Rethinking Crisis Readiness in an Uncertain World

A crisis rarely unfolds in neat, contained moments. It plays out in real time with shifting information, rising expectations and pressure to respond quickly.

That’s changing what “readiness” really means. It’s less about having the perfect plan and more about having the right mindset, alignment and judgment in place before anything happens.

In PRSA’s upcoming certificate program, “Crisis Communication Readiness: From Uncertainty to Action,” which begins on May 20, instructor Mike Gross, APR, Fellow PRSA, focuses on how communicators can show up as trusted advisers when it matters most.

Gross, president at AKCG — Public Relations Counselors, shared insights with me on how communicators can better prepare for what’s next.

_{How should communicators rethink preparedness in this more ongoing, high-pressure environment?}

Preparedness has to shift from just planning for a moment to planning for sustained uncertainty.

Most organizations still think in terms of scenarios alone — what might happen and how we’ll respond. The reality is many situations don’t follow a clean script. They evolve. Information changes. Expectations shift, but the pressure is immediate.

So, we must start to focus less on simply having the right template and more on having the right foundation. Clear principles. Defined roles. Alignment on how decisions get made quickly, with as few barriers as possible.

If you have that in place, you’re better positioned to adapt as the situation unfolds. If you don’t, no plan will hold up for very long.

_{What are some of the most common missteps you observe when organizations depend too much on “playbooks”?}

The biggest issue is false confidence. But let’s be clear that a scenario-based crisis response plan is still important.  It just can’t be a communicator’s singular focus.

Playbooks create the impression that if you follow the steps, you’ll get the right outcome. But crisis situations don’t work that way. Context matters. Timing matters. Tone matters.

What we want to avoid is organizations relying on pre-written statements or rigid processes that don’t reflect the reality of what’s happening. The result often is communication that feels disconnected or overly cautious. There is little room for “corporate speak” anymore in these moments; we must be audience-focused.

Playbooks are key to getting you going, but if they replace judgment, they become a liability.

_{You emphasize trust and credibility as guiding principles. In a rapidly evolving crisis, what does that look like in practice — especially when information is incomplete?}

More than ever, we live in a skeptical world. There’s recreational outrage. There are deepfakes. Trust in all types of leaders is eroding. 

In practice, there’s often a tendency to wait to communicate during a moment of challenge until everything is confirmed. In most cases, that creates a gap that others will fill for you. Credible leaders start with being clear about what they know, what they don’t know and what they’re doing to get answers.

Credibility is built through consistency and tone. And effective leaders work hard to avoid speculation and acknowledge impact early, even when details are still emerging.