Boosting your Visibility in AI-Powered Search

There’s been a fundamental shift in how people discover brands, experts, and businesses. For the longest time, PR professionals optimized for one goal: earn the headline, get the placement, and land on page one of Google. That playbook is no longer enough. A new audience has entered the room, and it doesn't browse search results. It synthesizes them.

AI-powered search tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google's AI Overviews, Bing Copilot are more and more becoming the first place people turn for recommendations, expert opinions, and brand research. Instead of clicking through a list of links, users ask a question and the brands and voices that are listed in those answers are there because they've done the PR work that trains AI systems to trust and surface them.

In fact, Gartner predicts that by 2027, this trend will drive a 2x increase in PR and earned media budgets, as brands focus on visibility in AI-generated answers. Unlike traditional search, AI engines heavily favor earned and organic content.

As a result, it says, communications leaders are shifting budgets toward brand storytelling, and owned platforms in an effort to strengthen answer engine optimization (AEO)and also to maintain narrative control. 

If you're not thinking about AI visibility as part of your communications strategy right now, get with the program, you're already behind. Here's some advice on how to catch up.

Understand How AI "Learns" Who You Are

AI search doesn’t start over, from scratch every time someone asks a question. They draw on datasets of publicly available content such as your law firm news, articles you’ve published, interviews you’ve been quoted in, press releases your firm has sent out, Wikipedia entries, podcasts, your social media accounts and activity. The more reach and repetition your name or brand have and appears across these sources, the more likely you are to be cited as a credible source.

Think of AI tools as pattern matchers that can recognize authority through repetition and source quality. Therefore, a lawyer who is quoted in three or four legal, or industry trades, mentioned in a podcast transcript, and profiled in a regional business journal is more likely to be surfaced as a subject-matter expert than someone with a one off viral LinkedIn post. You see that clearly, right?

Build a Consistent, Cross-Platform Editorial Footprint

The foundation of AI visibility is what I call your editorial footprint. It is the cumulative body of written, spoken, and cited content that exists about you or your brand across the open web.

Some practical steps to boost AI visibility include: 

·    Secure consistent bylines in a variety of industry publications such as your local trade, legal and business outlets. Guest columns in trade media carry enormous weight with AI systems because they signal domain expertise and editorial credibility. Go for outlets with a high domain authority.

·    Pursue podcast appearances. Transcripts from reputable podcasts are indexed by AI tools. A 30-minute conversation where you speak authoritatively about your area of expertise becomes a data rich, searchable data point.

·    Optimize your Wikipedia presence. AI tools heavily weight Wikipedia. If a Wikipedia entry about your law firm, company or industry mentions you, that reference carries outsized influence.

Example: A fintech startup struggled to appear in AI-generated answers about payment solutions. They spent six months working with their PR team to earn placements in American Banker, CFO Magazine, and two fintech-focused podcasts. Within a quarter, the company's CEO began appearing regularly in AI-generated answers when users asked tools like Perplexity about embedded finance trends.

Control the Language of Your Expertise

AI systems are essentially very sophisticated readers. AI picks up on consistent language patterns and well-placed SEO. When you issue your press releases, bios, and media quotes, where they all describe you using the same specific phrases such as “supply chain resilience expert" or "climate risk communications strategist,” those patterns reinforce AI categorization. So, use your SEO wisely.

This is how your strategic communications messaging discipline becomes a technical PR asset. So, you want to be sure and audit every public-facing touchpoint, including your firm website, bio, and LinkedIn summary, and ensure your language is specific, consistent, and repeated. Vague descriptors like "thought leader" or "innovator" mean nothing to an AI system. Precise language that maps to real search queries does. Refresh your bio with regularity to update the search word potential.

Leverage Structured Data and Press Releases Strategically

We are also seeing quite a renaissance in the humble press release in the AI era. When these are distributed through one of the many wire services like PR Newswire or BusinessWire, press releases are widely indexed and read by AI training pipelines. A well-structured release, with clear subject-verb-object sentences, specific data, named experts, and industry terminology feeds AI systems exactly the kind of authoritative content they prioritize.

Pair this with structured data markup on your website (schema.org formats for "Person," "Organization," and "Article") to further signal to AI crawlers who you are, what you do, and why you're credible.

