Crisis: Complacency in July can cause catastrophes by September

Think summer is a “safe season” for crisis? Think again!

Comms teams often treat July and August as downtime. Calendars are lighter. Half the team is out. But while operations may slow, your reputational risk doesn’t.

Summer is when things slip through the cracks. People are distracted. Responses get delayed. The usual checks and balances aren’t there.

I’ve worked with organizations where small issues easily contained in March, turn into major stories by August. The difference? Everyone was “on vacation” or assuming someone else was handling it.

What can’t afford to slow down, even when your team does:

• Media monitoring

Just because fewer people are watching internally doesn’t mean fewer people are watching externally. Don’t assume silence equals safety.

• Crisis readiness

Make sure your playbooks are accessible and that someone (ideally more than one someone) knows how to act if something breaks while key people are offline.

• Spokesperson prep

Your CEO might be speaking at a casual community event, but if they say the wrong thing, it can still trend. Media moments don’t always come in suits and ties.

• Scenario practice

Summer is the perfect time to run low-pressure simulations. If nothing’s happening, it’s your opportunity to rehearse.

• Social oversight

Don’t set and forget your channels. Someone needs to be actively reviewing and responding, not just scheduling posts and walking away.

What to watch out for when people are away:

• Delayed sign-offs that slow your response

• Assumptions that “someone else is watching it”

• Less experienced team members making high-stakes calls without support

One client of mine had a mild product complaint snowball into a headline. It wasn't because the situation was serious, but because the decision-makers weren’t reachable, and the delay became the story.

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If you’re leading comms this summer, do these four things:

1. Confirm backup leads for media and crisis roles

2. Make sure vacation plans are clear and coverage is assigned

3. Update contact trees and access to documents

4. Keep your leadership looped in, even from a distance

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Reputation risks don’t take holidays. Neither should your readiness.

Use summer to strengthen your team’s response muscle, and not let it go soft.

*Want a free checklist to help summer-proof your strategy? Send me a message and I’ll send it your way.

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