Preparing For Potential CSR Crises

Crisis training isn’t optional. It’s CPR for your reputation. Yesterday, I ran a half-day, issues & crisis-focused media interview workshop for my long-time client, Goodwill of South Central Wisconsin. I will die on the hill that every organization with public-facing operations needs to run updated media trainings, crisis simulations, and playbook reviews 3–4 times per year. Why? Because it’s no different than office/school fire drills or renewing your CPR cert. You don’t do them because you expect the worst tomorrow; you do them because lives, livelihoods, and millions of dollars are at stake if you don’t keep your response muscles fresh. Pay a little now. Or pay much more later. Here are the core elements of my crisis trainings, updated with feedback from 30+ fellow trainers, journalists, and comms pros: 1. Safe Space & Energy – Ice breakers and laughter lower the stakes so trainees can fail fast and learn. 2. News Value & Archetypes – Journalists hunt for conflict, hypocrisy, humor, contradiction (“man bites dog”), rags-to-riches, romance gone bad, David vs. Goliath. And they’ll cast you as hero, villain, or something in between. Know both before you walk in. 3. Prep Your Headlines – Pick 2–3 key points you must convey. Even if your interview is 30 minutes, it may be condensed into one 10-second soundbite or a single sentence. If you said it, it’s fair game — context or not. 4. Modes Matter – Decide: are you educating with nuance, or delivering tight soundbites? The worst interviews are when you mismatch. 5. Foundations – Bridging, blocking, flagging, hooking. And always have a call to action ready. 6. Don’t Repeat Negatives – If asked “why is your company failing at X,” never restate “we’re not failing.” That soundbite will haunt you. Reframe and redirect. 7. The Big Crisis Questions – What happened? Who’s to blame? What are you doing to make it right? Train for these — they’ll come every time. 8. Nonverbals – Solid colors. Hands visible. Lean in. Silence beats nervous rambling. 9. Mock Interviews ON CAMERA – Not an iPhone selfie. Real lights, mic, hostile rapid-fire Qs. Run two full reps per person. 10. Respectful Feedback – Watching yourself is awkward. In a trust-based room, it’s priceless. 11. On the Record ≠ Optional – Yes, there’s on background, off record, and Chatham House rules. But unless there’s rare mutual consent, assume everything is on the record. Mic is always on. 12. Refreshers – Media training is never “one and done.” Quarterly reps keep you sharp. 👉 That’s my list. What’s yours? What’s the one drill, exercise, or tactic you swear by to make crisis simulations stick? And if your team hasn’t dusted off its crisis plan in a hot second — or you’ve never pressure-tested your spokespeople under fire — it might be worth a quick convo with someone who’s been in the room (I’m always happy to chat). Because crisis comms isn’t theory. It’s muscle memory. And muscle memory only works if you keep training.

I've been managing PR for the fastest-growing startups for over 12 years. 8 of the most valuable hacks we use for our clients (that you can use today): 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 • Regularly brainstorm potential brand vulnerabilities • Develop responsive strategies Mapping these out lets you act fast when challenges arise. Anticipation is your first line of defense. With it, you're not reactive. You're two steps ahead. 𝗣𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 In today's digital world, perception shifts rapidly. Harness sentiment analysis tools to constantly monitor your brand's digital perception. The earlier you spot a shift, the quicker you can intervene. Real-time insights can save reputations. 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗸𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 A brand's voice can be its downfall or saving grace during crises. Train your founders, train your key staff. Implement media training focused on crisis communication. Prepared spokespeople control narratives — even in chaos. 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 Society's sensitivities can change fast. Engage in social listening exercises to stay informed. • Understand the shifts • Identify potential pitfalls • Address areas of concern Don't fear cancel culture – move in harmony with societal changes. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Prioritize open, honest communication — especially during crises. • Admit errors and outline actionable steps • Release detailed, regular updates • Address rumors head-on Transparency fosters trust. It can mitigate potential backlash. 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁 A PR Swiss Army Knife — your key to survival during crises. Maintain an updated set of: • Contacts • Pre-approved messages • Action plans for various scenarios When pressure mounts, this toolkit is your lifeline for well-executed crisis management. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗹𝘀 Mistakes happen. Design a framework for public apologies, ensuring they're: • Timely • Genuine • Appropriate A heartfelt apology can go a long way in damage control and brand rehabilitation. It elevates brand stature in the public eye. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 After any PR challenge, conduct a thorough post-mortem analysis: • Understand the issue • Refine your strategies • Strengthen defenses Past challenges hold valuable lessons. Use them to navigate future threats. Don't drop the ball. Enjoyed this? You’ll love my newsletter where I talk about strategic communication, crisis management and public affairs: https://lnkd.in/g8MF5-6g

