What is crisis communication?
Updated October 2026.
Crisis communication is what an organisation says, and how and when it says it, when something threatens its reputation. It covers the holding statement, the spokesperson, the messages for staff, customers and partners, and how you handle press and social media until the story moves on. Done well, it protects trust. Done slowly or vaguely, it makes the crisis worse.
Prohibition helps UK organisations plan and deliver crisis communication. Our founder Chris Norton co-wrote the crisis management chapter of the CIPR-backed book Share This Too.
What should you say in the first hour?
Start with a holding statement. Keep it short and honest: what you know, what you are doing about it, who is affected and when you will update people next. Do not guess, blame or speculate. Then agree one spokesperson, and make sure your staff hear the facts from you before they read them online.
What makes a good holding statement?
- It says what happened, in plain English
- It shows concern for the people affected
- It explains what you are doing now
- It promises a time for the next update, and you keep it
Download our crisis white paper for more detail.
Contact us for a free, no obligation 30-minute consultation to discuss your challenges and overall objectives. We guarantee our service to be efficient, insight led and super professional.
Which channels matter in a crisis?
Usually all of them at once: your website, social media, email to customers, internal channels for staff, and journalists. We make sure each one says the same thing, in the right order, and that someone is watching replies and coverage hour by hour.
Who needs to hear from you?
Staff first, then the people directly affected, then customers, partners, investors and the media. Each group needs the same facts with a different emphasis. We draft the messages for each and keep them consistent as the facts change.
How do you rebuild trust after a crisis?
Recovery is communication too. Once the story moves on, we tell the rest of your story through steady, positive coverage and honest updates. For Keystone Brewing Group, our corporate press office and issues management earned 70+ pieces of coverage and cut negative coverage from 16% to 8.7%.
Read the Keystone Brewing Group case study
Sensitive subjects need the same care. Interflora’s campaign on loneliness with Vicky Pattison reached more than 2 million people and lifted positive sentiment by 6%.
Brands That Trust Us
How we help with crisis communication
- Crisis communication plans and holding statements written in advance
- Spokesperson preparation through media training
- Team practice through crisis management training
- Hands-on press and social support when an issue breaks, through our PR crisis management team
How much does crisis communication support cost?
It depends on whether you need a plan, training or live support, how many audiences and channels are involved, and how long the issue runs. We give you a written proposal after a first call.
Talk to us about crisis communication
Talk to Prohibition about crisis communication
Tell us what is happening, or what you want to be ready for. Prefer to talk? Call us on 0113 430 4160.
Crisis and Reputation Management
- PR Crisis ManagementRead more
- Crisis CommunicationRead more
- Individual Reputation ManagementRead more
- Brand Reputation ManagementRead more
- Online Reputation ManagementRead more
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