Practical guidance for companies, executives, attorneys, and organizations facing public scrutiny

A crisis can begin with a reporter’s call, a lawsuit, a social media post, a customer complaint, a leadership change, an employee issue, a government inquiry, a financial problem, or organized opposition to a project.

When that happens, the first question is often simple: What do we say?

The better question is: What should we understand before we say anything?

Crisis communications helps an organization respond clearly, accurately, and strategically when its reputation, leadership, operations, legal position, or public standing is under pressure. The goal is not to spin the facts or simply make a problem disappear. The goal is to assess the situation, understand the audiences, develop the right message, prepare the right spokesperson, and communicate in a way that protects credibility.

David PR Group helps companies, executives, attorneys, business owners, nonprofits, developers, financial institutions, healthcare organizations, and other organizations navigate sensitive communications challenges. These situations may involve media scrutiny, lawsuits, online attacks, reputational threats, business disputes, public opposition, employee concerns, financial issues, or other matters where the wrong message can make a difficult situation worse.

This guide is designed to help organizations understand what to do before, during, and after a crisis.

What is crisis communications?

Crisis communications is the process of managing what an organization says, who says it, when it is said, and how it is delivered during a difficult or sensitive situation.

A crisis does not have to be national news to matter. A local article, a legal filing, a social media accusation, a public meeting, a customer complaint, or an internal email can affect reputation. It can also influence employees, customers, investors, donors, board members, elected officials, regulators, lenders, vendors, and business partners.

Good crisis communications helps an organization avoid panic, stay disciplined, and make decisions based on facts, judgment, and strategy.

Read more: What Is Crisis Communications?

What should you do first in a PR crisis?

The first step in a crisis is triage.

Before issuing a statement, taking questions, posting online, or responding to a reporter, an organization should quickly determine what happened, what is known, what is not known, who is affected, who is asking questions, and which audiences matter most.

In many situations, the first few hours are not about saying everything. They are about saying the right thing, avoiding mistakes, and creating a clear process for decisions and approvals.

An organization should identify who is in charge, who is authorized to speak, what information can be confirmed, what still needs to be reviewed, and how employees should handle questions from the media, customers, or outside parties.

Read more: What to Do in a PR Crisis

How should you respond to the media during a crisis?

Media inquiries during a crisis require preparation, discipline, and judgment.

Not every reporter call requires the same response. A call from a local business reporter is different from a national investigative inquiry. A trade publication is different from a television news story. A lawsuit article is different from a broader reputation story.

Before responding, an organization should understand who is asking, what they know, what their deadline is, whether a story is likely to run with or without comment, and whether a response can improve accuracy and context.

The worst time to decide on media strategy is while a reporter is waiting for an answer.

Read more: How to Respond to the Media During a Crisis

How do you write a crisis statement?

A crisis statement should be clear, accurate, measured, and appropriate for the moment.

In some cases, the right statement is a short holding statement that acknowledges the issue and explains that the organization is reviewing the matter. In other cases, the organization may need a fuller explanation, a direct response to allegations, a message to employees, a letter to stakeholders, or a public statement from leadership.

The strongest crisis statements avoid speculation, defensiveness, corporate jargon, and unnecessary detail. They focus on what can responsibly be said, what the organization is doing, and what matters most to the audience.

A good statement should protect credibility. It should not create new problems.

Read more: How to Write a Crisis Statement

When should you hire a crisis communications firm?

You should consider hiring a crisis communications firm when an issue could affect reputation, revenue, leadership credibility, employee confidence, investor trust, customer relationships, public approvals, litigation strategy, or media coverage.

Outside counsel can be especially valuable when the organization is too close to the issue, when leadership disagrees about what to say, when a reporter is preparing a story, when online criticism is growing, when employees are confused, or when the matter involves litigation, public opposition, or high stakes stakeholders.

An experienced crisis communications advisor can help an organization slow down, assess the risk, prepare the message, coordinate internal and external communications, and respond with discipline.

Read more: When to Hire a Crisis Communications Firm

Crisis communications for lawsuits

Lawsuits create a unique communications challenge because the legal process and the public conversation often move at different speeds.

A complaint may become public before an organization is ready to respond. Reporters may quote allegations before the company has had a chance to explain its position. Opponents, competitors, activists, plaintiffs, or critics may use legal filings to shape perception.

In lawsuit related crisis communications, legal accuracy is essential. But legal accuracy alone may not be enough. Employees, customers, investors, donors, board members, business partners, and the public may need context.

The communications strategy should be coordinated with legal counsel. The goal is to protect the legal position while also protecting the organization’s reputation.

Read more: Crisis Communications for Lawsuits

Why preparation matters

Most crisis communications mistakes happen before the crisis begins.

Organizations often wait until there is a problem to decide who should speak, who should approve statements, how employees should respond, how social media should be monitored, and how leadership will communicate internally.

Preparation does not prevent every problem. It does make the response faster, calmer, and more disciplined.

A crisis communications plan can help an organization establish a clear chain of command, identify authorized spokespeople, prepare media and social media policies, develop holding statement templates, and create a process for rapid review and approval.

The goal is not to create a binder that sits on a shelf. The goal is to make sure the organization knows what to do when time is short and pressure is high.

Speak with David PR Group

If your organization is facing media scrutiny, a lawsuit, online criticism, public opposition, stakeholder pressure, or another reputational challenge, David PR Group can help you assess the situation and develop a practical communications strategy.

We help clients clarify the facts, anticipate difficult questions, prepare key messages, coordinate internal and external communications, and respond with judgment.

A crisis does not always give you time to be perfect. It does require you to be prepared, accurate, and strategic.

Contact David PR Group to discuss your situation.