Crisis communications for companies in India
Crisis communication is how an organisation responds when something threatens its reputation: an accident, a regulatory action, a data breach, labour unrest, a product failure or a damaging story. Most of the work happens before the crisis: a protocol, trained spokespeople and agreed holding statements. Finese PR builds and runs crisis communication for private and listed companies, where any response must also respect stock-exchange disclosure rules.
How to handle a corporate crisis: the first 24 hours
Confirm the facts
Establish what is known and what is not before anyone says anything.
Convene the crisis team
Leadership, legal, communications and, for a listed company, the company secretary.
Check disclosure duties
A listed company may have to inform the stock exchanges before or alongside any media statement.
Issue a holding statement
Acknowledge the issue, say what you are doing, and say when you will update.
Brief your own people first
Employees, key customers and partners should not learn the news from the media.
Speak with one voice
One trained spokesperson, one set of agreed lines, updates on schedule and a log of everything said.
Before, during and after a crisis
Before a crisis
Risk audit and scenario planning, a crisis protocol and contact tree, and spokesperson and media training.
During a crisis
Holding statements, media handling, employee and stakeholder communication, and disclosure-aware response for listed companies.
After a crisis
Coverage analysis, a lessons-learned review, an updated protocol, and a plan to rebuild visibility.
Crisis work we have done
A large industrial manufacturing group
A crisis communication plan for the group, media training for crisis situations, and management of labour unrest.
See related case studiesCommon questions
When should a company prepare a crisis plan?
Before it needs one. Most of the damage in a crisis comes from a slow or inconsistent first response.
Do listed companies have extra obligations in a crisis?
Yes. Material events may need to be disclosed to the stock exchanges within set timelines, and media statements must not get ahead of exchange disclosures. Check the specifics with your company secretary.
Should we say no comment?
Rarely. A short holding statement that acknowledges the issue and says when you will update is almost always better.
How quickly should we respond?
Within hours, not days. A holding statement can go out as soon as the basic facts are confirmed, even if the full answer takes longer.
Facing an issue, or want a plan before one?
Tell us in two lines. A senior consultant replies within one working day.
- Crisis protocols set up before an issue hits
- Disclosure-aware response for listed companies
- 25+ years since 2000