Own the FAQ Narrative

AI search is fundamentally question-and-answer in structure. That means the brands that are doing it right have content that is written to answer specific questions directly and authoritatively. Create a robust FAQ section on your website. Publish blog posts and articles that open with the relevant questions your target audience is asking. Then answer them clearly and specifically in the first paragraph. Create top takeaways at the top of your posts for extra clarity and precise information on what the writing ultimately contains.

This approach, sometimes called Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), is where PR and SEO strategy are converging. Communicate with clarity, not cleverness.

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) starts out with understanding user intent by identifying the questions your target audience is asking through tools such as Google’s People Also Ask, Answer the Public, and your own site’s search queries, then they organize those questions by topic and intent to guide your content strategy. Content should be structured so that both humans and machines can easily extract answers. Using a clear question-and-answer format with the direct answer presented upfront in roughly 40–60 words, supported by clear headings, bullet points, and FAQ sections. 

 

AI-powered search isn't replacing PR. PR is not dead; it's raising the stakes of doing it well. Every media placement, byline, podcast, and speaking engagement is now dual-purpose: it builds awareness, and it trains algorithms. 

As far as the algorithm goes, continue to feed it quality, and it will return the favor.

 

Published on Law.com 3/19

Elizabeth Lampert, is a PR strategist specializing in brand visibility, executive positioning, tabletop facilitation, and emerging media. She advises growth-stage companies and law firms on building authority in an AI-driven media landscape.

 

Lara Cupit, Dallas based, is a brand story teller, traditional PR and crisis strategist.

Unexpected LeadershipChange: How You Communicate is Key

We’ve all seen the recent news of a high-profile law firm experiencing a sudden and unexpected change in leadership. Moments like these serve as a reminder that crises don’t always come from the outside, but rather result from issues that arise within. Leadership transitions are part of organizational structure, but when they occur suddenly, communication around the changes can have a huge impact on reputation, culture, and long-term stability. Abrupt leadership change is a strategic communications challenge that should be met head-on with intention, clarity, and alignment.

In these high-stakes situations, preparedness is what keeps firms steady, unlike those that spiral when they are not prepared. Below, we outline some of the key ways your firm can be prepared for when, not if, an internal crisis occurs. 

Define the Narrative - Tell It Your Way

When high-profile executives abruptly exit a law firm or company, silence or mixed messages can create an opportunity for your competitors, the media, analysts, or disgruntled stakeholders to fill the blanks with their own interpretations. Strategic messaging created for this specific situation anticipates questions before they surface and creates a narrative that acknowledges the change in your own words without feeding into uncertainty. 

This means controlling the frame, not concealing reality. Clear, concise communication that answers key questions is foundational.

There is no need to overshare in order to be credible, but you do need to give people something stable to hold onto. Inform your base about continuity of service, clear leadership coverage, and a timeline for next steps.

Internal and External Alignment

In a leadership change, your employees are your primary audience. If they’re confused or blindsided, internal uncertainty is created, which can turn into water cooler narratives, leaks, group text messaging, and of course, media vulnerability.

Internal messaging should quickly acknowledge reality without speculation, clarify decision-making authority, and reinforce operational stability. If you don’t communicate internally, gaps will be filled, and not everybody will have the same interpretation of events.

After clarifying internal messaging, make sure external messaging does not contradict. Maintain your employees’ trust this way first and foremost. Contradiction creates chaos, while consistency creates calm. 

Client messaging should follow quickly. Not weeks later, and not only if clients ask. They may hear about changes through the media, recruiter outreach, competitor whispers, and internal leaks. It’s imperative that they hear from the firm itself first, otherwise trust will be broken.

Client Messaging Dos and Don’ts

Clients don’t expect all the answers right away or intricate details, but they do expect professionalism.

Effective client communications should:

• Acknowledge leadership change directly
• Emphasize uninterrupted service and continuity
• Identify who remains accountable
• Offer a clear point of contact for further questions
• Signal confidence without defensiveness

While the following should be avoided:

• Over-lawyering the language
• Assigning blame
• Promising outcomes that haven’t yet been finalized
• Saying things are “business as usual” without any proof

How Clients Should Hear the News

Now that you know what to say, it’s time to focus on how to say it. The “how” here matters just as much as the “what” for clients. A sudden transition should never be communicated only with a generic blast email, nor should clients be left to piece together information from media or third parties on their own.

High priority clients should be contacted directly and personally. Personal outreach through a phone call by the relational partner, practice group leader, or interim firm leadership sends a clear signal of value amid turbulence. Written follow-up communications can reinforce the message, but personal outreach should come first whenever possible.

