Crisis communication is for every day
Under Pressure 13 June 2025
Crisis communication is for every day
Every day people working in PR and communication learn and find out new things. It is part of what makes the industry so interesting. Life changes, society changes, communication channels change and the way people access information continues to change. So why do we fail to take that learning into revising and updating crisis communication plans?
I have been immersing myself in creating virtual worlds as part of crisis communication simulations I have been developing. It has also given me the opportunity to meet a wide range of PR and comms people and senior managers. They are doing innovative work in ‘peace time’ but it isn’t always transferred into their crisis preparedness.
We need to think differently about crisis communication. Yes, it needs a slightly different approach. Yes, it needs a slightly different skillset. But effective crisis communication needs to be built on effective communication.
Issues such as understanding your audiences, knowing your reputation with those key audiences, recognising the channels that are trusted, being aware of the importance of inclusive communication, building creativity into communication are all important every day and particularly when a crisis has occurred.
So here are five steps to help improve your crisis communication plans:
Ensure you have considered how to make communication inclusive and learn from what you do on a daily basis.
Know your audiences and bring that information into how you define key people to connect with during a crisis.
Use the knowledge of people to define the channels that have the highest levels of trust and who they can reach.
Recognise that crisis communication in 2025 needs to be an ongoing conversation rather than one speech.
Build a plan that develops in line with the stages of a crisis and the way situations can develop.
There is so much great work that is underway it is essential to bring this into what we do when an emergency happens.
Flight AI171
The horrific air disaster in India has raised a number of issues about the use of distressing images and the release of information about those involved. It was shocking and distressing to see a passenger list being circulated online within a very short amount of time. Also, media at Gatwick Airport where the plane was due to land later that time needed to remember what happened at Lockerbie and the importance of acting with sensitivity.
The way media reporting developed and operated is worthy of studying and considering what it means for ethical standards of journalism in 2025. Amanda explored some of the points in this blog.
10mins with - supporting people
In the latest 10 mins with chat Amanda talks to experienced emergency planner Jenny Jones about work to develop a humanitarian assistance lead officer. The role looks strategically at the issues around emergencies. Find out more about the role and Jenny’s work here.
In Brief:
Emergency warnings are critical and the systems are not as simple to introduce as people expect. Thanks to Stephen Hines for highlighting this article about the Estonian government test and the failures that happened. Read the article here. And if you want to know what they are doing in Brussels to alert people to emergencies you can find out more here.
The European Union has adopted a blueprint to improve the management of cyber crises and incidents. Find out what is included here.
Swift action and preparedness for an emergency are said to have ensured a disaster was avoided when a fire broke out in the Seoul subway. Find out more here.
Professor Lucy Easthope a disaster recovery expert who has run online webinars with Amanda appeared on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. Listen to her music choices here.
Hotel Business website was highlighting the need for hotels to test their emergency plans ahead of the busy summer season. Read more here. In addition, the communication both to guests, staff, suppliers, stakeholders and others is also an important part of the crisis response.
An article in TechBullion online has brought some key lessons about AI and crisis communication from business leaders. Find out what they highlighted here.
Communication is crucial to building trust according to a review of research into polycrises and systemic risks. Find out more here.
The latest crisis communication case study Testing Times has been published and is available through Amanda’s website here.
Diary Dates:
Amanda’s next short training session is on 19 June and will focus on developing crisis communication strategies and plans. If you are interested email office@amandacolemancomms.co.uk
On 30 June Amanda is running a morning session on being crisis ready for The Booksellers Marketing and Publicity 2025 conference in London. Find out more here.