Book Review: Internal Communications in Times of Crisis

When crisis strikes, organisations instinctively look outward - to media, stakeholders and reputation - often overlooking the very people who will determine whether recovery is possible. Internal Communication in Times of Crisis by Alison Arnot makes the case for putting employees first when the stakes are highest.

Employees are too often forgotten in a crisis. That’s the premise of this book, which demonstrates both the high stakes in crisis communications and how, by focusing on its own people first, organisations can recover better and faster from reputational storms.

Equal parts pep-talk and guide for communicators, this is a book to return to again and again for its wisdom and practicality.

Author Alison Arnot aims to address a gap in public relations knowledge, walking through how to do crisis communication from the inside out. She argues that many organisations’ knee-jerk and misguided response is to look outside first.

Arnot’s pedigree in this area is impressive. She is a CIPR trainer, an award-winning business owner, consultant and speaker with over 35 years’ experience in public relations, internal communications and crisis communications.

Arnot was the first member of the communications team on the scene after the 2007 terrorist attack on Glasgow Airport. An experience she draws on for the dramatic opening of this book, strikingly placing internal communications in a very real and high-stakes context.

Employees are the people who, Arnot contends, are often treated as an afterthought when crisis hits in favour of serving the needs of stakeholders such as the media, in particular. But, as she explains, it’s employees who will ensure an organisation bounces back from a crisis and continues to operate successfully.

Her goal with this book is to boost confidence in dealing with a crisis and to offer real-world advice.

Twelve chapters, each containing crucial insights, are underpinned by theory and advice from other practitioners at the top of their profession. Arnot cites well-known public relations and internal communications leaders such as Ben Verinder, Dr Kevin Ruck, Advita Patel and Daniel Holden, alongside occupational psychologists and crisis management experts like Lucy Easthope. She also interviews with lesser-quoted but experienced voices such as Suzanne Goldberg, Gillies Crichton, Alison Lochhead and Ed Conley.

Standout chapters cover essential issues such as recognising the role of internal communications in a business context, how to anticipate a crisis and develop a plan, how to work with leaders and line managers, how to evaluate your efforts, and importantly, how to take care of yourself.

It's evident this author has been close to leaders at critical times - demonstrating an understanding of corporate leaders, the importance of their role and what that role should be during a crisis.

Throughout, Arnot marries deep knowledge and use of theory to support her arguments, with a no-nonsense tone and advice that sounds borne of hard-won experience, giving readers a dose of straight-talk such as “information always leaks out” or “leaders are constantly sending messages whether they intend to or not.”

This makes for an enjoyable reading experience. And with its holistic, step-by-step guide through a specific and essential area of crisis management, Internal Communications in Times of Crisis deserves to become a mainstay of communications courses.

If this review has piqued your interest and you’d like to hear a bit more from the author herself, Alison Arnot will be featuring in an upcoming Comms Conversations event on 25 January 2026, hosted by CIPR Scotland. Please follow this link for further details and to register.

Internal Communication in Times of Crisis
Alison Arnot
Kogan Page
July 2025

About Claire Munro

Claire Munro Chart.PR, CMktr is an award-winning communications professional and manager with almost 20 years of experience in PR: in the public, private and third sectors, currently working in telecoms.

Claire has served on the committee of CIPR Scotland and holds a CIPR Diploma in Internal Communications and the AMEC International Certificate in Measurement and Evaluation.