However, not every client requires the same level of detail. What matters most is knowing your clients and tailoring communication to the relationship while remaining consistent with the substance. For most clients, the focus should be on continuity.

Timing is a Strategic Decision

When faced with business disruption, there can often be struggles to balance speed and accuracy. Waiting too long invites speculation, while rushing out information that may be incomplete risks confusion. The most effective approach tends to be a two-step.

First, issue a timely and confident message that acknowledges the change and reassures clients about continuity and accountability. Second, follow up with a more detailed update once leadership decisions, governance, or succession plans are finalized.

Clients know you may not have every answer immediately, but they do expect transparency and follow-through. Silence is rarely interpreted neutrally, and should not be the go-to approach.

Preparation Is the Real Differentiator

In these high-stakes situations, preparedness is what keeps firms steady, unlike those that spiral when they are not prepared.  The most important lesson for any high-profile leadership shakeup is that preparation cannot begin in the moment. Every firm should have a crisis communications plan for internal issues that can be activated immediately. This plan should include the following:

·      Client notification templates

·      Partner talking points

·      Press holding statements

·      A spokesperson map

·      A small, empowered response team

 

Leadership transitions and other internally driven crises rarely arrive on a convenient timeline. 

 

Unexpected internal changes put leadership and communication to the test. The difference between stability and uncertainty is rarely the change itself, but how clearly, quickly, and confidently it’s communicated. Firms that communicate early, stay aligned, and reach clients directly tend to hold onto trust, protect client confidence when it matters most.

Siena DiBene is a PR Manager at ELPR. She handles small firms, social media and traditional PR.

Law Firms Are Quietly Losing the AI Reputation Game and Their Bios Are a Major Reason Why

As Google’s AI Overviews and LLM search reshape discovery, attorney bios are no longer static résumés they’re structured reputation assets.

For years, law firm bios sat quietly on websites necessary, often ignored, rarely strategic. But in 2026, the humble bio is becoming one of the most influential pieces of reputation infrastructure a law firm controls.

The reason is simple: audiences increasingly rely on AI-generated answers, not manual research. Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and other large-language-model tools are rapidly changing how clients, journalists, and lateral candidates form impressions about firms and lawyers. In a world of “zero-click” decision-making, reputation is being summarized not discovered.

That shift has elevated attorney and executive bios from administrative pages to AI-ingested reputation documents. Bios are among the most structured, consistently formatted, and frequently crawled assets on a firm’s site and increasingly, they are treated by AI systems as authoritative sources for categorizing attorneys, ranking expertise, and recommending who is best suited for a matter.

In practical terms: if your firm is trying to grow in AI governance, cyber incident response, private equity transactions, healthcare litigation, or cross-border disputes, your bios must clearly and repeatedly reinforce those target markets. Otherwise, your reputation risks being defined by scattered signals or by competitors with more precise positioning.

The biggest mistake most firms make is writing bios backward. Instead of leading with market clarity who the lawyer serves, what the lawyer is known for, and why that work matters bios often begin with credentials, committee lists, and broad statements like “represents clients in a wide range of matters.”

That may have been sufficient when readers clicked, compared, and made conclusions over time. But AI does not reward modesty or complexity. It rewards clarity, repetition, and patterns. If AI tools can’t confidently categorize a lawyer, they group them with generalists. And in today’s market, generalists are not the ones being surfaced specialists are.

The consequence is a quiet credibility gap: PR efforts position a lawyer as a category leader, while the bio reads like a generic résumé. That disconnect erodes authority in moments that matter most: client due diligence, lateral hiring, reporter background checks, and AI-generated summaries that may be the first (and only) thing a decision-maker consumes.

Bios must now be engineered with intention. They should mirror the market the firm wants — not simply the work it has done. A bio should function as a positioning tool designed to shape what AI and the public say about the lawyer.

Below is a practical, checklist-style framework firms can use to modernize and strengthen bios for AI search, authority signals, and reputation clarity.

