When a crisis arises in an organization, leaders must respond quickly. Without a clear communication strategy, the response can make the situation worse.
Successful organizations take a proactive approach by developing crisis communication plans before a disruption, emergency or natural disaster occurs. Effective crisis communication strategies backed by research and experience can pay off when a crisis strikes.
What Is Crisis Communication?
Crisis communication refers to an organization’s messaging in response to a disruptive, harmful or unexpected event. Clear and timely communication in response to a crisis can mitigate the risk of damage to the public’s trust in the organization, its operations and its profitability.
Effective crisis communication requires preparation.
What qualifies as a crisis? While it varies by organization, any event that causes a disruption in the continuity of the organization’s work, a public safety threat or reputation damage to the organization can require a crisis response.
For example, the COVID-19 pandemic created a severe crisis for public health organizations, hospitality and service-based businesses, and government agencies. Similarly, cybersecurity attacks and breaches can trigger crises for organizations that manage sensitive data.
Stages of Crisis Communication
Successful crisis communication strategies are crafted long before an incident occurs. Understanding the three stages of crisis communication gives organizations a framework for developing their own response plans.
Before a Crisis
Proper planning can lead to a more effective crisis response. In this stage, organizations conduct risk assessments and create detailed crisis communication plans. Conducting training sessions and simulating crisis situations can help organizations fine-tune their plans.
During a Crisis
When an emergency occurs, organizations deploy information to stakeholders through the media and other communication channels. Prioritizing transparency, accuracy and clarity helps organizations manage disruptions.
After a Crisis
Following a crisis, organizations evaluate their crisis response and update their crisis communication plans. They also report to the public and other stakeholders on their postcrisis investigation and any corrective actions to help rebuild trust.
Crisis Communication Resources
Crisis management and communication strategies vary by industry. The following resources showcase crisis communication approaches for nonprofit, business, public health and government institutions.
- Communicating During a Crisis: Developed by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, this resource includes a Q&A on crisis communication along with a media strategy checklist.
- Crisis Communications Guide: This American Library Association guide was developed for libraries and includes resources for before, during and after a crisis.
- Crisis Communications Plans: Developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Ready.gov, this guide focuses on business preparedness in the event of an emergency.
- Crisis Communications: This playbook from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy includes crisis communication planning information, outreach methods and media strategies.
- Public Health and Crisis Communications Resource Hub: This resource from the Association of State and Territorial Health Organizations offers training sessions, tool kits and approaches to crisis communication in the public health sector.
- Crisis Comms Planning Guide: Published by the UK government, this planning guide lays out how government communicators can develop crisis communication plans and includes planning checklists.
9 Strategies for Crisis Communication
What are the most effective strategies for crisis communication? Here are nine evidence-based strategies, organized by the stages of crisis management, that can be used to position organizations to be able to react quickly and effectively when an emergency occurs — and to learn from their past experiences.
Pre-crisis Communication Strategies
Strategic investments before a crisis occurs can pay off. Assembling a response team, investing in planning and holding practice runs all help organizations prepare for unexpected events.
1. Form a Crisis Management Team
The first step is to form a crisis management team within the organization, with each team member being given a clearly defined role and responsibilities. The crisis management team should have a spokesperson who is responsible for communicating with the media and the public.
The team may also include internal and external communications professionals to create messages, data analysts to evaluate the effectiveness of responses and a crisis manager to direct strategy.
2. Create a Crisis Communication Plan
The crisis management team needs to craft a crisis communication plan that will be used to maintain message continuity and discipline during a crisis. The planning process for the communication plan can include tasks such as brainstorming crisis scenarios and conducting risk assessments to determine their potential harm, then determining the communication goals for each scenario and developing messaging templates to be used to respond quickly to different circumstances.
3. Practice Crisis Responses
While no organization can anticipate every crisis, rehearsing its responses to different potential scenarios can enable organizations to improve their crisis communication strategies.
Types of practice can include crisis response training sessions, simulated crises and exercises to identify weaknesses in the crisis communication plan. By stress-testing the plans, organizations can help ensure that team members understand their responsibilities.
Crisis Response Communication Strategies
An actual crisis tests an organization’s plans and strategies. The following approaches can help organizations respond to natural disasters, technology failures and other emergent situations.
4. Respond Quickly
Speed matters in crisis communication. By responding quickly to an emerging crisis, organizations can prevent the spread of misinformation and build trust.
“From a PR perspective, I say you have to be the first voice out there, first and always,” says Dawn Sohns, a communication lecturer at the University at Albany. “Even if you don’t have all of the information.”
Designated communicators in the organization can use press conferences, media releases and official social media statements to inform the public and their customers about the event and the status of the response. Internal communication channels can be used to keep employees informed.