This weekend, a Polish CEO’s “apology” for snatching a child’s hat at the US Open went mega-viral. But... it wasn’t real. We saw the same thing a few weeks ago during the Astronomer scandal, when a fake statement spread before the truth caught up. CrowdStrike's outage had a similar pattern: fabricated quotes attributed to leadership while the company scrambled to correct them. Even the #SEC wasn’t immune when its X account was hacked and falsely announced Bitcoin ETF approval.... and markets literally moved before facts landed. What we're seeing now is that the first wave of a crisis isn’t the incident itself. It’s the fake statement that hits the feed before you do. And in that window, outrage outruns your corporate approval process. And leaders don’t get the benefit of the doubt. So how do you prepare for this? Here are five rules I’d put in any crisis playbook: 1. Assume you won’t be believed. Skepticism is the baseline now. Authority and titles don’t buy trust anymore. Credibility lives in patterns, receipts, repetition. Every leader should: ⚠️ Maintain a clear, consistent voice across platforms (so a fake sounds “off” to your audience). ⚠️ Keep a running trail of proof points (past statements, values-in-action, receipts) that can be pointed to quickly. ⚠️ Audit how LLMs are summarizing you. If ChatGPT or Perplexity can’t articulate who you are and what you stand for, you’ve already lost ground. 2. YOU HAVE TO MOVE FASTER. By the time your “perfect” statement clears internal approvals, the fake has already won the day. So build two tiers of response: 1️⃣ Tier 1 (Immediate, <30 mins): Short denial: “We’re aware of a fake statement. It’s not from us. Official updates live here [link].” 2️⃣ Tier 2 (Within hours): A fuller explanation once facts are confirmed. The first tier buys you credibility and time. Without it, you’re just chasing the narrative instead of framing it. 3. Neutral is deadly. “We take this seriously” can read as guilty. We are primed to assume the worst, so safe language sometimes looks evasive. Instead, show: ⚠️ Clarity: Say what happened in plain English. ⚠️ Accountability: Own what’s yours, quickly. ⚠️ Empathy: Speak directly to the people impacted. Not to “stakeholders” or regulators. Test your draft: if it could be copy-pasted from another company’s crisis, it’s too weak. 4. Consistency is your moat. The best defense against fakes is a recognizable “voice print.” People should know how you sound when things go right, so they can spot what feels false when things go wrong. Build that in peacetime through: ⚠️ Regular, authentic communication from the CEO. ⚠️ Internal comms that match external comms (employees sniff out inconsistencies first). ⚠️ Thought leadership that reinforces your values so audiences have a reference point. Outrage will always get first-mover advantage. Go slow, go vague, go robotic and you’ll spend the rest of the crisis defending a story you didn’t write.

Here is how you communicate in a crisis From my recent talk at IAAPA 👇 1. Prepare for the crisis - Identify potential crises: let your wildest nightmares rule and write them down. - Asses the risk of the crises you identified. - Create a clear protocol for responding to the crisis - - Who does what? - - Who approves the messages? - - Have communications templates ready to go. ***Practice for the crisis*** even if just a quick 5 minute refresher. 2. Identify your Communications Channels - Have a press list ready. - If you have social media (which you should) make sure you know who is on deck for posting (and make sure everyone knows when NOT to post.) - - If you DON"T have social media, don't establish an account in crisis. - Develop messages that address the needs and concerns of specific groups: - - Customers, - - Employees, - - Media, - - General public 3. Be Ready for Go Time - Because a Crisis Will Eventually Happen. 👉 Be clear and concise 2️⃣ Address the issue: be honest 🧭 Show empathy and offer reassurance 🏃➡️ Outline immediate actions 🗓️ Set expectations for updates ✅ Be accountable 📞 Provide contacts for additional information Preparing for a crisis is essential - no matter your size or the severity of the crisis - being ready and responding appropriately will lead to faster recovery with minimal damage to your brand and business. I do this for my clients in both my fractional GC work, but mainly in my lobbying work, because many a bad law is passed in response to a poorly managed crisis. Don't be one of them, Cody Hand, founder of Cody Hand, LLC, The Speakers Collaborative, and badass lawyer and lobbyist for highly regulated industries such as healthcare and entertainment/attractions providers.