Influence in Crisis Communication

🚨 “We are losing control of the narrative.” That was the first thing an anxious executive told me during a late-night call. Their brand was in the middle of a PR storm. Headlines were brutal. Stakeholders were furious. Employees were confused. But here’s the truth no one wanted to say out loud: 👉 The crisis wasn’t sinking the company. 👉 The communication was. ❌ Leaders were dodging tough questions. ❌ Press statements sounded defensive and robotic. ❌ Customers felt unheard, investors felt uncertain, and employees felt abandoned. The damage wasn’t just external — morale inside the company was cracking too. One executive whispered to me after a failed press briefing: “We had the facts. Why did it feel like we lost?” Because facts don’t win trust. Communication does. 💡 That’s when I stepped in. I designed media training and message-framing workshops for the leadership team. We practiced tone. We worked on body language. We re-framed statements with empathy, clarity, and credibility. I told them: “People don’t just want answers. They want to feel you understand.” And slowly, the shift happened. ✔ Their press conferences became calmer, clearer, and more confident. ✔ Stakeholders started nodding instead of frowning. ✔ Employees began to rally behind their leaders again. ✨ Within weeks, the storm began to settle. The company didn’t just survive the crisis — it walked out with stronger credibility than before. And that day, the executives realized something profound: ➡️ Soft skills are not “soft.” They are the strongest armor a leader can wear in a crisis. I’ll say it again: Crisis doesn’t destroy reputations. Poor communication does. 👉 If you’re a leader, don’t wait for a crisis to discover the power of your voice. Train it. Shape it. Use it — before you need it. #Leadership #CrisisCommunication #ExecutivePresence #CommunicationSkills #SoftSkills

Since inauguration, nonprofits, governments, and higher ed have been in a state of uncertainty. The most acute effect? Decision paralysis. Contracts are delayed, teams are anxious, and leaders don’t know what’s coming next. Organizations in these sectors, built for slow, consensus-driven decisions, are struggling to respond to constant shifts. The result is churn, stress, ambiguity...AND complying in advance out of fear. We can each help bring clarity and calm to these situations. Whether you’re a CEO, a middle manager, or a program lead, you can model crisis communication by answering (or asking) three simple questions: 1️⃣ What do we know to be true? State clear facts. If you don’t know, ask the room. Example: “This executive order is in effect,” or “We have funding through next year.” 2️⃣ What remains uncertain? Don’t stay silent on unknowns—it breeds fear. Explicitly name the gaps: “We don’t yet know the impact on our programs, but we’re monitoring closely.” 3️⃣ Does this change what we should do right now? Be explicit about the impact on the day-to-day. Should your team continue as usual? Pause? Prepare contingencies? If this question is punted or delayed, everyone will make individual, implicit decisions anyways. So make them intentional. This framework has helped me as an interim CEO, in coaching program leaders, and in navigating crisis moments. And it needs to be repeated every few weeks right now (because uncertainty isn’t going away). We may not have all the answers, but we can choose to communicate in a way that fosters trust instead of chaos. Let’s bring clarity where we can. #Leadership #Communication #DecisionMaking