5. Center Transparency
In the early phases of a crisis, communicators often lack information — or they must choose how to share negative information. Obstruction or deflection can destroy public trust. Instead, organizations should prioritize transparency.
Stakeholders such as customers, employees and the general public prefer openness. Acknowledging any unanswered questions and presenting information truthfully also gives organizations an opportunity to shape the narrative about the event.
6. Prioritize Accessibility
Organizations have countless communication channels through which to share information. By prioritizing accessibility in response to a crisis, organizations can reach more people.
Depending on the organization, accessible messages may need to be shared via several different information channels, languages or formats. Organizations can also create a crisis-specific website to deliver easily accessible updates.
7. Leverage Social Media
In 2025, 53% of Americans got their news from social media, according to the Pew Research Center. Providing information on social media platforms allows organizations to reach these people and also to respond quickly, answer questions and address misinformation.
In addition to monitoring their own social media channels, organizations should proactively respond to comments and questions. Regular ongoing public engagement through social media before an emergency occurs can strategically prepare organizations to manage them when they do.
Postcrisis Communication Strategies
In the postcrisis stage, organizations have invaluable information and opportunities to rebuild trust and reinforce their organization’s goals. For example, organizations can craft press releases on their crisis response and any operational changes that stem from them. Analyzing the response to a crisis can also help organizations improve their planning and response in the future.
8. Evaluate the Crisis Response
During and after a crisis, organizations must monitor every aspect of their response. Understanding the effectiveness of the different strategies they employed can help inform their future planning.
Data analytics tools can be used to track public opinion, the organization’s reputation and its resource allocation. The assessment process can also integrate surveys and other forms of public feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of the organization’s communication during the crisis.
9. Update Communication Plans
In the aftermath of a crisis, organizations can apply the knowledge they gained from their crisis response assessment to update their crisis communication plan. A crisis may identify unseen vulnerabilities in an organization, gaps in its communication team or a need for new protocols.
Incorporating insights from prior crisis responses into its training and simulations helps organizations refine their approach to future crises.
Crisis Communication Strategies Resources
The following resources share insights from public relations experts and communication leaders on strategic approaches to crisis communication.
- 6 Effective Strategies for Communication in a Crisis: This Business.com article showcases proactive strategies that organizations can employ in a crisis, along with mistakes to avoid.
- Learning From Crisis Communication Mistakes and Successes: This Forbes article explores recent crisis communication lessons from companies and government agencies.
- Communicating Through Change and Crisis: This Public Relations Society of America interview with communications strategist Brenda Duran emphasizes the importance of proactive planning and creating narratives that build public trust.
- From Crisis Management to Strategic Resilience: Lessons From the Auto Industry: In its analysis of the auto industry, McKinsey & Co. emphasizes the importance of scenario planning and strategic resilience in managing business disruptions.
- M&S: Lessons From the Retailer’s Approach to Crisis Communications: Management Today examines the response of Marks & Spencer to a cyberattack, emphasizing the importance of business continuity planning and external communication.
5 Crisis Communication Case Studies
What does crisis communication look like in practice? Analyzing successful responses from organizations that have faced challenges drives home the importance of strategic planning.
Procter & Gamble: Tide Pods Challenge (2018)
- Crisis: The 2018 Tide Pods Challenge, in which teens posted videos of themselves eating laundry pods, went viral.
- Response: Procter & Gamble, the parent company of Tide, responded with its own viral video discouraging the practice featuring National Football League star Rob Gronkowski. They also partnered with social media companies to remove the initial videos.
- Takeaway: Crisis communication plans cannot predict every harmful trend that turns into a crisis. Instead, organizations must quickly adapt and choose the right channels of communication for their messaging. In this case, responding on social media was an effective way to tailor the response.
Slack: Service Outage (2022)
- Crisis: A Slack service outage in February 2022 left users unable to access the messaging platform.
- Response: During the outage, Slack posted regular status updates with information about the cause of the outage and the steps they were taking toward resolution. The company also posted updates via social media.
- Takeaway: Transparency can improve trust during a crisis, as Slack demonstrated by keeping its users updated throughout the five-hour outage.
Johnson & Johnson: Tylenol Murders (1982)
- Crisis: In September 1982, seven people in the Chicago area died after taking poisoned Tylenol. The so-called Tylenol murders triggered a nationwide panic.
- Response: Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of Tylenol, immediately recalled over 31 million bottles of the pain reliever, halted its production and partnered with the media to warn users of the risk. In the aftermath, Johnson & Johnson introduced new packaging and a new tamper-resistant caplet.
- Takeaway: Decisive action — and a $100 million investment — helped Tylenol recover from the crisis. Johnson & Johnson’s response became a benchmark for teaching crisis communication strategies.
