Part 1: Crisis Story Planning Worksheet
Crisis Story Planning Template
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Incident Name: _________________
Date/Time: ____________________
Impact Level (1-5): ____________
1. Initial Assessment
□ What happened: ___________
□ Who's affected: __________
□ Immediate impact: ________
□ Current status: __________
2. Stakeholder Mapping
Primary: __________________
Secondary: ________________
Internal: _________________
External: _________________
3. Communication Timeline
First hour: _______________
First day: _______________
First week: ______________
Long term: _______________
4. Message Development
Core message: ____________
Key points:
1. _____________________
2. _____________________
3. _____________________
Part 2: Crisis Story Examples
Example 1: Technical Service Outage
Situation: Global payment system down
Time: Tuesday, 10:15 AM EST
Initial Communication (10:30 AM):
"We're currently experiencing a system-wide payment processing delay. Our technical team identified the issue at 10:15 AM EST and is working on immediate resolution. All customer data remains secure. Next update in 30 minutes."
Update 1 (11:00 AM):
"Technical team has identified root cause: database overload from scheduled maintenance. Currently implementing solution. 40% of systems restored. Estimated full restoration: 12:30 PM EST."
Resolution Communication (12:45 PM):
"All payment systems restored and operating normally. To prevent future occurrences, we've:
1. Enhanced monitoring systems
2. Revised maintenance protocols
3. Implemented new alert systems
We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience."
Example 2: Customer Service Crisis
Situation: Major product malfunction affecting 1000+ customers
Time: Friday, 3:00 PM EST
Initial Response (3:15 PM):
"We've identified a quality issue affecting [Product X] units shipped between [dates]. Customer safety is our priority. Immediate steps:
- Halted all shipments
- Initiated recall process
- Established customer support hotline
Next update: 4:00 PM EST"
Development Update (4:00 PM):
"Technical team has identified the source of malfunction. Action plan:
1. Immediate inspection of all inventory
2. Free replacement program initiated
3. Quality control enhancement
4. Customer compensation plan developed"
Resolution Story:
"Through this challenge, we've learned valuable lessons about our quality control process. Changes implemented:
- New testing protocols
- Enhanced inspection points
- Improved customer communication
- Strengthened supplier relationships"
Part 3: Crisis Response Template
Hour 1:
□ Acknowledgment message
- What we know: _____________
- What we're doing: _________
- Next update timing: ________
Hours 2-4:
□ Detailed update
- Progress made: ____________
- Challenges faced: _________
- Resources deployed: _______
Hours 4-24:
□ Resolution progress
- Solutions implemented: _____
- Timeline for completion: ___
- Support available: ________
Post-Crisis:
□ Learning narrative
- What happened: ___________
- How we responded: ________
- What we learned: _________
- Changes made: ___________
Part 4: Story Impact Assessment
Crisis Story Effectiveness Metrics:
1. Response Time
Target: ___________________
Actual: ___________________
2. Stakeholder Understanding
□ Message clarity (1-5): ____
□ Information completeness: __
□ Action clarity: __________
3. Trust Indicators
□ Feedback received: ______
□ Sentiment analysis: _____
□ Follow-up questions: ____
4. Long-term Impact
□ Relationship changes: ___
□ Process improvements: __
□ Cultural shifts: ________
