Author: Abby Mangold

Posted on

Why crisis response today is about judgement over information

Abby Mangold presenting to a small team

One of the most dangerous assumptions I see in crisis response today is this:

That the truth will speak for itself (in the age of AI and fabricated content).

It will not.

I have learned that in moments of uncertainty, people do not wait for facts.

They look for signals.

  • Who speaks first.
  • Who sounds credible.
  • Who appears composed.
  • Who seems to care.

This is why crisis response today is less about information and more about judgement.

When deepfakes, edited clips and misinformation are circulating, the organisations that hold trust are the ones that already have three things in place.

First, decision discipline.

Someone who knows when to speak and when not to.

Not everything needs an immediate response, but everything needs a considered one.

Second, language that sounds human under pressure.

Audiences can sense scripted reassurance instantly.

In high-risk moments, tone matters as much as facts.

Third, leaders who have rehearsed uncertainty.

Not just the scenario, but the discomfort of not having all the answers.

What I have seen repeatedly is this:

Organisations do not fail because they lack technology, they fail because they have not prepared their people to lead when certainty disappears.

AI makes crises faster and noisier.

If you are relying on tools alone to protect trust, you are already exposed.

To ensure your team is ready for the digital challenges of today, explore our Social Media Crisis Management services.

Posted on

The Social Media Crisis Checklist

Social Media Crisis Checklist

Please find below our Social Media Crisis Checklist.

Ignoring digital channels is a mistake. Effective social media crisis management ensures you control the narrative before others do it for you.

In the middle of a fast-moving situation, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of comments and notifications. This social media crisis checklist is designed to help you pause, think, and act with intention rather than reacting out of fear.

A PDF version of the Social Media Crisis Checklist is available here »

Social Media Crisis Checklist

Why a structured approach matters

When a crisis breaks, the pressure to “say something” can be intense. We often see organisations rush to post a statement because they feel the need to keep up with the speed of the internet. However, being the first to speak is rarely as important as being the most accurate. If you put out information that you have to walk back 30 minutes later, you risk losing the trust of your audience at the exact moment you need it most.

Social media is not just a broadcast tool; it is a live conversation that happens whether you are in the room or not. By using the social media crisis checklist, you can move away from a defensive mindset and start managing the situation. It helps your team distinguish between a genuine customer who needs help and a vocal minority looking for a public disagreement.

Managing the silence

One of the hardest parts of a crisis is knowing what to do when you don’t yet have all the answers. While it is tempting to stay silent until the full picture is clear, radio silence often creates a vacuum. In that space, speculation and misinformation can grow.

A simple holding statement letting people know you are aware of the issue and stating when the next update will come is often enough to lower the temperature. It shows that you are present, listening, and taking the matter seriously.

If you are concerned about how your organisation would handle a crisis on social media, our team provides specialist support to help you manage the conversation and protect your reputation.

Posted on

What I have learned about the first 60 minutes of a crisis

The first 60 minutes of a crisis

I am often asked what matters most in the first hour of a crisis.

  • Not the wording of the statement.
  • Not the headline.
  • Not the volume of coverage.

What matters is behaviour.

After years at the BBC and then working alongside leaders in live crisis situations, the first 60 minutes are where most avoidable damage either happens or is prevented.

  • Confusion about who makes decisions, fills gaps quickly.
  • Assumptions creep in when facts and unknowns aren’t separated early.
  • Language that protects the organisation before acknowledging impact is noticed immediately.

I’ve set out below the structure I return to when those first decisions matter most.

You can’t control reaction, but you can control consistency.

You can’t rush readiness.

And a strong statement won’t rescue a spokesperson who isn’t prepared to speak.

Most crises don’t escalate because of what’s reported.

They escalate because of what happens in that first hour, behind closed doors.

That’s the part I keep coming back to.

