The discipline and planning behind crisis writing

When a crisis strikes, internal communicators don’t have the luxury of figuring things out as they go. The best crisis writing is shaped by intricate planning and knowledge of the tools that can assist comms pros in getting the message out quickly and effectively.

During Ragan’s Writing Certificate Course, Dr. Brent Lucia, assistant professor in-residence at the University of Connecticut School of Business, told the audience that effective crisis communications writing begins long before any issue ever arises, with careful planning. It’s that deliberate comms process that helps anchor crisis comms writing with the correct tone and cadence.

“I think broadly speaking, we want to think about crisis communication in stages,” Lucia said. “There’s the breaking news stage, the make-or-break stage, the finger-pointing stage and then the fallout or resolution stage. It might feel like you’re going to be in crisis mode forever, like your company is collapsing — but remembering that there’s a process reminds you that time is still a factor and that you will move forward.”