The Power of Leadership Language in Difficult Times Do you know what gives a leader real influence in a crisis? It is not titles. It is how they communicate. The language they choose wields real power. In times of crisis, people listen more intently. Every word is magnified. The language a leader chooses can anchor a team in trust or sink it into deep fear. It can close doors or open new possibilities. Early in my career, I watched leaders walk into a room after a major setback and saw how instantly everything shifted. The tension was heavy. Shoulders stiff. Voices gone. Ideas diminished. And when they spoke, they made it worse: hope disappeared, solutions vanished, and curiosity ceased. That’s when the realization struck me. 💫Leadership language does not just communicate. It shapes confidence. It builds culture. It defines leadership itself. Here are a few language shifts leaders can make in challenging moments: ❌ “We can’t afford mistakes right now.” ✅ “Every setback is a learning. Let’s learn and adapt.” ❌ “I need solutions now.” ✅ “Let’s pause, and reflect.” ❌ “I don’t want to debate, just do it.” ✅ “Here’s my direction. Tell me if I’m missing a risk.” ❌ “That’s your job.” ✅ “I’m here to help.” ❌ “Failure isn’t an option.” ✅ “Embrace failures.” ❌ “That’s not my problem.” ✅ “Let’s figure it out together.” ❌ “Stop overthinking.” ✅ “Let’s address your concerns.” ❌ “Don’t make excuses.” ✅ “Acknowledge and move on.” 🌟The best leaders know communication is never neutral. It either builds or breaks. In challenging moments, your words can turn panic into confidence, blame into ownership, and uncertainty into clarity. That is exactly what a team looks for in their leader. ✨ What’s one phrase you’ve heard from a leader in tough times that stayed with you? #Leadership #Communication #Resilience #LeadershipLanguage #LanguageShift #ModerndayLeadership #WorkCulture #ChallengingTimes #DosandDonts #LeadershipLessons

I started my career in crisis comms. It was brilliant training for leadership. Whether you’re a founder, CEO, or leading a team of any size, a comms crisis will happen at some point. - A product misstep - A rogue tweet - A customer issue  - A story that hits like a curveball  What matters most is how you respond. So here’s my 6-step plan for dealing with a crisis: → Stay calm: panic spreads. So remember to take a beat and step back, before you go forward. → Move quickly, not blindly: gather facts, speak to key stakeholders, and understand the ripple effect of each action. → Be transparent: communicate openly and early, don’t leave a vacuum. → Assemble your crisis crew: a small trusted group, internal and external, with each person having clear roles. → Have a plan: even if it’s to do nothing for the time being, silence can be strategic - but only if it's intentional. → And finally, remember it’s (usually) not personal, but reacting emotionally often makes things worse, so contain things as best you can and move forward. Bad crisis comms can compound a crisis. Measured, strategic management of the situation usually calms everything down.

You know what's *never* a fun topic? Crisis communications. But you know what's so, so much worse than talking about it? Getting blindsided by a crisis, and having to put together a strategy, team, and messaging alllllllll on the fly and under significant stress. Trust me: putting together a plan isn't as difficult of an exercise as you may think, and you'll come out the other side feeling SO much more confident about the future. Here are the major keys: 📕 PREPARATION: Every company should have a solid crisis communication plan. It’s not about if a crisis will happen; it’s about when. A clear, pre-approved communication strategy can make all the difference. 🔎 TRANSPARENCY: In a crisis, honesty builds trust. Employees, customers, and stakeholders need to know what’s happening, what you’re doing about it, and how they will be impacted. (Even if you don't have anything new to share, saying something is better than saying nothing at all.) In my experience, those who communicate effectively in a crisis not only manage the situation but also come out so much stronger on the other side. It's about guiding your team and your organization through the storm with clarity, empathy, and resilience. (Don't want to write a crisis communications plan from scratch? I'll send you our template & a completely filled-out example! ✅ ) #crisiscommunication #internalcommunication

This week, while digging into a few CEO communications projects, I came across some academic research on the topic that’s definitely worth a look. Rita Men and colleagues looked at CEO communication during disruptive crises and found: • In times of uncertainty, CEO communication profoundly influences employees’ trust in the organization and their psychological well-being   • When CEOs communicate with transparency, authenticity, optimism, and empathy (TAEO) during a crisis, employees report higher levels of organizational trust, reduced feelings of uncertainty and greater psychological well-being.    • By actively seeking feedback, being forthright about challenges, and responding promptly to inquiries, CEOs create an environment where employees feel informed and valued. As communicators, we know this intuitively, but it’s powerful to have research that helps us guide leaders on how to show up during difficult moments. The study was published in the International Journal of Business Communication. Link to a summary in the comments. I'd love to hear what resonates with your experience.