Bio Optimization Framework for AI Search (Checklist)  1) Lead with identity clarity (the “AI headline”) Example: Jane Doe is a cybersecurity incident response partner who advises Fortune 500 companies on ransomware, regulatory investigations, and crisis governance following enterprise-level breaches. 2) Make the expertise “crawlable” (repeatable category signals) Example: she regularly advises boards and general counsel on AI governance, AI risk controls, and emerging AI regulation, including compliance planning for the EU AI Act. 3) Replace résumé language with market positioning Example: Advises private equity sponsors and founder-led companies on control transactions, including platform acquisitions, add-ons, rollovers, and strategic carve-outs. 4) Include “use cases,” not practice labels Example: He is often brought in when litigation risk overlaps with reputational exposure — including executive misconduct disputes, whistleblower allegations, and regulatory enforcement actions. 5) Engineer authority signals (not just awards) Example: A frequent speaker on AI governance and cyber risk oversight, she advises boards and executive teams on crisis decision-making, regulatory exposure, and incident-related disclosure strategy. 6) Add structured “proof points” (case types, sectors, counterparties) Example: Recent matters include advising a global manufacturer on a ransomware event, representing a healthcare provider in multi-state privacy litigation, and supporting a PE sponsor through a crisis-driven acquisition. 7) Stop the “laundry lists” (and keep what machines can use) Example: She serves on the firm’s AI Strategy Committee and advises clients on AI policy development, governance frameworks, and AI-related regulatory risk. 8) Write for both humans and machines:  Use short paragraphs, structured headings (Focus Areas, Representative Experience, Thought Leadership) and consistent phrasing that an AI model can summarize cleanly. 9) Align bios with the firm’s strategic narrative Example: If PR is pitching AI governance counsel, the bio must explicitly reflect that language: Advises boards and executive teams on AI governance, cyber incident response, and crisis-sensitive regulatory exposure.

 

Firms in the AI reputation economy will be ones with the clearest authority signals. And increasingly, the bio is where those signals begin.

Thank you 2025

 

Thank You, 2025

As this year comes to a close, I find myself deeply grateful.

Professionally, 2025 was a year of meaningful work, trusted partnerships, and growth that felt both energizing and grounded. To my clients: thank you for your confidence, collaboration, and ambition. It’s a privilege to do work that challenges me and to build alongside people who care deeply about what they do.

Beyond work, 2025 was also a wonderful year of travel, time spent discovering new places, returning to favorites, and gaining the kind of perspective only movement and curiosity can bring. Those experiences reminded me how important it is to pause, look outward, and stay inspired.

Most personally, I’m grateful for my family and friends, whose support makes everything else possible. And to my daughter, as you navigate your next steps: I wish you clarity, confidence, and a vision that feels entirely your own. Watching you chart your path is one of my greatest joys.

Thank you, 2025, for the lessons, the momentum, and the memories. I’m stepping into 2026 with optimism, purpose, and a full heart.

Here’s to what’s ahead.

Managing reputation in the age of synthetic content

Attorney Analysis from Westlaw Today, a part of Thomson Reuters. By ELizabeth Lampert

AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken, June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

July 18, 2025 - The introduction and increased usage of generative artificial intelligence (AI) have been influential throughout the legal industry, offering unprecedented opportunities for efficiency while introducing significant risks to law firm brands.

Tools such as ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini, and proprietary large language models (LLMs) can pop out client memos, legal alerts, and thought leadership articles at record speed. However, as law firms embrace these technologies, they face an urgent imperative: using the power of generative AI in a way that does not compromise the integrity of their brand.

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The promise and peril of AI-generated content

Generative AI offers law firms a range of amazing efficiencies such as the ability to produce first drafts of documents, analyze vast amounts of data, and generate commentary on case law in minutes. These functions save time and are extremely valuable, particularly in fast-moving regulatory and litigation environments.

As an example, AI tools can quickly draft breaking news client alerts on recently introduced legislation and summarize complex case law. This can free up an attorney's time for more strategic work as well as enhance a firm's responsiveness, positioning it as a leader in a competitive market. Yet, speed could come at a cost. AI lacks an inherent understanding of legal nuance and most importantly, ethical obligations, or jurisdictional differences that a human understands. It can operate without accountability, increasing the risk of producing inaccurate, overly generalized, or fabricated content.A notable example is a syndicated article published in the Chicago Sun-Times and Philadelphia Inquirer in summer 2025, which included a reading list featuring nonexistent books in the summer 2025 reading list article. As reported in The Washington Post, ("Major newspapers ran a summer reading list. AI made up book titles." May 20, 2025) the author admitted to using AI tools without human editing, leading to factual errors and reputational damage for both the media outlets and the author.

