Speakers
Insight
When crisis hits, it's employees who feel the impact first. In this session, Alison will explore why internal communication must be a crisis priority and how communicators can step up trusted strategic advisors. She'll introduce her new framework for internal crisis communication, which puts people at the heart of the response–addressing survival, support and sensemaking needs through clear channels, effective leadership and active listening. Only once employees feel able to function can organisations stabilise the situation, stimulate and sustain their crisis response and emerge stronger. Participants will leave with practical takeaways and action points to strengthen planning, preparedness and resilience in their own organisations.
Alison Arnot is a multi-award-winning PR director, trainer, consultant, speaker and author specialising in internal communication and crisis communication. As the founder of Catalyst Communications based in Glasgow, she advises clients across the public and private sectors. Alison has delivered crisis and internal communications training for over 12years.Her real-world crisis experience includes leading communication from the crisis room during the 2007 Glasgow Airport terror attack. In July 2025, she published Internal Communication in Times of Crisis–which presents her practical '7 S's framework' for human-centred crisis communication.