Crisis and Issues Communications


Every public and private organization must be able to communicate effectively to its internal and external publics during difficult times. Because employees, customers, the media, bloggers/tweeters, suppliers and other constituencies respond positively to open, honest communication—whether the organization is at fault or not—the issues-management process must allow ease of implementation regardless of the perceived severity of the situation.

The best defense against an issue or incident that could escalate to a crisis is preparation, which also will counteract the suddenness and emotional aspects of an issue that can lead to nonproductive actions or behavior. We emphasize to current and potential clients that it’s imperative to have a plan in place. We can work together to develop an issues-management plan, help create a rapid-response team and design a communications framework in advance that includes key messages, a draft response, Q&A and a suggested action plan. Although these materials are developed in advance, they will need to be reviewed, revised and approved if and when an issue arises.

Among the many communications related to crises and issues that we’ve managed:

  • The restoration of public trust in a charitable organization that had been accused of mismanagement of funds and a murky mission
  • The recall of a major contact lens brand
  • A recall of poultry products after farms were contaminated with a virus
  • Reports of food contamination made by employees and consumers
  • A national corporation that backed away from a celebrity spokesperson after he announced he was HIV-positive
  • National media attention after a restaurant chain’s blimp crashed in NYC
  • Suit by 150 pharmacists against a health-care insurer
  • Publication of studies that drew a hypothetical link between a drug and cancer
  • Pharmaceutical product withdrawals and public health advisories
  • Accusations against a coal mining company for lack of dust containment and community health problems
  • Uproar among 1,800 residents after allegations of vandalism and drug sales in an apartment complex in a respected residential area
  • A plant fire that shut down an optical business for more than a month
  • A pipeline break by an electric generating station that threatened water supplies, marine life and wildlife
  • Taxation on coal products that threatened industry viability
  • Concern about the reopening of a cancer care hospital after it was damaged by a plane crash
  • Concern related to potential exposure to chemicals in a wood processing facility
  • The near-eruption of a scandal related to a company’s chief executive