For law firms, similar missteps could erode client trust and tarnish a brand built over decades. The Wall Street Journal certainly could have been thinking of brand awareness when they issued their own recommendations of 14 books to read.

Key risks to law firm brands

The adoption of generative AI introduces several risks that can undermine a law firm's reputation:

(1) Accuracy and misinformation: AI-generated content is prone to "hallucinations," which are confidently stated but factually incorrect information. In the legal context, publishing flawed analyses, outdated citations, or incorrect interpretations of case law could have disastrous consequences, particularly if the firm's name is attached.

(2) Plagiarism and intellectual property infringement: Many AI models are trained on datasets scraped from the internet. This raises the risk that outputs may inadvertently replicate existing work without proper attribution, which could expose firms to copyright infringement claims or ethical violations, both of which carry significant reputational and legal consequences.

(3) Dilution of expertise and thought leadership: Overreliance on AI for client alerts, bylined articles, or white papers risks diluting a firm's unique voice and eroding its authority. We see too many headlines using the word navigating, do we not? Clients hire lawyers for their cultivated expertise, unique insight, and judgment, not for generic, machine-generated summaries that lack depth or context.

(4) Reputational fallout from internal use: Even internally circulated AI-generated content, such as draft memos or research notes, can create liabilities if leaked or misused. A poorly written or inaccurate draft that reaches the public eye, whether through a data breach or accidental disclosure, can damage a firm's credibility.

From a public relations perspective, generative AI requires a new framework for content governance. Law firms must move beyond enthusiasm for efficiency and embrace disciplined oversight.

Here are five essential steps:

•Establish a human touch policy: All AI-generated legal content should be reviewed and ideally co-authored by a licensed attorney. Firms must make it clear that no AI-generated output goes client-facing without human verification.

•Implement AI disclosures and transparency protocols: Whether, in client alerts or public-facing articles, firms should consider disclosing when AI has been used in content creation. This transparency not only builds trust but protects against future claims of misrepresentation or malpractice.

•Train attorneys and comms teams in AI literacy: Educate your lawyers, marketers, and PR professionals on the wonders, capabilities, and also the limitations of generative AI. Understanding how these tools work and where they can fail is critical to mitigating brand risk.

•Audit for originality and attribution: Use plagiarism detection software such as Grammarly and internal checks to ensure content is original and appropriately sourced. This applies even to internal research memos and pitch materials.

•Define your firm's brand voice and reinforce it: AI can write in any voice. Law firms have a tone of voice. The challenge is ensuring it consistently writes in your voice. Set clear tone, style, and messaging guidelines so that AI-generated drafts align with your firm's brand identity.

Used thoughtfully, generative AI can elevate a firm's ability to communicate, respond, and engage with clients and the media. But it must never replace human insight, editorial judgment, or the firm's hard-earned reputation.

Your brand is your most valuable asset, so guard it accordingly, even when the content comes from a machine. AI should serve as an enhancer, not a substitute, for the qualities that make your firm unique. Thoughtful implementation requires rigorous oversight, ethical considerations, and a steadfast commitment to authenticity.

How and When to Engage a Crisis Communicator

 ASK THE EXPERTS

Crisis Communications for Law Firms: How and When to Engage a Crisis Communicator

By Katherine Hollar Barnard

Most U.S. companies lack a formal crisis communications plan, and your law firm is most likely among them. We asked two veteran law firm crisis communications consultants for advice on the situations firms should expect in 2025 — and the smartest way to prep for potential crises.

Table of contents

• Law Firm Crisis Communications Must-Knows: The Experts Explain
• Is it a Crisis or a Situation?
• Practicing for a Crisis
• Keep Calm and Trust the Process
• Want Help With a Marketing Question of Your Own?
• Related Communications Advice on Attorney at Work:

Law Firm Crisis Communications Must-Knows: The Experts Explain

Attorneys often play a pivotal role in crisis response for clients, yet many law firms neglect to plan for their own contingencies. And while your firm may not be the subject of a Trump administration executive order, the potential for high-stress, low-trust situations abounds — not just through client work, but through your firm’s operations. Up to 40% of law firms, for example, have been the target of a data breach. 

You can’t control whether a crisis occurs, but you can plan how you respond to it. And because you do not deal with crises every day (we hope), there’s considerable value in engaging an experienced crisis communicator before a crisis occurs to help you anticipate issues, respond to them appropriately, and minimize the fallout.