In a live crisis, this is the structure I come back to every time

Step 1: Decide who is in charge

  • One decision owner
  • One deputy
  • No committees

Step 2: Separate facts from assumptions

I ask teams to write two lists on day one:

  • What we know for certain
  • What we believe but cannot yet prove

Never merge them. This is where most credibility is lost.

Step 3: Put affected people first

If your first draft opens with the organisation, rewrite it.
People notice immediately when language protects the institution before acknowledging impact.

Step 4: Control time, not reaction

  • You cannot control how people respond.
  • You can control when you update and how consistent you are.
    Silence without a timeline invites speculation.

Step 5: Agree what you will not do

Before speaking, I ask teams to agree:

  • No speculation
  • No blame
  • No rushed statements to “get something out”

Step 6: Prepare the spokesperson before the statement

A weak spokesperson cannot be saved by strong wording.
If the person speaking is not ready, stop.

Step 7: Set the next update

Even if there is nothing new to say yet. Trust grows when people know when they will hear from you again.

What I have learned:  Most crises escalate because of behaviour, not headlines.

Contact us to discuss how we can support your leadership team during the critical first 60 minutes of a crisis.

The first_60 minutes of a crisis

 

Posted on

How to build an effective crisis response team

Abby Mangold and Jess Mangold in meeting

I’ve learned this the hard way: when a crisis hits, you find out very quickly who you can rely on.

Not by title.

Not by seniority.

But, by how people behave when the pressure becomes personal, before the answers become clear.

I’ve sat in rooms where decision making slowed because too many people needed to agree. I’ve seen strong legal advice help, and I’ve seen fear of getting it wrong quietly take control. I’ve watched credibility wobble when certainty was performed instead of earned.

Over time, you start to notice patterns.

Below, I’ve set out the working list I use when building or stress testing a crisis response team. It’s not theoretical. It’s shaped by what holds when timelines are tight, scrutiny is public and the margin for error feels small.

  • Calm matters.
  • Being able to say “we don’t know yet” matters.
  • Understanding how journalists think matters.
  • And so does having people in the room who are willing to challenge senior leaders when it counts. Titles don’t manage crises – People do.

My working list: How I build a crisis response team

This is what I look for when the pressure is real.

1. Clear authority

Everyone must know who decides.
Fast escalation matters more than consensus.

2. Calm under personal pressure

If criticism becomes personal, the response must remain professional.
Emotional regulation is a leadership skill.

3. Comfort with uncertainty

The ability to say “we do not know yet” protects credibility.
Overconfidence does not.
Fast escalation matters more than consensus.

4. Respect for legal, without being led by it

Legal advice is critical. But communication decisions cannot be paralysed by fear.

5. Strong writing under time pressure

  • Clear sentences.
  • No jargon.
  • No internal language.

6. Stakeholder instinct

Strong crisis leaders think beyond headlines.

They ask who is affected and what they need first.

7. Willingness to challenge senior leaders.

The right advice is not always the comfortable advice.

8. Discipline around updates

Missed timelines damage trust faster than bad news.

9. Understanding how journalists think

Not how organisations wish they thought.

10. Rehearsal before reality

The best teams have practised long before the crisis arrives.

 

To learn more about stress-testing your internal response structures, visit our Crisis Planning and Preparation page.

How I build a crisis response team
Posted on

What I have learned about apologies under pressure

Apologies Under Pressure

Mastering apologies under pressure requires simplicity and a human touch. If you ever have to apologise publicly, this will matter more than you expect.

Most people don’t get apologies wrong because they don’t care. They get them wrong because pressure changes how they think. Language tightens. Legal instinct kicks in.

The focus shifts to intent, explanation and protection, often without realising it.

I’ve seen well-intended apologies make situations worse simply because they stopped sounding human.

Below I’ve set out what I’ve learned about apologies under pressure. These are based on the patterns that show up again and again, when statements are drafted quickly, reviewed heavily and read closely by the people who matter most.

What works is usually simplicity.

An apology is about what others experienced and what changes next. That’s where trust is either rebuilt or lost.

