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© 2025 Copyright, Jennifer R. Farmer

The PR Whisperer

Author, Crisis Communications Expert, Strategic Communications Advisor

Tag: crisis communications

Why the PR Team and the Legal Team Must Both Be Included in Crisis Management

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This year has been marred by jaw-dropping scandals and public relations crises. If these crisis situations have taught us anything, is it that the public relations team and the legal team must be in sync.

The legal team is focused on protecting a client’s interests or defending against wrong-doing. The public relations team is focused on managing public perception. When there is a crisis situation, organizations needs both legal and public relations assistance.

However sometimes we see public statements that may cause legal trouble down the line. In other situations, we see actions that may make legal sense but result in souring public opinion. For instance, DayStar Network was recently embroiled in a scandal over, among other things, allegations its president covered up the sexual abuse of her grandchild. The company’s legal team is alleged to have sent threat letters or cease and desist notices to some of YouTubers and at least one journalist. The move emboldened the content creators to continue to cover the crisis. The legal move gave oxygen to a story that its subjects likely wanted to dissipate. 

With high profile cases, it is common for the leadership of a company to close ranks and limit the number of people who know the details of a matter. However, crisis situations are the precise moment when companies need the input of trained strategic communications leaders or public relations professionals.

If anyone is included in crisis communications discussions with the leadership of an organization, it should be senior level public relations leaders as well as the legal team. Both parties are valuable and both perspectives must be included. 

Jennifer R. Farmer is a public relations executive and bakery lover. See her other posts here.

Pride Leads to Ruin, Humility Lifts Us Up

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Do you want to know when a person is likely to make a mistake, or ruin what they have spent their whole life building? It’s when they fall into pride. Pride is being in love with yourself. It is thinking of yourself more highly than you should.

Unfortunately, pride is a prerequisite for failure and humiliation. There is a passage of scripture in the Christian bible that says “pride goes before a fall.” There is yet another passage that warns that God opposes the proud; that means he works against the prideful. Have you ever been in a season where you’re putting so much effort into one project or another only to realize that you’re not making progress. Ask yourself if you’ve been walking in pride.

Now certainly, you can be in a season of testing or a season of waiting where you’ve not done anything wrong – you’re fulfilling your purpose – but you’re a season of waiting or preparation. That’s not what I’m talking about in this article. I’m referring to people who are prideful and the dangers of that condition.

Initially Subtle

What scares me about pride is that it is initially subtle. You can fall into pride and not immediately know it. For example, have you ever witnessed someone who was puffed up with pride and it was apparent to everyone except the person in question? I believe that pride can be intertwined with the spirit of deception. You fundamentally believe that you can get away with anything; that is deception.

And what happens when you’re in pride or living in deception? Your downfall is imminent. I don’t care how much you have accomplished, how well-connected you are, or how much money you may have. Each of us can get it wrong or experience a fall from grace. Want proof? Consider the many political, church or celebrity scandals and you’ll see that persons who are prideful set themselves up for ruin.

Humility is the Antidote for Pride

If this is you, remember the antidote to pride is humility. It having the humility to consult others and to be accountable to others. No one is perfect and everyone can make a mistake. But being accountable to others, and being willing to accept wise counsel will help you avoid or get out of pride.

Jennifer R. Farmer, known as The PR Whisperer, is a crisis communications expert, podcast host, and small business owner.  In her spare time, she enjoys visiting volunteering and reviewing bakeries.

3 Tips for Making Good Decisions When in A Crisis

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A loved one called me recently and expressed upset with a decision I made. The person subtly told me why I should change my mind and used religion to make their point. My initial reaction was anger as I felt the person was using religion to manipulate me. As I discussed the situation with my coach, she reminded me of a very important filter that should be used to evaluate advice, especially when the stakes are high.

My coach encouraged me to consider whether the advice benefited the person who shared it? This was a question I hadn’t considered. I was caught up in emotion and focused solely on the words spoken and not on the reason the person was communicating the message in question. In this situation, the advice did in fact benefit the person who engaged me because it supported their comfort at the expense of my discomfort.

My coach then advised me to be careful of accepting advise from people who have something to gain from the advice they give. To be clear, “gain” could be as simple as you behaving in a way that makes the other person comfortable. Gain could also mean financial gain or a boost in status. ‘If a person wants you to do something that will enrich them in any way, you have to filter what they say,’ she said. This advice is sound and it is particularly useful when you are in a crisis situation and receiving input from many sources.

As you reflect on this insight, here are three other things you may want to consider when navigating a crisis:

  1. Are you being motivated by fear?

    When we are afraid, our nervous systems are activated and it becomes harder to make rational decisions. If you are led by fear, you will also feel compelled to act quickly or you may fail to assess all the choices before you. I heard a financial guru say that when people get scared, they get stupid and I couldn’t agree more. If the advice is intended to make you afraid, or if the situation triggers fear, tread carefully. Try to unpack why you are afraid and assess what will happen if your worst-case scenarios manifest, and more importantly, how’ll you’ll pivot and respond.

  2. Will the advice benefit your current and future self?

    There are things that feel good in the moment but will harm your future self. When evaluating feedback, maintain a long-range view of where you’re going and more importantly, how you’ll get there. All advice should be filtered from the lens of ‘will this help me in the long run?’

  3. Are you being encouraged to act quickly?

    If you are being encouraged or rushed to make a snap decision, be careful. You should have time to process all advice, and think about where you want to go and why. You should have time to consult your team. You should have time to sit with a decision. Very few things need to be decided in an hour or two, let alone a day or two. Slow the process in order to play out different scenarios and discern what to do.

Why is this important? Your reputation is like currency; you must manage it wisely. Your peace is invaluable. You must safeguard it. You may not always get a do-over, and that is why it is essential to strive to make good decisions today and always.

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Jennifer R. Farmer, known as The PR Whisperer, is a crisis communications expert, podcast host, and small business owner.  In her spare time, she enjoys visiting volunteering and reviewing bakeries.

 

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