Few companies expect a crisis to hit them. But at a time when it seems everything is turned upside down, government policies are continually changing, and funding cuts and tariffs are running rampant, the chance your company will get caught up in a firestorm of conflicting public opinion and need a crisis communications plan is greater than ever.
What is crisis communications? Crisis communications is the strategic management of messaging during a disruptive event to protect an organization’s reputation, maintain trust, and provide clear, timely information to stakeholders.
Multiple media outlets, including The New York Times, The Financial Times, Axios and more, refer to 2025 as a chaotic year and project that 2026 will be much the same. As a result, organizations suddenly find themselves battling crises that not only hinder their ability to do business but also threaten their reputation, as well.
Here are a few recent examples of situations that, with little to no warning, caught organizations off guard:
- Tylenol, the largest maker of acetaminophen, battled accusations that its product, if taken during pregnancy, could cause autism.
- Cracker Barrel faced major public outrage and pushback around its rebranding efforts.
- Hundreds of daycare centers in five states were unexpectedly audited, and their funding threatened, because of the Minneapolis-based Feeding Our Future fraud case, one of the largest COVID-relief fraud schemes in U.S. history.
- Meatpacking companies around the country struggled to fill orders due to labor shortages that disrupted the ability to meet order deadlines.
- High-profile universities faced significant funding and enrollment reductions due to public and political scrutiny surrounding their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
How well would your company respond if an incident like this hit you? Take this short quiz to find out.
Are you prepared for the unexpected? Your answers to these 8 questions tell all
1. Do you have a crisis communications plan in place?
Many organizations have response plans in place. Schools, for instance, frequently practice evacuations due to a fire or active shooter situation. Manufacturers might practice OSHA inspections. But those are different than a crisis communications plan, which guides how and what the company will communicate and to whom if something bad happens.
Often, this type of plan begins with a vulnerability analysis to better understand the crises the company would most likely face. That analysis should also consider reputational, social and cultural risks, including how decisions may impact different employee groups, customers, partners and communities. Savvy companies will focus on these vulnerability areas by conducting mock drills that test the strength, efficiency and effectiveness of existing plans.
2. If you have a crisis communications plan, is it still relevant?
Companies are changing the way they do business at an unprecedented rate due, in part, to things like AI, a recent merger or acquisition, newly formed audience demographics, an enlarged geographic footprint, new service/delivery models, changing politics and many other market drivers.
Your company may have switched from direct sales to a distributor network, for example. Perhaps you added a delivery service or you’re now switching to an electronic fulfillment model that services customers around the world. Or due to growing demand for your products, you may have multiplied the size of your workforce.
None of these is bad, of course. But they involve new operations, and with that, new risks and liabilities. Expanding into new markets or communities may also require deeper cultural awareness and stakeholder understanding. If you haven’t updated your crisis communications plan since changes occurred, you likely haven’t accounted for a lot of potential crises.
3. Do you have a media policy in place?
Do your employees know not to speak to the media if they get a call? Do they know what they can and can’t post on social media as it relates to the company? Have you identified specific spokespeople for potential crises?
Do your employees possess the tools and information to be strong brand ambassadors for your company in good times and bad? Have you provided consistent messaging to everyone at the company who directly interacts with customers, trade associations, politicians and the community? Do employees know who to consult if they are approached with questions or comments they don’t know how to address?
Clear media, social, and spokesperson protocols ensure your company speaks with one consistent, accurate voice. This is important to help avoid legal risk, build trust and confidence with key stakeholders and minimize confusion during high-visibility moments or crises.
4. How quickly could you communicate with your key stakeholders if necessary?
Lists are undeniably important and should be kept updated. Having counseled dozens of clients on a wide array of crisis issues, I’m always surprised by how challenging it is for companies to get their hands on key stakeholder lists that contain the most up-to-date contact information that can be aggregated into one, easy-to-access location.
Then there’s the issue of who is the keeper of these lists and who makes the most sense to communicate with each audience. All great questions and, hopefully, questions that have been addressed long before the current crisis arose. Because every moment counts, especially in this time of social media, when posts are published faster than the time it takes to gather all the facts.
5. Do you know who to call to help?
Most organizations have a law firm retained, so it’s easy to know who to call regarding the potential legalities of a crisis. But not every company has a crisis or communications agency on its speed dial.
Seasoned PR and crisis pros are typically able to jump in quickly to assess a situation, develop preliminary key messages, and identify the appropriate action steps. They can also help evaluate cultural sensitivities and community impact before messages are finalized. Calling an agency that already knows your company can save a lot of valuable time – and money – because that agency will already be familiar with your business, your people, your ability to handle certain tasks in-house, your key stakeholders, and what crises (and bad publicity) you’ve faced in the past.
Ideally, you’ve already worked with this agency long enough that their team has established relationships with key media and has collaborated with your internal teams to develop company fact sheets, mission and value statements, and foundational messaging. At a minimum, that messaging should clearly reflect how much the company cares about its employees and the communities and environment it serves.
It’s valuable, when choosing your communications agency, to ask about its crisis communications experience.
6. Are your spokespeople properly trained?
Not everyone does well when a microphone is thrust in their face. And few people are born to be great communicators. Training helps a lot, especially when media prep sessions include on-camera interviews. Prospective spokespeople discover exactly how they look and sound to others and become more open to coaching.
Identifying the right spokespeople is the first step. It might not always be your CEO, your legal counsel, or DE&I manager. And it might not be the same spokesperson for every incident. Often it comes down to who:
- Handles pressure well
- Brings natural presence and appeal
- Stays on message
- Demonstrates strong knowledge of the situation
- Carries credibility on the subject
- Has the time and capacity to respond quickly
- Communicates with empathy and cultural awareness across diverse audiences
The right spokespeople armed with the right messages can help your company lead the conversation instead of having to react to it.
7. Can you gauge how well your messages are being received? Or if your messages are even getting through?
Crises have a way of happening at the most inconvenient times, and they typically won’t wait for you to get everything right from the start. That’s why preparation is important. Leveraging leading monitoring technology also helps. Years ago, companies didn’t have the luxury of knowing in real time how key audiences were responding to what they were putting out. It was a one-way process through which information was simply pushed out — whether it was on target or not.
Today, there are advanced monitoring services that can track traditional and online media, as well as social posts, in real time and provide summary reports regarding audience sentiment. Beyond volume of coverage, organizations should assess tone, narrative alignment and how different stakeholder groups are responding. That makes it easier to know how and when to tweak messages and have a better idea of how quickly a situation is escalating and when it’s time to back off.
8. Do you have any corporate goodwill to bank on?
Hopefully your company is never in a situation where the first time its name becomes public is when it’s associated with something negative, like a leader exercising bad behavior or bad decision making, or a fatal plant explosion, or a nasty labor negotiation that’s in the public eye, or a faulty product, or something similar.
The public and your key stakeholders are likely to be more forgiving if they already have a positive impression of you. Perhaps you’re known as an organization that regularly supports the community, is a great place to work, produces high-quality products, or has a customer service team that really cares.
That’s why proactive communications conducted before a crisis are so important. Make sure people know your organization for something positive before they start judging you for something negative, even if it wasn’t your fault.
Curious if your crisis communications plan is up to speed? We can help you figure it out.