Southwest Airlines: Scheduling Crisis (2022)
- Crisis: In December 2022, a widespread winter storm coupled with an outdated crew scheduling system caused Southwest Airlines to cancel thousands of flights.
- Response: Southwest responded quickly to both its stranded passengers and Southwest employees. The CEO’s video apology, ticket refunds and a technology audit addressed the crisis.
- Takeaway: Preventive measures can’t always stop an operational issue, but transparency, quick compensation for those affected and an investment in upgraded technology can mitigate the harm caused by a crisis.
Mattel: Lead Paint Crisis (2007)
- Crisis: In 2007, Mattel faced a crisis when it discovered that millions of its toys had safety issues caused by lead paint and loose magnets, including its popular Barbie and Polly Pocket toys.
- Response: Mattel took a proactive approach by voluntarily recalling the toys, launching a recall website, embarking on a media tour and testifying before the U.S. Congress.
- Takeaway: A quick response centered on responsibility and transparency maintained consumer confidence in Mattel during and after the crisis.
Research on Crisis Communication
The following scholarly research reports on crisis communication analyze evolving strategies and approaches in different industries.
- The Role of Communication Strategies in Crisis Management: Published in The Journal of Academic Science in November 2024, this study examined tailored approaches to risk mitigation, reputational cost and stakeholder trust in crisis communication strategies. The article incorporates interviews with crisis managers along with case study analyses from finance, health care and technology.
- A Comparative Analysis of Crisis Communication Strategies: This analysis of higher education responses to accusations of faculty misconduct, published in Sage Open in March 2025, evaluates how organizations can mitigate the harm of crises while maintaining their reputations.
- Mapping Crisis Communication in the Communication Research: This October 2023 article from Humanities and Social Sciences Communications provides a comprehensive examination of crisis communication research published from 1968 to 2022. It examines thematic shifts and areas for future research.
- Beyond the Snapshot: Rethinking Crisis Communication Theories in Dynamic Crisis Situations: Published in September 2025 in Public Relations Review, the article examines how the public’s perception of responsibility can shift during a crisis, such as when new information upends prior understandings of a crisis.
- Social Media Crisis Communication and Public Engagement During COVID-19: This 2025 analysis in Scientific Reports evaluates how public health and news media organizations used social media to provide medical updates, treatment information and mental health support during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
How to Create a Crisis Communication Plan
Every organization’s crisis communication plan will look different. Each organization faces different risks based on their industry and public responsibilities. However, the process of creating a crisis communication plan has certain similarities across sectors.
Common steps in crisis communication planning include:
- Brainstorming Crisis Scenarios: An organization’s crisis management team can begin by brainstorming possible crisis scenarios, identifying those that could negatively impact the organization’s business operations, its reputation or stakeholders’ safety. Scenarios applicable to all organizations include cyberattacks and data breaches, natural disasters and employee misconduct. More specific scenarios may include product safety issues, active security threats or technology disruptions.
- Conducting Risk Assessments: Risk assessments can be employed to evaluate the likelihood of different crisis scenarios and their potential impact on the organization. This process allows organizations to prioritize potential threats, allocate their resources and develop communication strategies.
- Developing Communication Goals: An organization’s crisis communication goals will vary depending on the scenario. After assessing each scenario’s risks, organizations can customize their goals to suit the situation. These goals may include correcting misinformation or maintaining public trust.
- Drafting Messaging Templates: Communication teams can create customized responses for different possible scenarios. These templates need to clearly communicate the facts, the organization’s response and sources for learning more information.
- Implementing Monitoring Systems: Organizations can employ monitoring tools to identify emerging crises, respond to external feedback and deliver messages. Implementing monitoring systems as part of the planning process can prepare organizations for potential crises.
Resources for Creating a Crisis Communication Plan
Communications professionals and organizational leaders can review the following resources to learn how to create a crisis communication plan.
- How Can You Best Prepare for a Crisis?: This resource from the Institute for Public Relations helps public relations and communications professionals develop crisis response plans.
- Crisis Communication Plan: A Guide: In its guide to developing a crisis communication plan, Emerson Street Media explains the four key elements in an effective plan.
- Crisis Communication Plan: What You Need When Preparing for the Unexpected: Public relations company Cision offers guidance for crisis response planning and prevention strategies.
- Crisis Communications Plan: How to Build One, With Template: In its guide to crisis communication planning, TechTarget provides a template to use to customize a crisis response plan.
- School Crisis Communication Planning: Published by the Michigan State Police Office of School Safety, this tool kit helps schools develop crisis communication plans and includes crisis communication resources and templates.
Strategic Approaches to Crisis Communication
Preparation can determine whether an organization’s crisis response succeeds or fails. Professionals need to implement evidence-backed crisis communication strategies based on the best practices in business communication. A background in risk communication, marketing communication and social media benefits professionals interested in working in crisis communication.