What works and what doesn’t when delivering apologies under pressure

I have reviewed and rewritten more apology statements than I can count, and the same mistakes appear again and again

What works

  • Acknowledging impact before intent
  • Saying sorry without conditions
  • Naming responsibility clearly
  • Explaining what is changing, not what was meant
  • Committing to a next step with a timeframe

What does not work

  • “If anyone was offended”
  • Defensive context in the opening lines
  • Passive language
  • Over-lawyering
  • Talking about reputation or brand

A simple test I use

One test I always come back to is this:

Say it out loud, as if you were speaking directly to the person affected. If it doesn’t sound like something you’d say face to face, it won’t land as sincere.

 Does this feel like I’m talking human? If not, rewrite it.

One rule I never break

An apology is not about how you feel.

It is about what others experienced.

Contact us to discuss how we can help you craft sincere and effective corporate communications that protect your reputation.

What I have Learned About Apologies Under Pressure
Posted on

3 Crises you won’t see coming (but should be ready for)

Most crises don’t begin with headlines.

They begin with silence.

With a decision made too quickly, or not at all.
With a message sent internally that spreads externally.

In today’s landscape, crisis comms isn’t just about knowing what to say when things go wrong.

It’s about seeing the warning signs that others miss.

I’ve outlined three crises I see organisations overlook again and again and what to do about
them.

Take a look through them. Then ask yourself, are we prepared for these?

If you’d like a Crisis Comms Prep Checklist I put together for leadership and comms teams, just message me. I’ll send it your way.

Because in a real crisis, you won’t have time to get ready. You either are or you aren’t.

3 Crises you won’t see coming (but should be ready for)

1. Silent Walkouts

  • You notice morale dipping.
  • Then key team members start to leave quietly

Tip: Early warning signs often show in silence, not complaints.

2. Algorithmic Discrimination

  • An AI tool unintentionally biases hiring decisions
  • The story becomes a reputational risk.

Tip: Your crisis plan must now include AI governance.

3. Values & Action Misalignment

  • The brand speaks on social impact.
  • But its partnerships suggest otherwise.

Tip: Audit your partnerships before someone else does.

Why These Go Unnoticed

They don’t feel like problems — until they become one.

By the time leadership is fully aware, the damage is already in motion.

Preparation starts with full risk awareness and clarity on what to do when issues surface.

Want to pressure test your crisis readiness?

I’ve created a Repuational Risk Tool for internal teams.

Get in touch if you’d like a copy.

Sometimes the best defence is having a plan you hope never to use.

Posted on

The first hour crisis blueprint

first hour crisis blueprint

When the unexpected hits, the first 60 minutes decide everything.

In those moments, instinct kicks in but instinct without a plan can quickly unravel.

That’s why I run “first hour” drills with leadership teams.

We walk through what to do minute by minute: fact-checking, activating the right people, monitoring, and getting clear messages out fast.

It’s not theory. It’s practice.

Because in a real crisis, you don’t rise to the occasion you fall back on your training.

👉 Curious what that looks like? This is the blueprint I use to help leaders prepare.

The first hour crisis blueprint

What to do when the clock starts…

  • 0–10 mins Check facts from source. No speculation
  • 10–20 mins Initiate Crisis Management team, brief Crisis Comms agency and switch on social media monitoring.
  • 20–30 mins Agree and issue holding statement.
  • 30–45 mins Draft follow up internal and external comms (concise, clear, calm).
  • 45–60 mins Issue updated comms.

Act Now Debrief later

Posted on

Why AI reputational risks need cultural readiness

AI reputational risks

The biggest AI reputational risks I’m seeing inside organisations right now:

  • Deepfakes (external threat)
  • Biased or offensive AI outputs (internal threat)
  • Confidential data leaks via unsecured AI use (internal threat)
  • Misinformation amplified by AI (external threat)

I’ve advised leadership teams through all four in the last 12 months.

