Crisis Communications Archives

Trust in your brand builds crisis resilience

You might not be able to stop a crisis hitting, but you can control your brand’s reputation going into that crisis. Using a combination of long-term public relations work and consistently delivering on your promises and sticking to your brand’s…

Gemma StoreyFebruary 17, 2026

Crisis Communications

What does trust mean for your organisation?

At the Corporate Affairs Summit towards the end of last year, I heard Dr Steve Van Riel (Head of insight and innovation at Teneo) talk about what trust means to an organisation. He talked about the difference between trust as a lofty concept, and as a…

Kate HartleyJanuary 26, 2026

Crisis Communications

Why information alone doesn’t change minds in a crisis

For many years, communicators (including me) have told companies to focus on communicating only high-quality information during a crisis. A crisis is no time for niceties, or corporate messages. No-one cares that safety is your top priority if 10 people…

Kate HartleyJanuary 7, 2026

Crisis Communications

Doing the right thing is hard, risky and worth it

We know that allyship, and acting in line with your values, isn’t easy. If those values are to support, work with, recognise and represent marginalised communities putting those values into action will always be a challenge. Some who hold powerful…

Gemma StoreyNovember 11, 2025

Crisis Communications

Lessons in activism

Values aren’t about marketing, they’re about strategy. It’s easy for brands to say what people want to hear (and to switch messages once the political climate changes, as we’ve recently seen), but your brand will be challenged to demonstrate how…

Gemma StoreyOctober 24, 2025

Crisis Communications Leadership

Team psychological safety and avoiding a culture of fear

Team psychological safety in the workplace plays an essential role in creating a healthy culture. The term was first coined by psychologist Carl Rogers in the 1950s, and the concept of team psychological safety was developed by Amy Edmonson,…

Kate HartleyApril 22, 2025

Crisis Communications

Whistleblowing – a cautionary tale for organisations

A couple of weeks ago, Tamara and I had the privilege of speaking to Jonathan Taylor, a whistleblower whose world was turned upside down when he exposed his employer for paying bribes to secure contracts in the oil and gas…

Kate HartleyMarch 14, 2025

Crisis Communications

Why organisations need diverse crisis teams

Organisations that work to create more diverse cultures and hire diverse teams perform better than those that don’t. It’s something that researchers and analysts, like McKinsey, have reported for years. What’s interesting to consider is how this diversity helps organisations…

Gemma StoreyJanuary 27, 2025

Crisis Communications

The biggest brand crises of 2024

2024 saw some big crises for brands. Here is our pick of the biggest: Boeing’s bad year It was a(nother) bad year for Boeing. A 737 Max 9 lost a door plug mid-flight, whistleblowers have been speaking out about defects…

Gemma StoreyJanuary 15, 2025

Crisis Communications

Why every crisis team needs a challenger, holding the team to account

When we run simulation exercises, almost every team says the same thing: “We were too slow to act. Time ran away from us!” They’re right. Time does run away from you during a crisis. There’s a lot of research to…

Kate HartleyNovember 27, 2024

Crisis Communications51

Trust in your brand builds crisis resilience

What does trust mean for your organisation?

Why information alone doesn’t change minds in a crisis

Doing the right thing is hard, risky and worth it

Lessons in activism

Team psychological safety and avoiding a culture of fear

Whistleblowing – a cautionary tale for organisations

Why organisations need diverse crisis teams

The biggest brand crises of 2024

Why every crisis team needs a challenger, holding the team to account

Boeing: Too Big to Fail?

WJH Shorts: The BrewDog Controversy

WJH Shorts: The Anthropic Trump Feud

Trust in your brand builds crisis resilience

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