b'media contacts must be reported.chair or the CEO are relatively new.Be as truthful asChoosing the right spokesperson Consider a trained representative may be situation specific. Considerif the situation is messy and likely possible, asthese guidelines: to get a lot messier before it gets transparent as possible, Only the CEO or designatedbetter. This is especially important spokesperson may speak onif information is unknown or if and as committed ascontroversies or in a crisis. the CEO feels he or she cant or possible to a healthy The CEO is best, especially if theshouldnt answer media questions situation is straightforward, and thetruthfully right now. solution that can beCEO can assure a good solution.Modify as needed the staff who will talked about openly.Use the board chair (or jointspeak for you. Rank the top two appearance with both chair andplayers in terms of skill and cool-CEO) if trust issues concerning theness under pressure (or lack of it).Quick ThinkingMaking a decision in a crisisYoure tempted to take an easy way out. Consider, if my decision receives negative publicity, will I be forced to reverse it? A reversal can make you look wishywashy and cause the board and others to doubt your leadership. Years ago, Lisa, a 21yearold employee of our ministry, was speeding when she flipped the minibus on a curve, totaling the vehicle. The threeyearold inside, strapped in a child safety seat, experienced no harm. Lisa was otherwise a great employee. Since the child wasnt harmed, her supervisor urged me to keep Lisa as an employee. I considered two questions: (1) If I keep her now, could a major media backlash cause me to discharge her? and (2) What if I keep her, and she has another accident later in which a child is harmed? We released her from employment. 34 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022'