Use the COLD acronym to write concise incident updates under pressure.
COLD What does COLD stand for? Why include Open questions? They prevent silence from looking like certainty. Labeling unknowns makes the message more credible and reduces rumor. Which update is calmer? Use the COLD structure under time pressure. Someone asks for root cause in every update. Root cause is still unknown. Your line Root cause is still open; the live action is containment, and we will update the root-cause line when evidence changes. Filling the root-cause slot with theory. It separates open questions from live action.
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