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Green icon of a document outlineDeveloping a plan outline

While a crisis situation could go in many different directions, there will be times when a structure is needed to capture the most critical aspects of a response at the surface level. Developing a plan outline that identifies the four key components of crisis communication will save significant time and energy when there is no time to implement a predesigned plan.

Four key elements
  • Audience (primary and secondary)—who will you need to communicate with immediately during the crisis?
  • Message—What tough questions should you prepare for and how will you respond?
  • Delivery method—What communication tools will be used to deliver the information (face-to-face conversation, email, website, etc.)?
  • Source—Who should own the message? Who will speak on behalf of the library and continue to keep others in the loop?
Outline template

Consider one of the crisis possibilities that would be most likely to happen at your library. Use the following template to practice identifying the four critical elements of a crisis communication plan.

Audience—Who are the stakeholders that need to be communicated with? Consider primary and secondary audiences.

Message—What tough questions should we prepare for and how will we respond? What questions can we ask in return?

Delivery method—What communication tools will we use to deliver the information (face-to-face conversation, email, website, etc.)? How frequently should info be communicated?

Source—Who should own the message? Who will speak on behalf of the library and continue to keep others in the loop?
Examples

See these outline examples from a small group crisis scenario workshop: