Training & Capability
Prepare your people to communicate effectively under pressure
Communicating during a crisis is different from communicating during normal business operations. Information may be incomplete. Decisions need to be made quickly. Employees, customers, government, regulators and media can all require information at the same time. What was accurate an hour ago may change as new facts emerge.
In these circumstances, even experienced leaders and communications professionals can find familiar processes being tested.
Bastion Reputation provides practical crisis communications training that prepares leaders and communications teams to operate effectively when scrutiny is intense, information is developing and important decisions need to be made quickly.
We help participants understand their role, establish communications priorities and practise making sound communications decisions under realistic pressure.
Building practical crisis communications capability
Crisis communications capability cannot be developed from a plan alone. People need to understand how their responsibilities change when an issue escalates, how communications connect with the broader organisational response and how to make decisions when the complete picture is not yet available.
Training is tailored to the organisation’s risks, existing crisis arrangements and the responsibilities of those involved.
Understand the response
Learn how communications fits within the organisation’s broader crisis management structure and decision-making process.
Make sound decisions
Build the judgement required to prioritise information, stakeholders and communications activity as circumstances develop.
Practise under pressure
Work through realistic situations that require participants to assess information, make decisions and communicate within limited time.
What effective crisis communicators need to understand
A crisis can create pressure to communicate before the organisation has established every fact. Waiting for complete certainty may leave employees, customers and other stakeholders without important information. Communicating assumptions as facts can create further problems.
Strong crisis communicators understand how to work between these two risks. They know what needs to be established, which stakeholders require attention and when communication is necessary.
Core crisis communications skills
- Fact assessment – What information has been confirmed and what remains uncertain?
- Prioritisation – Which communications decisions require immediate attention?
- Stakeholder awareness – Who is affected and what do they need to know?
- Message development – How can the organisation communicate clearly without speculation?
- Coordination – How should communications remain aligned with operational and leadership decisions?
- Adaptability – How should the approach change as new information and stakeholder concerns emerge?
These capabilities help communications teams remain disciplined while circumstances continue to change.
Communicating when the facts are incomplete
One of the most difficult aspects of a crisis is determining what to communicate when the organisation does not yet have a complete understanding of the situation. Participants need to distinguish between what is confirmed, what is still being investigated and what should not yet be communicated.
We help teams make these judgements rather than defaulting to silence or trying to provide answers that are not available.
What is known
Identify the facts the organisation can communicate with confidence.
What is still being established
Be clear about important information that remains uncertain or under investigation.
What happens next
Help stakeholders understand what action is being taken and when further information can reasonably be expected.
The objective is not to communicate everything immediately. It is to communicate what is relevant, accurate and useful at each stage of the response.
Establishing communications priorities
During a significant incident, communications teams can quickly face competing demands. Employees may need guidance. Customers may require practical information. Government or regulators may expect direct engagement. Media enquiries may arrive while leaders are still assessing the situation.
Not every communication can happen at once. Training helps participants determine what should be prioritised based on the seriousness of the situation, stakeholder needs and the organisation’s broader response.
Stakeholder communication priorities may include:
- Affected people – Who is directly affected and requires information first?
- Employees – What do employees need to know or do?
- Customers – Is there information customers require to make decisions or take action?
- Government and regulators – Are there stakeholders requiring direct or formal engagement?
- Media – Is public attention increasing and what response is appropriate?
- Wider stakeholders – Who else could be affected as the issue develops?
The order will change depending on the event. The skill is knowing how to make that assessment.
Working with leaders and operational teams
Communications teams cannot manage a crisis effectively in isolation. They need access to reliable operational information and a clear understanding of the decisions being made by leadership.
At the same time, leaders and operational teams need to understand emerging stakeholder concerns and the potential reputation consequences of their decisions. Training can help participants practise working across these functions.
Communication in decision-making
A stakeholder and reputation perspective can help leaders understand how different options may be interpreted and what questions they are likely to create.
Communications professionals develop the skills to provide strategic advice that considers stakeholder expectations and reputational implications while remaining grounded in operational realities.
Developing messages under pressure
Crisis messages need to be accurate, clear and defensible. We help clients to learn how to quickly develop messages that remain relevant. Lengthy approval processes or attempts to perfect every sentence can delay communication at precisely the moment stakeholders are looking for information.
Confirmed information
What can be said with confidence?
Immediate action
What is the organisation doing now?
Affected stakeholders
How are people or organisations being supported?
Accountability
What responsibility can appropriately be acknowledged?
Uncertainty
What remains unknown or under investigation?
Next steps
What should stakeholders expect to happen next?
The aim is to establish message discipline without creating communications that sound formulaic or detached from the situation.
Managing media and public scrutiny
Media attention can significantly increase pressure on a crisis response. Journalists may be seeking information while internal teams are still working to establish what has happened. Online commentary can create additional scrutiny, and inaccurate information may begin circulating before the organisation has communicated publicly.
Crisis communications training helps participants assess what requires a response and what does not.
Respond proportionately
Not every media enquiry, criticism or online comment requires the same response. Participants learn to consider the significance of the claim, the credibility of the source, the audiences affected and whether inaccurate information could materially change stakeholder understanding.
Depending on the situation, the response may involve a holding statement, factual clarification, interview, direct stakeholder communication or no immediate public response.
Preparing leaders for crisis communication
Executives have an important communications role during significant events. Employees and external stakeholders may look to leaders not only for information, but also for evidence that the organisation understands the seriousness of the situation and is responding appropriately.
Leadership visibility can build confidence when it is timely and purposeful. It can create additional risk when leaders are insufficiently prepared.
Leadership communication
- Explaining the situation – Communicating confirmed information clearly and without unnecessary complexity.
- Demonstrating action – Explaining what the organisation is doing in response.
- Acknowledging impact – Recognising how people or stakeholders have been affected.
- Handling uncertainty – Responding confidently when all information is not yet available.
- Answering difficult questions – Addressing challenging issues without becoming defensive or speculative.
- Maintaining credibility – Ensuring tone and delivery remain consistent with the seriousness of the situation.
The objective is to help leaders communicate naturally while maintaining discipline around what can responsibly be said.
Practising realistic crisis communications decisions
Training becomes more valuable when participants have an opportunity to apply what they have learnt. Bastion Reputation can incorporate practical exercises based on situations the organisation could realistically encounter.
Participants may receive developing information, stakeholder enquiries, media questions or changing operational updates and be required to determine how communications should respond.
Learning through practice
Exercises can test how participants establish facts, prioritise audiences, develop messages, advise leaders and adapt when circumstances change.
Feedback can then focus on both the quality of the communications and the decision-making process behind it. This gives teams an opportunity to identify weaknesses and build confidence before they are working in a live situation.
When should you consider crisis communications training?
Training can be valuable when an organisation is developing or updating its crisis arrangements, when communications responsibilities have changed or when new leaders and team members need to understand their role.
It can also help following a significant incident where communications processes were tested or when an organisation wants greater confidence that its people can apply existing plans in practice. Training can be delivered to communications teams, executive groups or a combination of the functions likely to work together during a crisis.
Build capability before the pressure arrives
The middle of a crisis is not the ideal time for people to learn how the communications response should work. Training gives leaders and teams the opportunity to build judgement, practise decisions and understand their responsibilities before those capabilities are required in real time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should undertake crisis communications training?
Training can be valuable for communications professionals, executives and other leaders who may have responsibilities during a significant issue or crisis. Programs can be tailored to individual functions or delivered to groups that need to work together during a response.
What does crisis communications training cover?
Training can cover establishing facts, setting communications priorities, stakeholder coordination, message development, media engagement, leadership communications and decision-making when information is incomplete or circumstances are changing.
Can the training be based on our organisation’s crisis plan?
Yes. Training can be aligned with existing crisis frameworks, escalation arrangements and communications processes so participants practise the responsibilities they would have during a real event.
Does crisis communications training include practical exercises?
Yes. Training can include realistic exercises that require participants to assess developing information, prioritise stakeholders, prepare communications and respond to changing circumstances. Feedback can then identify practical areas for improvement.
How is crisis communications training different from crisis simulation?
Crisis communications training focuses on developing the knowledge, judgement and practical communications skills of participants. A crisis simulation is generally a broader exercise designed to test how existing plans, roles, decisions and processes perform under realistic conditions.
Build confidence before the pressure arrives
Talk to our team about crisis communications training.
