How to Write a Crisis Advisory

Local municipalities, state and federal government agencies and emergency relief organizations all update their crisis advisory statements on a regular basis. They have staff that is in charge of these documents. But anyone who deals with the public and a significant employee count can write a crisis advisory. Whether you prepare an advisory in advance of a crisis, or you write it as needed, these tips can help.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Talk to top management and key executives about what kinds of plans they are willing to fund and how they want to respond to various levels of crisis. Take notes and get all the feedback you can before drafting the advisory.

2. Coordinate with local government officials as you write your procedural response to crisis. Cover weather events, bomb threats, hostage situations and chemical accidents. Find out what is available from the outside and get guidance from the official lawmakers in your jurisdiction.

3. Create a blank template that you can fill in with details when a crisis takes place. List the groups that will need to be notified of the company policies regarding the event. Include the press, employees, vendors and the public.

4. Include important information on every advisory such as the date of the event and the length of time covered by the document. Contact names and numbers should be posted in plain view. Use bullet points to deliver information like who will be in charge, where people should go in case of emergency and how they should behave.

5. Keep the document in an easy-to-find folder on your desktop in both electronic and hard copies. Revisit the plans occasionally to make sure that all information is current and valid. Know that it is difficult to deal with unpredictable events, but that any forethought will be helpful.