From surviving to strengthening: Alison Arnot on meeting human and organizational needs through internal crisis communication
“If we want organizations to recover, the first crisis goal must be keeping people physically and psychologically safe.”
Resilience Unfiltered Coffee Chat Series
When a crisis hits, organizations often rush to manage the external fallout. Internal communication becomes an afterthought.
In this edition of Resilience Unfiltered, I sit down with Alison Arnot – consultant, trainer and author based in Glasgow, Scotland – to explore what it takes to manage crisis response strategically by addressing both human and organizational needs across different stages of a crisis.
A multi-award-winning practitioner with more than 25 years of experience, Alison has held senior communication roles across rail, aviation and higher education. She served as BAA’s first on-call press responder during the 2007 terrorist attack on Glasgow Airport, delivering internal and external communications from the crisis room on the day of the attack and throughout the recovery.
Alison recently published Internal Communication in Times of Crisis: How to Secure Employee Trust, Support and Advocacy in Crisis Situations (July 2025) – an excellent read for those looking to meet core human and organizational needs across the full life cycle of a crisis.
Natalia
Alison, before we dive into the intricacies of internal crisis communication, how did you get into this line of work?
Alison
Crisis communication wasn’t something I set out to specialize in. I started my internal communication career in sectors like rail and aviation, where crisis planning was already well developed, but only one part of the job. I’d done the training. I was used to being on call, but I never really expected to be at the centre of a major incident. Then I found myself responding to my first significant crisis, and that’s what sparked my interest and led me to take my first steps toward specializing in the field.
Natalia
Tell me about that first experience.
Alison
In 2007, I was Head of Employee Communication for Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports when a Jeep packed with explosives was driven into the front of the terminal at Glasgow Airport and set on fire. The attack was caught live on camera, and within minutes, videos and images were shared around the world.
I wasn’t officially on call that day, but I was the member of the PR team who could get there most quickly – so within half an hour, I was crossing an armed police cordon and heading to the crisis room to help coordinate the communication response.
The crisis room was close to the attack site, so it was frightening. But rigorous preparation really matters in moments like that. Our crisis management and business continuity plans were activated, and I was working alongside an exceptional crisis management and leadership team, which gave me a sense of psychological safety despite the potential danger.
Operational colleagues focused on removing any further risk and safely reopening the airport, which they achieved within 24 hours, while we in the PR team worked in parallel on both internal and external communication. We all knew that while media and external stakeholder management were critical, recovery would also depend on the will and resilience of employees, so right from the start we placed significant focus on internal communication and employee recognition to ensure employees felt informed, supported and valued.
That focus proved right, and what could have been a damaging event both internally and externally became something different. Our teams performed brilliantly and were publicly praised for their competence and professionalism, while the airport steadily returned to normal operations with strong stakeholder confidence.
So, yes, that was my first crisis experience and, even now, my most high-profile. The lessons I learned stayed with me, and every new scenario I encounter has reinforced to me that crisis communication isn’t only about managing headlines, it’s about supporting and enabling people. I firmly believe that when employees are strategically and considerately enabled to pull together, even in the most frightening circumstances, organizations can emerge stronger than before.
Natalia
And what made you decide to write the book?
Alison
The world feels more turbulent than ever right now, so the timing seems right. But honestly, this book has been a long time in the making.
For years, I’ve seen how much leadership and internal communication shape crisis outcomes. I wanted to understand that more deeply so I could give better advice, so I started looking for resources specifically on internal crisis communication. What I found was either highly academic or overly simplistic. Some writing was thoughtful and theoretically rich, but it didn’t translate easily into practice. Other material was practical but lacked depth.
Neither quite hit the mark, so I began pulling insights from different places and building my own notes. Over time, those notes shaped my training and consultancy work, and eventually became the foundation for the book.
My goal in all of my writing, training and consultancy on this subject is to do two things: advocate for internal crisis communications as a strategic discipline and offer meaningful, real-world advice to the people doing the job. I believe that when we get it right, we can enable effective recovery and, in some cases, help organizations come back stronger, so it was important to me that the book become a resource that helps people to do this.
Natalia
Is there a disconnect between how much attention we give to external audiences versus internal?
Alison
I believe so. When something goes wrong in organizations, our focus often turns outward. We know the benefits of “stealing thunder” and getting our message out quickly so we shape the narrative before others do. But when we plan for this, we are often thinking more about external than internal stakeholders. How are we going to brief government officials? What about the media? What’s happening on social media? We don’t always plan for how we’ll strategically and empathetically support employees through what’s coming and that’s what I would like to see change.
Internal audiences are almost always high-power, high-interest stakeholders with a very different relationship to the crisis, and they deserve to be better considered. Forwarding a press release or posting it on a bulletin board is not enough. Employees will begin to form their own opinions the moment they realize there’s a problem, and those opinions are heavily influenced by the quality of communication and leadership they experience.
