attention level: {current state}
## Immediate Response (< 1 hour)
- Holding statement: {draft}
- Spokesperson: {who}
- Internal notification: {who needs to know}
## Full Response (< 24 hours)
- Full statement: {draft using 3C framework}
- Key messages (3 max): ...
- Channel strategy: {where to publish}
- Q&A preparation: {anticipated questions + answers}
## Recovery Plan
- Corrective actions: ...
- Trust-rebuilding steps: ...
- Timeline: ...Gotchas
- Never lie or speculate: If you don't know, say "We are investigating." A wrong fact in a crisis statement becomes the next crisis.
- Social media accelerates everything: A crisis that would have taken days to develop in 2010 takes hours in 2025. Speed of response must match speed of spread.
- Internal communication first: Employees should hear from you before they hear from the media. Issue internal statement before or simultaneously with external.
- Apology requires specificity: "We're sorry if anyone was offended" is not an apology. "We apologize for [specific action] that caused [specific harm]" is.
- Legal vs PR tension: Legal team wants to say nothing (liability). PR team wants to say everything (trust). The right answer is usually: acknowledge facts, show empathy, commit to action — without admitting legal liability prematurely.
References
- For social media crisis response playbook, see
references/social-crisis.md