The fix isn’t just technical – it’s cultural and procedural.

Every team, from comms to legal to IT, needs to know their role before it happens.

Posted on

Why crisis communication readiness protects reputation

Crisis communication readiness with Mangold Consultancy.

In 80% of crises I handle, the damage isn’t caused by the event itself

It is caused by what is said or not said in the first 24 hours.

I have seen small incidents spiral into national headlines because leaders guessed their way through the response.

I have also seen major crises vanish from public conversation in days because the messaging was prepared in advance.

Crisis communication is not spin.

  • It is readiness.
  • It is knowing what to say before you have to say it.

If you want that level of readiness for your organisation, we should talk now, not when the crisis has already arrived.

Posted on

Why reputation risk for leaders moves fast online

Why reputation risk for leaders moves fast online

Did you see the viral clip from the US Open that captured global attention?

A Polish CEO (recently unmasked by the internet) was filmed snatching a hat from the hands of a young fan, as the tennis player Kamil Majchrzak signed autographs at the end of his match.
A moment that quickly became a flashpoint online.

As a parent, I cannot help but feel awful for the boy at the centre of this moment…what could have been a special memory has become a story of reputational damage and online outrage.

I was chuffed to see that the boy in question has since met with Kamil Majchrzak and got a replacement for the hat that was yanked from his hands.

The CEO in question has finally apologised and apparently deleted his social media. His company was flooded with negative google reviews and comments.

This is a powerful reminder that reputations are not shaped only by share price, strategy or statements but by how you act.

As a leader you ARE your brand.

In a world where a single moment travels far faster than context – how you behave speaks volumes – empathy, being human and behaving with decency are critical currency for leaders.

 

Millionaire snatches signed hat from child

Posted on

Why crisis retainer support changes the outcome

Why crisis retainer support changes the outcome

In the last 12 months, I’ve handled multiple crises

Some were national news.

Some were small but had the potential to get messy fast.

Every single one started with a phone call that began with an element of panic.

The longer it took for that call to come, the harder the recovery was.

With crisis retainer support, it is different.

We already know your business, your risks, and your people.
We can move in minutes instead of days.

In crisis work, speed is not a luxury. It is the difference between headlines that fade and headlines that haunt.

If you want to know how ready your business really is, let’s talk.

Posted on

Why reputation in crisis communications matters

Reputation in crisis communications - you don't need to go viral

You don’t need to go viral

You need to stay credible.

The next headline won’t care how many views your last post got.

What matters is

  • Can you be trusted?
  • Are you consistent?
  • Will people believe you when it counts?

A tech founder I worked with had all the right metrics online. But when their product failed and the media called they froze.

The polish cracked. The trust dropped.

In crisis comms, reach is nice. But reputation is everything.

Build that. And everything else follows.

Posted on

Why crisis leadership is not always about the job title

In a crisis, leadership is not always about the job title

After following my son onto a roller coaster, I realised something about crisis leadership.

I have led crisis teams through events watched by millions.

I have guided CEOs through live interviews knowing the wrong phrase could cost them everything.

But on a rollercoaster in Florida, my youngest son was the leader.

I just followed.

It reminded me that in a crisis, leadership is not always about the job title.

It is about the person with the calm, clear head when everything feels like it is going off the rails.

I have been that person in the middle of breaking news and corporate storms.

It is why organisations keep me close before they need me.

If you do not have someone like that in your corner, you are leaving it to chance.

And chance is not a strategy.

Posted on

Media training in Central London with a friend turned client

This is D, one of my oldest school friends.

When she approached me a few weeks ago to media train her I had to give it some thought.

Would I be able to separate our long friendship and deliver the training she needed as a business owner and expert? Would we end up wasting too much time gossiping and discussing our old raving days (please note the trainers)!

It was a no-brainer, as a successful Mum and business owner, just like me, I knew I owed it to her to treat her just like any other client.

