The best time to plan your internal crisis communication strategy is before you need it, explains Nicole Bearne
When a crisis hits an organisation, the immediate focus often shifts to managing the external narrative – speaking to the media, contacting stakeholders and attempting to limit reputational damage. But in the rush to put out the public fire, there’s a critical group that is often overlooked: your employees.
In the words of the writer Douglas Adams:
“Nothing travels faster than the speed of light… with the possible exception of bad news.”
Organisational crises tend to unfold at pace. They’re rarely anticipated and often demand an immediate response. The clock is ticking, and employees are waiting to understand what’s happening, what it means for them, and what they should do next.
The last thing any organisation wants is for its people to find out about the crisis via social media before they’ve heard it from their leaders. And yet this happens all too often.
With the right approach, however, internal communication can become one of your strongest assets in navigating difficult situations – restoring trust, protecting culture, and ultimately helping the organisation recover.
And Executive Assistants can play a vital role in this, supporting leaders to ensure internal messaging is open, honest, timely, and aligned. So, how do you prepare for that moment?
Prepare for the Worst
The best time to plan your internal crisis communication strategy is before you need it. A clear, well-documented comms plan – aligned with your organisation’s major incident response plan – can save time, reduce confusion, and ensure your colleagues are not left in the dark. If your company doesn’t have a plan, there’s an opportunity for you to create one.
Here are some key steps to consider:
1. Brainstorm as many crisis scenarios as possible
From data breaches to executive misconduct to supply chain failure – identify the events that might hit your organisation.
2. Build a response team
Include the CEO, senior leaders, HR, Comms, and IT, and make sure everyone has provided their emergency contact details.
3. Assign internal spokespeople
Decide who communicates what and to whom. For key people, identify who should function as their deputy if they are uncontactable. I once had to deal with a crisis when my boss was away on a fishing holiday in the middle of the ocean with no phone coverage!
4. Confirm approval pathways
Ensure you know who should sign off on key messages during a crisis.
5. Prepare templates
Holding statements and email templates can all be drafted in advance; this will save time when they need to be used at short notice.
6. Keep contact lists current
Outdated distribution lists cause delays or mean that people don’t get the message. Consider how you are going to contact your staff if the IT systems fail – can you create an SMS text list?
7. Create a crisis comms checklist
There’s a reason that surgeons and pilots use checklists. They help to ensure nothing is missed. Map every internal communication step.
8. Record all actions
This will help you with learnings post-crisis.
9. Practice
Test your plan regularly with key stakeholders so it stays fresh in everyone’s mind.
If your organisation has a major incident plan, you can check whether internal communication is included. If not, it’s time to advocate for its inclusion. And if the plan exists but you’ve never seen it, try to get hold of a copy. If your leader is expected to be involved in crisis response, it will help to understand how you can best support them.
When the News Breaks Before You’re Ready
Sometimes, despite best efforts, the news finds its way out before you’ve had a chance to prepare your internal comms. It happens even to the best of teams.
A classic example comes from my old F1 team, Mercedes-AMG Petronas. When it was revealed in early 2024 that Lewis Hamilton would be leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari, the story broke online before either team had briefed their staff or issued a press release. The result? Social media exploded, and employees were unprepared.
From an internal communication perspective, these moments are high-stakes. When big news hits – especially something with emotional impact – your people will take it personally.
Wherever possible, internal audiences should always be the first to know. Your employees are not just bystanders; they’re often the people you’ll also be relying on to help fix the situation. Keeping them informed builds trust and encourages their support. Finding out news from social media or the press undermines that trust and makes people feel like outsiders in their own organisation.
Communicate Fast
When something goes wrong, time is not on your side. The first few hours are often clouded by confusion and gaps in information. Leaders are pulled in multiple directions, dealing with media requests and external fallout. Internal updates get delayed and, in the absence of facts, rumour quickly takes root.
To get ahead of the speculation, organisations should issue an internal holding statement as early as possible. Even if you don’t have all the details, say what you know, acknowledge what you don’t, and explain when and how you’ll update people again.