We know that difficult moments bring out the best or worst in people. In some organizations, everyone pulls together to help the organization recover. In others, cracks appear and relationships fracture. All of that is rooted in the experience of leadership and communication. It was crisis scholar Ian Mitroff who first said that one badly handled crisis can spawn multiple others, and that has been proven time and again. I’ve seen how a compassionate leader can rally an organization to recover and come back stronger, and I’ve also seen how poor leadership and communication can stall or splinter the response.
Natalia
How can organizations approach internal crisis communication more strategically?
Alison
We need to get better at thinking ahead, setting strategic objectives and considering the full range of employee and organizational needs during the entirety of a crisis.
I created the 7S Framework of Internal Crisis Communication to help clients and training delegates take a structured approach to meeting key employee and organizational needs across the full crisis lifecycle, and I think it can be a particularly useful strategic guide.
The goal is for leaders and internal communicators to consider internal crisis communication at every stage, not just at the point of impact, and to support employees as they move from shock to stability, action and advocacy.
The 7S Framework starts with three essential human crisis needs: Surviving, Supporting and Sensemaking. These then lead into four organizational needs: Stabilizing, Stimulating, Sustaining and Strengthening. Meeting these needs creates the conditions in which employee trust, support and advocacy are possible: first by restoring safety and clarity, then by building understanding and confidence, and finally by enabling meaningful involvement in recovery.
When something goes wrong, the immediate priority is safety. Surviving comes first. Internal communication must be used to disclose what is happening and tell employees what to do to prevent harm. The focus is clear, fast, instructive information to keep everyone physically and psychologically safe. Surviving communication may look different depending on the situation. It might mean evacuating a building during an earthquake or disconnecting from a compromised network during a cyber incident. Every crisis is different, but the need to survive and minimize harm is always the priority.
Next come supporting needs. Once immediate risks are addressed, employees will look to the organization for emotional, psychological and practical support. Their experiences at this time will differ, so communication support must be tailored and responsive to multiple emerging needs and expectations. Where do they work if the building is inaccessible? How do they serve customers if the network is shut down? Where can those affected access counselling? Supporting communication is about providing the scaffolding to help employees keep going so it is important to offer channels for questions and conversation, and to differentiate support for differently affected groups.
Then there’s sensemaking. After any shock, human beings naturally try to interpret what happened and why. If leaders, managers and communicators don’t guide them in this process, employees will fill the gaps themselves, sometimes in unhelpful ways. Creating space for discussion and providing clear, honest, contextual information builds trust and helps employees align their understanding with the organization’s intentions and actions. This encourages supportive behaviour. Best practice is to start the conversation early while respecting legal and confidentiality boundaries. Listen to what employees are already saying, acknowledge their concerns and help them process the situation. This is necessary to shape the narrative constructively and enables employees to advocate for the organization and contribute to recovery.
Only when employees’ surviving, supporting and sensemaking needs are met can we begin to stabilize the organization.
Stabilizing communication helps people to reset and begin functioning within the new or evolving situation. It should be led from the top of the organization and reinforced by leaders and line managers at a local level. Stabilizing communication confirms what has happened and evidences a will and ability to put things right. It reassures people that the organization is confident and competent as it steadies, and it assures employees that their contribution is visible and valued. This is important, because when employees feel that they remain part of an organization that is coherent, credible and fair, they are far more likely to stand by it publicly and privately.
With stability returning, it’s time for stimulating communication to re-energize and re-engage people in the practical work of recovery. Genuine engagement, action and advocacy come from involvement and ownership so employees should not only receive updates about the situation, but they should now also be invited to contribute their own insight, share stories and propose solutions.
Then comes sustaining. Every crisis has a long tail. Even after immediate danger passes, employees remain exhausted and at risk of burnout. Crises may fade from headlines but are still felt internally. After a cyber attack, for example, media attention may subside within weeks, but employees are still rebuilding systems, adjusting workflows for months or even years to come. They may also need to manage strained client relationships and other related difficulties. This means that sustaining communication involves recognizing effort, amplifying stories and reinforcing the vision to maintain engagement and energy.
Finally, there is strengthening. This is where we reflect on what we’ve learned and embed improvements so we emerge more resilient. Together we ask: What did this experience teach us about our strengths and vulnerabilities, our operating model, our culture? What will we do differently in the future to reduce the risk of this happening again? Strengthening is different in different crisis types. In a cyber breach, for example, it may involve updating the incident response plan to account for scenarios where backups are corrupted or client files are encrypted. We may consider running regular cyber-security drills or establishing an ongoing relationship with privacy counsel in the jurisdictions where the company operates. Strengthening is not just about fixing what broke. In many cases, we are looking to make a full recovery. And sometimes, we hope to emerge from the crisis stronger and more resilient than before.
Natalia
I love this framework and, in fact, I’ve already used it with clients. I wonder though if there’s a risk that someone might interpret it too linearly – assuming each S only starts once the previous one is ticked off?