We asked two veteran crisis communications consultants, Elizabeth Lampert and Amy Jordan Wooden, to address what lawyers should look for in such a consultant, how to prepare for the unexpected, and what types of situations law firms should anticipate in 2025.

Is it a Crisis or a Situation?

How would you define a “crisis”? What are the tripwires for lawyers or law firms to seek expert counsel?

Lampert: A crisis is any event, anticipated or unexpected, that threatens a law firm’s operations, reputation or client trust. This can include partner misconduct, data breaches, public client matters and political fallout. The key question is, does this situation have the potential for significant reputational or legal harm if not managed swiftly and strategically? Often, people have a situation, not a crisis.

Jordan Wooden: I think a crisis is any situation that has the potential to negatively affect the business/organization/entity. Sometimes a crisis is unexpected, and sometimes it is fully expected but avoidable. But how a crisis is handled makes all the difference in the world.

In a time of crisis, the inclination is often to “hunker down,” and an outside advisor can help guide the law firm away from that mentality and navigate the communications of the crisis.

What should law firms look for in a crisis communications specialist?

Jordan Wooden: Marketing and crisis are two ends of the communications spectrum! I often joke that if I had to sell laundry detergent, I wouldn’t know the first thing to do. But if someone swallows laundry detergent and dies, I’m your gal. I think it is important to look for 1) experience in crisis (how many years, is it the bulk of their business) and 2) subject matter understanding.

Lampert: Law firms need someone experienced in this specific work. A professional who understands legal privilege and litigation sensitivity — someone who knows how to collaborate with your internal team to protect reputations while respecting legal strategy. Look for a professional with legal industry experience, relevant sector experience, media training tailored to attorneys, and familiarity with law firm hierarchies and risk tolerance.

Practicing for a Crisis 

You speak of the importance of tabletop exercises. What do these look like for those new to crisis prep?

Lampert: A tabletop exercise is a structured simulation of a crisis designed to test a firm’s response protocols. It usually starts with a fictional but realistic crisis scenario that is then revealed to a designated team (legal, PR, IT, HR, leadership) who react to the situation in real time. The group role-plays a variety of media inquiries, client questions and internal stakeholder reactions.

Jordan Wooden: To quote Allen Iverson, “We’re talkin’ about practice?!?” Yes, Allen, we are. A tabletop exercise is simply that — practicing for a crisis. Doing a tabletop exercise will test every aspect of a potential crisis scenario, including external and internal communications, in a low-risk environment. 

You definitely do not want a managing partner to do an interview with news media regarding a crisis without practice. Ensuring your spokespeople have crisis communications media training, especially as part of a tabletop exercise, is the best way to prepare for potential crises.

Lampert: I always suggest someone take notes or the event be taped. This preparation method helps to bring some confidence when you find yourself in the situation being discussed and also identifies areas for improvement. The debrief session afterward … is particularly valuable for uncovering blind spots and preparing your team for a real crisis.

What scenarios should law firms prepare for in tabletop exercises?

Lampert: Law firms should prepare for common issues like cyberattacks, public allegations of harassment or discrimination, partner or associate misconduct, and disruptions from mergers, layoffs or leadership changes. Recent events also highlight the importance of preparing for weather, fires, and catastrophic environmental disruptions, including communication with staff and clients and data recovery. Tabletops should be thoughtful of response timing, message consistency, and clarity of the chain of command.

Jordan Wooden: Regardless of the scenario, a good tabletop exercise will include a few curveballs — something you would not expect or is part of the crisis plan on the shelf. For instance, I would definitely include a leak to the media as a curveball. It is pretty easy to get information to a reporter, and long gone are the days when every reporter would ensure they have confirmed two named sources before reporting the information. We live in “an unnamed source close to the situation but not authorized to speak on the matter” world now. Given the scenario, you could also include an “influencer” weighing in on their social media channel that makes the situation a lot worse.

Keep Calm and Trust the Process

What’s your best piece of advice for staying calm in a crisis?

Jordan Wooden: Remember what you can and cannot control. Also, never forget who your audiences are and identify the most important messages you want to convey. Although in a crisis you have to move in parallel tracks, thinking about those basic communications can help create a familiarity that, hopefully, translates to calm.

Lampert: Take a breath, assess the facts, and align with counsel before making significant moves or statements. Assuming tabletops have been conducted and plans are in place, trust the process. In my experience, not every situation requires an immediate public response, but every situation requires an intentional one.