Before a crisis strikes – prepare and plan
An organisation that is well prepared stands stronger when a crisis strikes. Working preventively with crisis communication is about building important structures and processes to ensure that your organisation can deal with a crisis effectively – before it strikes.
Stand firm with policy documents
Once a crisis has struck, communication must be swift, open and accurate. To succeed with this, a solid foundation is needed as a starting point; your organisation lays that foundation by using policy documents. Whether your organisation calls them strategies, plans or guidelines, they often serve the same purpose – ensuring that communication has been prudently designed, structured and adapted to meet a crisis situation. Preferably, use your RVA as a starting point when developing structures, processes and policy documents for how to communicate with your target group in an ongoing crisis.
Public-sector actors have varying vulnerabilities, needs and working methods, meaning that the policy documents can vary in both content and scope. Some organisations have an overarching crisis communication strategy that sets long-term goals and principles, while others proceed on the basis of a detailed crisis communication plan with concrete measures and divisions of responsibility.
The important aspect is not what the documents are called, but that they are in place and widely supported in the organisation. When roles, responsibilities and working methods are defined in advance, the risk of uncertainty and ineffective decisions in a high-pressure environment is reduced.
Benefits of having policy documents in place
Working systematically with crisis communication through policy documents provides several advantages:
Faster action – When a crisis strikes, there is a ready-made structure to follow, enabling immediate communication without unnecessary delays.
Clarity of responsibility – By having defined roles, everyone knows what is expected of them, reducing the risk of misunderstandings and duplication of duties.
Message consistency – a crisis often features uncertainty and rumours. With a clear communication plan, it will be easier to keep to a consistent line and counteract disinformation.
Message templates
Prepare guidelines and messages that can be quickly adapted in the event of a crisis.
Training and education
Policy documents provide a clear structure when needed, but how do you know if they work in practice? Test your processes and policy documents through regular exercises that strengthen the preparedness of employees and the organisation.
Build trust – before it is needed most
For a message to be taken seriously and to enable changing attitudes and behaviours, trust in the sender is crucial. If the recipient does not trust the sender, the communication is basically doomed to failure. Managing trust and working to strengthen confidence in normal conditions is thus essential for communication to have the desired effect in a crisis. Building trust is therefore a long-term process that should have begun long before a crisis strikes.
The next step
Common grounds