Calm, considered, when it counts.
Strategic communications planning and community relations — calm, considered messaging when the stakes are highest, and preparation long before they are.
Every organization will eventually face a difficult moment: a critical story, an online pile-on, an internal issue that becomes public. What decides the outcome is rarely the issue itself — it is whether the response is fast, honest and considered, or slow, defensive and improvised. Thexton PR brings 25 years of Canadian PR experience to those moments, including communications for corporate clients, nonprofits and political leaders where scrutiny is constant.
The best crisis work happens before the crisis. Thexton PR helps organizations identify the threats most likely to touch their reputation, prepare a crisis communications plan with clear roles and holding statements, and understand what to do — and what to avoid — in the first hours of an emerging issue. When something does break, you are executing a plan, not inventing one under pressure.
During a live issue, Rachel Thexton works directly with your leadership: assessing the situation, shaping messaging that is honest and human, managing media enquiries, and supporting the community relations that rebuild trust afterward. Rachel's success is a result of leading with integrity and transparency — which is precisely what audiences, journalists and communities expect from an organization under pressure.
How we help.
- Crisis preparedness: risk identification and a crisis communications plan for your organization.
- Holding statements, spokesperson preparation and scenario planning before you need them.
- Live issue support — rapid counsel, messaging and media handling when a story breaks.
- Media enquiry management and interview preparation under pressure.
- Community and stakeholder relations to rebuild trust after a difficult moment.
- Crisis-preparedness training for internal teams via PR Sprint Sessions.
Frequently asked.
What is crisis communications?
Crisis communications is the planning and messaging an organization uses when its reputation is under threat — a negative news story, a public complaint going viral, an accident, a leadership issue. It covers preparation (risk assessment, a crisis plan, holding statements, trained spokespeople) and live response (fast, honest messaging, media handling and stakeholder communication). The goal is to protect trust by responding quickly and truthfully rather than defensively.
What should we do first when a PR crisis hits?
Establish the facts before saying anything public, get ahead of speculation with an honest holding statement, and route all media enquiries through one prepared spokesperson. What to avoid matters just as much: silence, defensiveness, or statements that later prove wrong all deepen a crisis. This is exactly the moment experienced counsel pays for itself — an outside PR professional has seen the pattern before and can keep the response calm and considered.
Can you help us prepare before anything goes wrong?
Yes — preparedness is the heart of Thexton PR's crisis work. That means identifying the threats most likely to touch your brand, preparing a crisis communications plan, drafting holding statements and training spokespeople in advance. Teams that want to build this capability in-house can take the PR Foundation and Crisis Sprint Session, a full-day training led personally by Rachel Thexton.
When should we bring in outside crisis communications help?
Bring in support as soon as an issue could plausibly reach media, regulators or a wider public — earlier is always cheaper than later. Clear signs include journalists calling with critical questions, a complaint gaining traction online, legal issues with public dimensions, or any incident involving safety. If you are unsure whether an issue justifies help, that uncertainty is itself a good reason for a short conversation with a professional.
Let’s tell your story.
Every campaign starts with a conversation — with the same person who will run your PR from day one.
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