Alison
It’s a good point, and the reality is that some elements should be considered in tandem or revisited as needed. But initially, they should be approached in order because employees need to feel safe and supported before they can act and advocate. The key is understanding how the crisis is being experienced at any given time and being empathetic to the level of impact and trauma, as well as the capacity to act in different parts of the organization. Recovery is only possible when employees actively participate and advocate for the organization.
Natalia
What are some common mistakes in internal crisis communication?
Alison
Communicating too slowly or without empathy is a huge mistake, but another is thinking only about how you will communicate with employees in the acute phase of the crisis. Effective internal communication has a role before, during and after a crisis. Similar to sharing information, it’s about creating psychologically safe cultures where employees are not punished for speaking up and want to stand behind their organization when things go wrong. Employees who feel valued, listened to, engaged and trusted will respond very differently from those who feel misunderstood or shut out.
Natalia
The 7S’s – surviving, supporting, sensemaking, stabilizing, stimulating, sustaining and strengthening – can be seen as goals that guide us at different stages of a crisis. However, in practice, many organizations jump straight to the tactical nuts and bolts – the what, when, where and how. How do we create space in the midst of a crisis to reflect on what should guide decisions and behaviour in the short and long term?
Alison
That’s true, and short-term thinking under pressure can be damaging so understanding how different decisions and scenarios will play out over time is key. We need to pause and ask: What if I make this choice? What are the intended and unintended consequences? Does this decision reduce harm or do we risk making things worse? How would I feel if my actions were scrutinized? How would others feel about me? Is this decision in line with expected values and processes?
Scenario planning helps us play different choices forward so it is important to consider different outcomes. Best-case scenario. Worst-case scenario. Most likely scenario. Most damaging scenario.
What’s great about this is that we give leaders the gift of time travel because we do it before the decisions have been made yet. Leaders don’t have to justify them after the fact. We can go back and reassess different choices. Is this really the right call? Are we making it for the right reasons?
To facilitate this effectively as communicators, we need to position ourselves as trusted advisors to the leadership team. We are not mailboxes brought into the room to send out a message. We are there holding up a mirror to the organization, talking through the consequences of different decisions and communication approaches.
Natalia
How do you get leaders to agree on which scenarios to plan for?
Alison
In a high-pressure situation, there is no time to waste so it’s necessary to focus first on the most plausible scenarios but remember that even as the crisis is unfolding, not everything can be predicted. Identify a handful of potential outcomes that are likely or strategically important, then discuss how you’ll respond empathetically and effectively as the crisis evolves.
Natalia
How can communicators position themselves as strategic advisors?
Alison
If you are not at the table, you are on the menu. Leaders need to know who you are and how you add value in the room. Create opportunities to build relationships and get to know them. Ask what they want, need and expect. It’s great when we have the chance to talk about scenario planning and case studies, as we’ve just discussed, but in many cases, simply showing that you are a safe person to consider ideas with is a real win. You need confidence and conviction in what you are advising and why. Part of it is knowing the organization inside out – the mission, the strategy, the objectives, the KPIs, the risk register and the types of issues leaders are likely to face.
Natalia
This is a fantastic way to wrap up our conversation. Thank you, Alison. I really appreciate you – and all the insight and experience you’ve shared in this excellent conversation.
Earlier chats in the Resilience Unfiltered Series:
Margaret Brigley on evidence over echo chambers in crisis decisions
A coffee chat with Richard Brown: Leading global comms across cultural divides
Dr. Matt Tidwell: crises, values and media readiness in a divided world
Anne Marie Aikins on proactive reputation management in ‘good and really bad times’
Coffee chat with Kim Clark: is there a way to get layoffs right?
A coffee break Q&A with Alexander Rau: “Cyber resilience is a marathon, not a sprint”
A coffee Q&A with Helio Fred Garcia: the agony of decisions and the power of patterns in a crisis
A coffee Q&A with Christal Austin: climate emergency & disaster preparedness
Coffee with Dr. Ian Mitroff: thinking the unthinkable
Natalia Smalyuk is an award-winning advisor and trainer specializing in strategic communication, crisis resilience and stakeholder engagement. She leads NBAU, a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) certified communication consultancy. What is NBAU? Not Business as Usual. Why NBAU? Because there’s no such thing as business as usual for leaders navigating volatility and risk across a complex global landscape.
NBAU supports organizations in building resilience before, during and after adverse events through planning, training and scenario exercises that broaden the understanding of crises and enable positive action in an uncertain world. Our Resilience Unfiltered Series encourages open dialogue on tough issues that rarely makes it onto conference stages. The NBAU Baseline Readiness Checklist helps organizations discover their minimum threshold of preparedness – often noticed by its absence in a crisis. Our new “Tip of the Week” feature offers quick nuggets of insight for busy executives who don’t have time for long reads. Ready to start your resilience journey? Email nsmalyuk@nbau.ca to book a complimentary one-hour consultation.