Vice President
Having a crisis communications plan before you need it is invaluable. But what happens when a potentially reputation-damaging situation doesn’t fit neatly into that playbook? These are moments of novelty, and they can challenge even the most experienced professionals and well-practiced crisis communications plans.
Recognizing novelty early can be the difference between a contained issue and a full-scale reputational crisis. What makes a situation novel? It could be something your organization has never encountered before. Or, it could be a familiar issue unfolding in an unfamiliar context, unexpected setting, or at unusual speed or scale. In other words, novelty is less about the category of the issue and more about how it behaves. And what feels novel to one organization may not feel that way to another. That subjectivity is precisely why keen awareness for novel circumstances matters.
Novel situations tend to evolve quickly. They attract attention — internally and externally — and are usually complicated by incomplete information and heightened emotions. That combination can overwhelm even the most seasoned teams.
Early identification that a situation shows signs of escalating or behaving unpredictably allows organizations to react quickly. Prompt actions for effective responses include:
- Convening leadership and key decision-makers
- Revisiting existing crisis or response plans for applicable information
- Identifying stakeholder groups and assessing their needs
- Evaluating potential response strategies
It’s important to remember that just because the established playbook doesn’t perfectly address a novel crisis, you should not abandon your plans entirely. Elements will still apply. The information will still be useful. But there are aspects of communicating in a novel crisis that require different and creative approaches. These distinctive crises demand both discipline and flexibility. Even in the middle of urgency, leaders must identify what’s truly unique about the situation and resist any instinct to force-fit a more familiar response.
While you can’t predict them exactly, you can absolutely prepare for a novel crisis. Strong crisis readiness isn’t about having a roadmap for every possible scenario — it’s about having a thorough plan that’s regularly updated and practiced so you can respond effectively, no matter what arises.
In addition to planning, sound crisis preparedness involves taking action today to be ready for whatever tomorrow brings.
- Build trust before you need it. Relationships with internal teams, stakeholders and media are your greatest assets when things go sideways.
- Anticipate and plan for potential risks. You won’t catch everything, but thoughtful scenario planning creates a baseline for action.
- Know your response protocols. Clarity on roles, responsibilities and escalation paths saves precious time in critical moments.
- Empower your team. People closest to the issue often have the best insights. Give them the authority to act appropriately and quickly.
- Be ready to move. Speed matters, but so does intention. Prepared teams can do both.
- Learn and adapt. Every situation, especially novel ones, offers lessons. Reflect on them and refine your approach.
In crisis communications, the goal isn’t to eliminate uncertainty. That’s not realistic. Instead, it’s about recognizing when something is different, responding with clarity and agility, and getting your organization back to normal as efficiently as possible. You can’t predict a novel crisis, but we are always here to help you prepare to meet the unexpected head-on — or to jump into a crisis with you once it’s already unfolding.