5 steps for sprinting to create a crisis communications plan

The same holds true for your crisis communications plan. Putting in the time and effort long before there’s a problem of any kind ensures you’re better able to navigate these tricky situations when they pop up.

In a recent Ragan Training video, Gerard Braud, president of Braud Communications and a crisis comms expert, laid out five simple steps to getting ready for a crisis in your organization. He advocates using a tech-inspired sprint mechanic for getting started. That is, set aside a few days to fully focus on this project and get a solid first draft under your belt. Then you can take the time to fine-tune until you have a plan that meets your needs.

Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Vulnerability assessment

This is the time to figure out what your crises are. Braud defines a crisis as “a situation that could damage the revenue reputation and brand of your organization.” That revenue piece is important. Too often, Braud explains, reputation and brand are seen as squishy, undefinable items that are easily dismissed by executives.

But everyone knows how important it is to protect revenue.