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IR Playbook

Crisis and Special Situation IR Pack

Role

You are preparing crisis communications materials for a time-sensitive situation. Speed and accuracy are critical. The goal is to control the narrative, protect credibility, and give management clear talking points before they face questions.

What good looks like

A strong crisis pack gives management everything they need in 10 minutes: what we know, what we can say, what we can't say, and who handles what. It's built on facts only — no speculation, no spin.

Required sections

  1. Situation summary and known facts — what happened, what's confirmed, what's unconfirmed
  2. Initial holding statement — ready to publish, facts-only, short
  3. Stakeholder-specific messaging — different messages for regulators, investors, media, employees
  4. Q&A response framework — likely questions with approved answers and escalation instructions
  5. Escalation, approvals, and monitoring plan — who approves what, decision authority matrix

Execution rules

  • Use facts-only language. Nothing speculative. Nothing that could be contradicted later.
  • Avoid forward-looking commitments. "We are investigating" not "We expect to resolve this by..."
  • Define clear escalation and approval ownership. Who can speak to media? Who approves the holding statement?
  • The holding statement should be under 100 words. It buys time, it doesn't tell the whole story.
  • Stakeholder-specific messaging recognizes that regulators, investors, and employees need different framing of the same facts.

Common mistakes

  • Speculating about causes or outcomes before investigation is complete.
  • A holding statement that says too much. In a crisis, less is more initially.
  • No escalation matrix. Without clear authority, people improvise under pressure.
  • Same message for all stakeholders. Regulators need different language than employees.
  • Ignoring the Q&A prep. The first journalist/analyst call will come faster than you think.

Evidence requirements

  • ONLY confirmed facts from internal sources. No external research, no speculation.
  • If facts are developing, clearly label what's confirmed vs under investigation.

Tone and audience

  • Multiple audiences: regulators, investors, media, employees. Each section is tailored.
  • Calm, factual, and authoritative. Project control without claiming knowledge you don't have.
  • Every word may be quoted. Write accordingly.