When developing a crisis communication plan, one element the Rockford Gray team of experts includes is a “Classification of Incidents” chart.
The chart breaks out three tiers of incidents – minor, serious and major. We include examples of incidents for each tier and a list of triggers. We show that a minor incident can quickly escalate to a serious or even major incident based on the external or internal responses. We call those triggers.
What is a Crisis?
A key part of the crisis communication planning process is the process of clearly articulating the difference between a minor issue and a crisis. Not every issue requires the activation of the full crisis plan. Our plans allow organizations to use a risk matrix with predefined levels of risk and key indicators to determine when the plan is officially activated. The plan removes subjectivity and ensures a consistent, timely response when a true crisis occurs.
For training purposes, here are some examples of triggers for each tier.
Crisis Triggers
Minor Incident Triggers:
- Little or no media coverage
- Little or no social media engagement (shares, limited likes, etc.)
- No awareness of the incident outside a small section of internal audiences or among clients, customers or key stakeholders
Serious Incident Triggers:
- Negative social media and/or online campaign, Misinformation or disinformation campaign online and otherwise.
- Negative media coverage raises questions about operations
- The public at large are aware
- Elected officials and/or oversight agencies are aware of the situation/event
Major Incident Triggers:
- Continuous news, viral social media, and online coverage.
- Sustained public backlash.
- Mass employee departures.
- Public safety is at risk.
- Elected officials and/or oversight agencies launch a public investigation.
- Mass impact to clients, partners or customers.
The Classification of Incidents chart is part of a comprehensive, but easy-to-use plan that moves beyond simply reacting to a crisis. It defines what events will trigger a reaction and how that reaction will be managed, ensuring speed, control, and trust.
About the author: Gil Rudawsky specializes in issues and reputation management, and crisis communication. He began his career as a reporter in Aspen, and journalism took him across the country and then back to his native hometown of Denver, where he worked for the Rocky Mountain News. His journalistic skills – source development, research, credibility, storytelling, and curiosity – remain the foundation of his work with clients. He has experience working on a range of issues across sectors, including federal investigations, corporate and workplace issues, DEI and public advocacy campaigns. He provides expert-level strategic counsel, including on-the-ground support. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California, with a degree in philosophy.