Progressions

Thinking About Crisis Communications? Start With These Three Habits

In February, I spoke on a crisis communications panel at the PRSSA Northeast District Conference. The room was buzzing with curiosity from budding young professionals, and the discussion was marked by nodding heads and thoughtful questions. One question came up that I know many other students and early-career professionals are thinking about: How do you start preparing for a career in crisis communications?

Crisis work can seem both exciting and difficult to break into from the outside. It requires a mix of strategic thinking, strong judgment and the ability to process a lot of information quickly as situations evolve. It also requires being comfortable with information coming in phases and evolving strategy accordingly.

While these skills develop over time, there are a few habits students can begin building early in their careers that can strengthen their ability to work in this space.

Say “yes” to opportunities

Saying “yes” to opportunities helps build crisis communications skills, and it’s also a good general rule to follow early in your career. When you say “yes” to opportunities, you give yourself the chance to try something new and learn from it. Sometimes that experience may confirm that a certain type of work isn’t for you, and other times it may spark a deeper interest in an area you hadn’t previously considered. Either way, each opportunity creates a window to learn more, explore further and evaluate where you want to grow.

This mindset can be especially valuable in crisis communications. During fast-moving situations, teams often need additional support as they gather information, monitor developments and help leadership make decisions. Being someone who is willing to jump in and support wherever needed can make a meaningful difference for the team and can also open the door to opportunities you may want to explore. It also allows you to contribute as the strategy evolves.

Read. There is no substitute. 

One of the most important habits you can build is reading. There is no substitute for consistently consuming news and learning how crises unfold in real time.

When a crisis emerges, follow the story from the very beginning and pay attention to how it evolves. What information becomes public first? How does the organization respond initially? How does media coverage shift as new details emerge? Watching the life cycle of a crisis, from the initial headlines to the organization’s response and the public reaction, can offer valuable insight into how these situations develop.

Reading crisis case studies can also deepen your understanding of the craft. These case studies often highlight how communications teams used strategy to approach a situation, how they deployed those strategies and how they balanced different considerations while responding. They can provide useful perspectives on what worked, what didn’t and how similar strategies could be applied in other scenarios. Sometimes, they also reveal what could have been handled differently. As a useful exercise, you can even ask yourself how you might have approached the situation.

The more you read and observe, the more patterns and strategies you begin to recognize. 

Listen and absorb

Early in your career, you may not always be involved in high-level strategic conversations during a crisis. When you are, think of every conversation and every meeting as an opportunity to listen and learn from the professionals around you. Those moments can offer a valuable vantage point for learning. Pay attention to the types of questions experienced communicators ask, how they process new information and how they guide conversations toward strategic decisions. Even if your role at that moment is focused on supporting tasks — such as monitoring media coverage, tracking developments or helping gather information as a situation unfolds — being present for those discussions can provide meaningful insight into how crisis communications strategy takes shape and is executed. Observing how experienced teams think through evolving situations can help you develop the instincts and judgment that strong crisis professionals rely on.

Building strong crisis communications skills is an additive process, and no single experience will fully prepare you for the realities of crisis work. It takes time, effort and consistent hard work. Each step you take — saying yes to opportunities, staying informed about how crises unfold and learning from experienced professionals — adds to your capacity to navigate complex situations with clarity and confidence.