Crisis communications checklist
A crisis point is the moment when things can tip in either direction; the intersection where scrutiny and uncertainty collide, and where decisions made in minutes can shape reputations for years.
Handle it well and trust can be strengthened, even rebuilt. Handle it poorly and the damage compounds quickly.
At a crisis point, organisations don’t just get judged on what happened. They’re judged on how they responded. Who spoke. Who stayed silent. Did they assert their leadership qualities by offering empathy and clarity, or were confusion and defensiveness the dominant themes in that critical moment?
This is where strategic crisis communications matter most. Not as a single announcement or a perfectly crafted statement, but as a series of fast, deliberate actions running at the same time.
As anyone who has been in a crisis can tell you, crisis responses are rarely neat or sequential. Multiple decisions and actions need to happen at the same time, often with incomplete information and under intense scrutiny.
This crisis communications checklist is designed to help organisations stay focused on what matters, while several workstreams run in parallel.
This resource does not replace a crisis communications plan.
Before the crisis: the non-negotiables
Organisations should have in place, before a crisis occurs:
- A documented crisis communications plan – if you don’t, do. If you do, update it, and regularly
- Defined crisis team roles and escalation paths
- Draft holding statements and Q&A frameworks to identified risks
- Identified and trained spokespeople
- Clear internal and external communications processes.
When it hits the fan! Your checklist
Here’s your go-to checklist to follow, concurrently. Not in order.
Confirm the facts
- What is confirmed right now?
- What information is still unclear or evolving?
- What misinformation is already circulating?
- Who internally can verify information quickly?
- Who knows what?
Tip: do not speculate. If information is incomplete, acknowledge it.
Activate the crisis team
- Identify who leads decisions
- Identify who is owning the crisis – the register, the communications, tasking jobs and seeking final approval
- Who is calling legal, operations, HR, customer and IT and the external communications help, if required?
- Who is the subject matter expert, who needs to give direction before seeking final approvals?
- Ensure media and social monitoring is activated
Tip: make sure the right people are in that ‘war room’. Without them, poor decisions are made. Ensure the subject matter expert is sitting right next to the communications coordinator.
Identify and prioritise stakeholders
- Draw on your stakeholder matrix to identify who is most impacted? Prioritise stakeholders for who needs to be told, and what
- Who needs to hear from you first?
- Who will escalate publicly if ignored?
- Is the database current and up to date?
- Do you need to let industry/regulatory or Government know?
Tip: frontline teams are often the first priority, not media. Ensure the people who deal with customers directly are informed of what to say and what has been approved to say. This includes reception, salespeople, client relationship managers, social media coordinators and managers – anyone who is the usual first port of call for customers.
Communicate internally early
- What do staff know?
- What are they authorised to say?
- Where should enquiries be directed?
- What communications funnel has been created?
- What HR support will be available should they need more guidance or support?
- Are customer-facing teams supported with guidance?
Tip: staff should not learn about a crisis from journalists or social media. If this happens, you have lost half the race and not shown respect to your team.
Lock down communications channels
- Confirm approved channels – also what happens if you have experienced a data breach and can’t use the usual channels?
- Establish dedicated phone or email points if required
- Limit who can post publicly
- Turn off AI support on social media, auto responders or bots for FAQs on your website
- Reinforce rules around personal accounts
Tip: multiple voices create confusion. One source builds trust.
Appoint the right spokesperson
- Choose capability, not title
- Ensure they are calm, credible and trained
- Prioritise empathy and clarity over defensiveness
Tip: the spokesperson often becomes part of the story. Make sure they have the right information and guidance.
Prepare holding statements, key messages and Q&A – as soon as you can (draw on from crisis communications plan)
- Draft a holding statement acknowledging the situation
- Agree on core messages
- Prepare a realistic Q&A covering difficult questions
Tip: messages should be human, accurate and adaptable. Don’t lie or be too clever – you will get caught out.
Decide when and if to engage the media
- Will the story break elsewhere first?
- Does proactive engagement help you take control?
- Are customers and staff informed before media?
- Have all stakeholders proactively been informed by you?
Tip: once media engagement begins, control shifts.
Monitor sentiment and misinformation
- Track media and social commentary in real time
- Identify misinformation early
- Watch sentiment trends
- Adjust tactics as needed
Tip: monitoring informs decisions. It is not optional.
Lead with empathy
- Acknowledge impact
- Avoid blame and defensiveness
- Be transparent without oversharing
- Remember this is about stakeholders, not reputation management
- It’s not about you; it’s about the end user
- It’s not time for a blame game
Tip: the strongest responses are often the most human.
Maintain a crisis register
From the outset, keep a central record of:
- Decisions made and timing
- Statements issued and channels used
- Stakeholders notified
- Media enquiries and responses
- Issues escalated and resolved
Tip: this register is essential for coordination during the crisis and for post‑crisis review. If it is not documented, it will be misremembered.
After the crisis
When immediate pressure eases:
- Re‑engage with affected stakeholders
- Communicate with stakeholders what has changed or been fixed
- Close the loop with media where appropriate
- Review what worked and what did not
- Update the crisis communications plan
Tip: crises do not end when coverage fades. Trust is rebuilt afterwards.
And remember…
Perfection is very hard to achieve during a crisis. It’s a hard fact to take on board but it’s really about preparedness, coordination and humanity under pressure.
Organisations that recover best are those that communicate clearly, act consistently and learn from the experience.
Hopefully this crisis communications checklist, assists in coordinating this for you and you organisation.
Are you ready for a crisis?
Start your preparation by listening to our Crisis Point podcast