Incident Comms Blueprint for Calm Stakeholders

Category: Academy · Stage: Resilience

By Max Beech, Head of Content

Updated 29 August 2025 · Expert review: [PLACEHOLDER: Communications Director]

Why it matters: The UK National Cyber Security Centre emphasises clear, rapid communication to maintain trust during incidents.^[1]^ This Chaos blueprint keeps execs, customers, and regulators aligned within minutes.

      - Who needs incident updates?

      - How do you structure updates in Chaos?

      - How do you close the incident communication loop?

    

  
  
    

TL;DR

      - Segment stakeholders and assign update cadences.

      - Use Chaos templates to push updates via email, SMS, and portals.

      - Archive comms in the [decision log](/blog/decision-log-workflow) for compliance.

    

  
  
    
      
        
          Stakeholder
          Cadence
          Channel
        
      
      
        
          Executives
          Every 15 minutes
          Chaos Spaces + SMS
        
        
          Customers
          Every 30 minutes
          Status page + email
        
        
          Regulators
          When thresholds hit
          Chaos export + secure portal
        
      
    
    Stakeholder matrix keeps messaging aligned and auditable.
  
  

Who needs incident updates?

Map internal leadership, affected customers, regulators, and partners. Assign owners for each stream inside Chaos so nothing slips.

How do you structure updates in Chaos?

Use templated blocks covering status, impact, mitigation, and next checkpoint. Feed technical detail from the warmup drill outputs.

How do you close the incident communication loop?

When resolved, publish a clear summary, schedule a retrospective, and archive communications. ICO guidance stresses capturing lessons and notifying regulators within required windows.^[2]^

Key takeaways

      - Segment audiences and automate cadences.

      - Log every update for regulator-ready archives.

      - Close the loop with retros and public follow-ups.

    

  
  
    

Next steps

      - Build stakeholder cohorts inside Chaos.

      - Customise the comms template per audience.

      - Schedule quarterly comms drills aligned to [warmups](/blog/incident-response-warmup-chaos).

    

  
  
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