Understanding how organisations communicate during a crisis, whether that is crucial information to the public or communicating with staff, or other stakeholders such as partners, suppliers, customers, media, regulators etc. the process of doing so can be complex.

Key information, and accurate information, needs to reach, through the appropriate channels, the right people, in a timely, efficient and effective way. Therefore, preparedness in this area is crucial, ensuring that when a crisis does materialise, the complex part of communicating is already planned, key stakeholders already identified.

Planning enables time during a crisis not to be wasted on something that could have been done prior to the event, time that can then be spent responding to the event, including identifying others that need to be communicated with. Crisis communications is different from day-to-day communications for any organisation and this implies to external and internal communications.

Members of the Emergency Planning Society’s Communication Professional Working Group, have written a Crisis Communication Checklist to help aid organisations to plan for a crisis.