Consistency is also important. You don’t want one department hearing something different from another. It helps to introduce a rhythm, such as a daily internal bulletin or briefing at a set time, to provide predictability and reassurance. This is similar to the approach taken by many governments during the COVID pandemic.
Clearly identify which channel will carry the latest, updated information. Whether it’s your intranet, SMS alerts, or manager briefings, your people need to know where to go and when.
Don’t Let the Grapevine Take Over
As human beings, we don’t like sharing bad news, so we avoid it. We sugar-coat. We delay. But in doing so, we give the office grapevine an open invitation to take over.
Just to be clear – the rumour mill is not your comms channel of choice.
The antidote? Use clear, appropriate channels to communicate complex information. Match the message to the medium.
In a crisis, communication must flow both ways. People need to be able to ask questions, raise concerns, and feel heard. Create opportunities for open dialogue through:
- 1:1s with managers
- Team check-ins
- Town halls
- Online channels like Viva Engage or Slack
Make sure leaders are available for Q&As. Face-to-face (or video-based) communication from senior leaders can go a long way in showing care and accountability.
As Jack Welch, one of the world’s most famous CEOs, once said:
“Trust happens when leaders are transparent.”
It’s vital that employees visibly see their leaders during uncertain times, that they don’t just receive a written statement. In your crisis plan, assign responsibility for internal communication to leaders who are at a senior enough level to offer genuine reassurance.
It’s also not just about hearing feedback – it’s about showing you’re acting on it. That responsiveness will shape how your people feel about your culture for a long time to come.
Say It Simply, Say It Kindly
In high-pressure situations, people often shift into fight, flight, or freeze mode. Adrenaline takes over. Conversations get rushed. Pre-approved statements are read without context or care.
That’s why your crisis communication tone is so important. Keep it human, using simple, clear language. Ditch the legal jargon. Anticipate people’s questions and respond with empathy. Show that you understand how this situation may affect them personally, and not just the company.
Brené Brown, in her famous TED Talk on empathy, reminds us that truly connecting with someone starts with acknowledging their feelings. It’s okay not to have all the answers. It’s not okay to ignore how your people might be feeling.
You can watch her video short here: Brené Brown on Empathy
Keep the Bigger Picture in View
When you’re firefighting, it’s easy to lose sight of the long-term vision. But your employees need to know that this moment – however challenging – is just one chapter in your organisation’s journey.
This is a key time to reiterate your organisation’s goals. Remind people of the mission and the vision and give them something to hold on to.
And don’t forget to keep the updates coming. Even if you have no new developments, stick to your communication schedule. Say, “There’s no change today, but we’ll update again tomorrow.” That transparency builds confidence and helps people feel a little more secure in uncertain times.
A Quick Recap
When a crisis hits, remember the fundamentals of effective internal communication:
- Be transparent and open – share what you know honestly.
- Communicate with empathy – acknowledge feelings and uncertainty.
- Keep messages simple – avoid jargon and complex language.
- Create dialogue – let people ask questions and share concerns.
- Reinforce the vision – help people look beyond the moment.
- Stick to your rhythm – communicate regularly, even with no updates.
Crises don’t define an organisation; how you handle them does. And your people will remember how your leaders made them feel in those moments. Internal communication isn’t just ‘nice to do’ during a crisis. It’s one of your most powerful tools for resilience, recovery, and reputation management. With up to 60% of companies lacking a long-term internal communication strategy – and many having no dedicated internal communications function – EAs often bridge the gap: aligning messaging, creating content, managing platforms, and supporting leadership communication.
Crisis communication is a must-have tool that every EA, PA, and business support professional should keep in their all-purpose utility belt – ready for action at any moment!
Nicole is running a series of one-day workshops for EAs, PAs, and business support professionals, which includes a module on crisis communication. For further details, see https://comms-exchange.com/boost-your-influence-and-impact-workshop/.