She was the model participant, she listened, took the advice and feedback, handled some very nasty questions and came out the other end having massively improved AND with a smile on her face, as did I.

I love working at the ctn group studio in Central London, you could not find a more accommodating, welcoming, realistic and private location for media training.

Posted on

The one question that shapes every crisis communication strategy

There’s one question I’ve asked in dozens of boardrooms, training rooms and crisis management rooms over the years.

No matter the sector, the size of the organisation or the titles in the room – it always changes the energy.

I usually wait for the right moment. The conversation is flowing. People are confident. They think they’re prepared.

Then I ask it.

“What’s the one thing you’ve not told me that you hope no one ever finds out?”

It’s not about digging for secrets. It’s about surfacing risk. Because that’s usually where the real vulnerability lives and where the real comms work begins.

You cannot build a credible crisis comms strategy without being truly honest about what would do the real damage, if revealed.

That one question has shaped entire strategies. It has revealed gaps, rebuilt trust and prepared teams for headlines they never thought they’d face.

What’s the hardest question you’ve ever had to ask a client or a leader? I’d love to hear.

At Mangold Consultancy we help teams prepare for crisis situations through practical communication training. Get in touch to find out more

Posted on

Media training insights from senior leadership teams

What do you believe are your areas of weakness?

I’ve spent the morning preparing for a media training session.

Every person we train is asked to complete a pre-training questionnaire, which means that we create content that is focused solely on them – addressing what they believe are their strengths, weaknesses, hopes and fears.

It is a fascinating insight into the minds of CEOs and Senior Leadership Teams and arguably the most important part of the jigsaw puzzle to anticipate how the training session is going to run…

To the question ‘what do you believe are your areas of weakness?’
We tend to get a version of the following: not being able to answer all the questions, handling difficult questions, speaking too quickly etc

But today I’ve just read the answer ‘that I am a bit woo’

This is both a unique and brilliantly intriguing answer, and I am now seriously looking forward to the training!

Posted on

Why it matters to write human for spokespeople

A little plea for all those writing content for spokespeople…

(Also included the sounds of a panting dog and multiple birds!)

Just a little plea from me today to anybody writing statements that they want their spokespeople to use verbally.

Please write human.

I have lost count of the number of answers to challenging questions that have clearly just been written.

Nobody’s tried to say it.

It’s only when you try and say things, that you realise the language simply doesn’t work.

You are making your spokespeople sound like robots. You are making your spokespeople sound like they’re just reading from a script and it’s not convincing anyone.

So just a little plea from me. Please, if you’re giving someone something to say verbally, say it out loud first and please write human.

Posted on

Protecting brand reputation when working with content creators

Last week, WPP Media reported that brand investment in user-generated content made by content creators and influencers will overtake ad revenue from traditional media, with estimates of $376 billion globally by 2030.

With Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in full flow, it’s timely to consider the reputational risks for brands of working with smaller content creators.

Big brands are diverting budgets towards solo creators and nano/micro influencers.

Brands are increasingly putting their company’s reputation in the hands of people who:

  • Lack experience managing challenging situations
  • Don’t always prioritise the brand’s reputation
  • Prioritise their audience and engagement above everything else

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

  • Creators going off-message
  • Creators turning against you due to audience pressure
  • Creators publicly disagreeing with decisions your brand makes

There are basic mistakes we see brands making when entering this space or expanding their investment in smaller creators.

Here’s our top 3 tips for protecting your brand:

  1. Do your due diligence – analyse creators, research their histories including previous content and partnerships and establish if they are the right fit for the brand.
  2. Agree a clear process for if and when things turn sour, especially if there’s push back from the creator’s audience at the partnership.
  3. Get a contract in place, even for the smallest of partnerships and be specific about how you expect the creator to work with you in different scenarios.

At Mangold Consultancy we help global brands ensure brand fit with creator partnerships. We’ve seen how basic (and avoidable) errors at the beginning of a relationship can damage reputations on both sides.