A crisis communication plan template is a fill-in document that names who decides, who speaks and what gets said first, before a crisis starts. A usable template has ten parts: a response team, a severity scale, a decision owner, a spokesperson, audiences, first statements, channels, an approval path, an event log and a review. Fill in each part in advance, and test the plan once a year.
By Ronn Torossian. Last updated: October 28, 2026. This page is general communications guidance and not legal advice, so counsel should review any statement that touches a legal matter.
What belongs in a crisis communication plan template?
A crisis communication plan template needs ten parts, and each part needs a named person and a time limit. The table lists what to write in each one.
| Part | What to write | Who owns it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Response team | Names, roles, phone numbers and one backup for each role | Head of communications |
| 2. Severity scale | Three levels, each with a plain description and who is called at that level | Head of communications and legal |
| 3. Decision owner | The one person who decides when the plan starts and what is said | Chief executive |
| 4. Spokesperson | A primary and a backup, both trained, with a rule on who never speaks | Head of communications |
| 5. Audiences | Customers, employees, regulators, investors, partners and reporters, each with a contact list | Communications and legal |
| 6. First statements | A short draft for each of the three crises most likely at your organization | Communications and legal |
| 7. Channels | Where each audience hears from you first: website, email, social account, phone line or press | Communications |
| 8. Approval path | Who signs off, in what order, and the longest each person has to respond | Chief executive and legal |
| 9. Event log | A running record of facts learned, statements issued and calls made, with times | Communications |
| 10. Review | A meeting within two weeks of the event to record what worked and what to change | Head of communications |
Who should be on the crisis response team?
The crisis response team should include the chief executive or a delegate, the head of communications, a legal adviser, an operations lead for the affected area and a person who keeps the log. Each role needs a named backup, because crises do not wait for people to return from leave.
Keep the group small enough to decide in one conversation. Everyone else is informed, not consulted. The decision owner in part 3 breaks ties, so no statement waits on a committee.
How do you build a severity scale?
A severity scale sorts events into three levels so the right people are called at the right speed. A simple version works for most organizations.
- Level 1 is a contained issue with limited attention, handled by communications and the affected team.
- Level 2 is an issue drawing reporter or customer attention, which brings in the full response team.
- Level 3 is an event that threatens safety, legal standing or the organization's operations, which brings in the chief executive and counsel at once.
Write a one-line description of each level and the first call at that level. Adjust the thresholds to your own risks, because a hospital and a software company will draw the lines in different places.
What should the first statement say?
The first statement should say what happened, what the organization is doing about it and when the next update will come, in that order. The managing negative press guide covers who speaks and when to correct the record.
Draft the first statement for the three crises most likely at your organization and leave blanks for the facts. A hypothetical outage statement might read: "We are aware that customers cannot reach the service. Our engineers are working on the cause. We will update this page by a stated time." The blanks get filled with verified facts only, never with guesses.
If an apology is warranted, the corporate apology guide shows what a strong one contains. If a legal case is live, the litigation PR guide explains what a company can say before a verdict.
What do real cases show about plan speed?
Real cases show that speed depends on decisions made before the event. Silicon Valley Bank saw customers try to withdraw about $42 billion in one day in March 2023, according to a California regulatory filing reported by Fortune and CNBC, and regulators took control the next day. The Silicon Valley Bank case shows why the audiences with the most money at stake need a contact list and a first message ready.
The PR crisis examples page covers twelve cases with one lesson each, and the cybersecurity PR guide covers the first 24 hours after a breach, including the SEC disclosure clock for public companies. For more precedents by industry, see the crisis communications case study library.
How do you test and keep the plan current?
A crisis plan stays current when the organization drills it once a year on one scenario and updates the contact lists after every staff change. Pick a realistic event, such as a product recall, run the plan with a timer, and record how long each approval takes.
After a real event, hold the part 10 review within two weeks. Write down which statement went out first, who approved it and how long it took, then change the plan where the clock ran slow. The next drill starts from those notes.
Frequently asked questions
What is a crisis communication plan?
A crisis communication plan is a written document that names the response team, the decision owner and the spokesperson, and sets out what is said to each audience and how fast. It is written before a crisis so that no one has to invent the process under pressure.
How long should a crisis communication plan be?
A crisis communication plan should be short enough that the response team can find any part in under a minute. The ten parts in the table usually fit in a document of a few pages, with the contact lists kept as attachments.
Who should approve the first statement?
The decision owner named in part 3 should approve the first statement, with legal review inside a time limit set in advance. A statement that waits for every possible reviewer arrives after reporters and customers have already formed a view.
How often should the plan be updated?
Update the plan after every real event, after any change in the response team and at least once a year. Contact lists go stale fastest, so check them first.
Start this week with parts 1 to 3: name the team, write the three severity levels and name the decision owner. Those three can be finished in a single meeting.