Crisis communications and issues management Sydney
Senior communications support when your organisation is facing media pressure, public scrutiny or a sensitive issue that could escalate. Biased helps leadership teams establish a clear position, prepare the people involved and communicate confidently with employees, stakeholders, the media and the public.
Get the facts straight
Separate what is confirmed from what is assumed, disputed or still unknown.
Control the response
Determine who needs to hear what, in which order and through which person or channel.
Decide what can be said
Establish one defensible position that executives, spokespeople and internal teams can use consistently.
Trusted by organisations when the message matters
During a sensitive situation, the organisation does not need another lengthy process. It needs someone who can understand the issue quickly, identify the communications decisions and produce the materials required to respond.
Biased works directly with executives, internal communications teams and specialist advisers.
The people who assess the situation and recommend the response stay involved in writing the messages, preparing spokespeople and managing the communication.
Clear priorities
Know what needs to happen now, what can wait and which decisions cannot be avoided.
Practical delivery
Receive the statements, briefings, questions and response materials needed to manage the situation.
Consistent communication
Keep executives, employees, advisers and project teams working from the same confirmed information.
Senior involvement
Work directly with experienced communications people throughout the situation.
Get experienced communications support before uncertainty creates a larger problem.
A journalist has contacted the organisation
Questions have arrived, a deadline has been set and the organisation needs to decide whether and how to respond.
A sensitive issue may become public
A complaint, incident, dispute or internal matter is developing and could attract media, stakeholder or community attention.
A difficult announcement is approaching
A restructure, closure, delay, leadership change or significant decision needs to be communicated clearly and in the right order.
Your internal team needs senior support
The team understands the organisation but needs more capacity, crisis experience or an independent view while pressure is increasing.
Different people are giving different answers
Executives, employees, advisers and project partners are responding separately, creating confusion and unnecessary risk.
Public criticism is growing
Negative attention is developing through the media, social channels, community groups or industry stakeholders.
Issues management before a crisis
Not every issue is an immediate crisis. Some develop gradually through stakeholder concern, community opposition, internal disagreement, operational problems or growing public criticism.
Biased helps organisations understand how an issue may develop, establish a credible position and prepare the communications before pressure increases.
Stakeholder or community opposition
Understand the source of concern, who is influencing the conversation and what the organisation needs to address.
Complaints and disputes
Prepare a clear response when a customer, employee, partner, community group or other stakeholder is escalating an issue.
Organisational change
Plan communications for restructures, closures, leadership changes and decisions affecting employees or external stakeholders.
Operational incidents
Prepare internal and external communications for workplace incidents, service failures, project delays, closures or disruption.
Legal and regulatory matters
Work alongside legal and specialist advisers so communications remain accurate, coordinated and appropriate.
Cyber and data incidents
Manage employee, customer, stakeholder and media communications while technical, legal and regulatory specialists handle the incident itself.
Experience across complex and public-facing organisations
Biased works alongside leadership and internal teams on major projects, public issues, significant announcements and communications involving multiple audiences.
Crisis and issues work is often confidential. The experience below demonstrates the broader media, executive and stakeholder communications capability Biased brings to sensitive situations.
Western Sydney Lakes
Western Sydney Lakes
Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels
Landcom – Sydney Metro Northwest Places
Landcom – Sydney Metro Northwest Places
Spectres Australia Pride Basketball
Spectres Australia Pride Basketball
QBD Books
QBD Books
Construction Industry Culture Taskforce
Construction Industry Culture Taskforce
What Biased does in a live situation
The first response influences every response that follows.
Biased works directly with decision-makers to establish what has happened, what the organisation can support publicly and what needs to happen next.
Assess the situation
Review the confirmed facts, unanswered questions, affected audiences, media interest and immediate deadlines.
Prepare the spokesperson
Give the nominated spokesperson clear messages, difficult questions and practical preparation before an interview or public appearance.
Establish the position
Decide what the organisation can responsibly say, what requires further confirmation and what should not be speculated about.
Manage media enquiries
Assess incoming questions, coordinate approved responses, communicate with journalists and manage interviews and follow-up.
Prepare statements and responses
Develop holding statements, media responses, executive messages and stakeholder communications based on the information available.
Coordinate internal and external communication
Make sure employees, customers, partners, advisers and other important stakeholders receive accurate information in the right sequence.
Support matched to the situation your organisation is facing.
An immediate communications issue
For organisations already dealing with media enquiries, stakeholder pressure or public attention.
Biased can help with:
- Immediate situation assessment
- Communications priorities
- Holding statements
- Media responses
- Stakeholder messages
- Spokesperson preparation
- Internal coordination
An issue that may escalate
For a concern, dispute or decision that is not yet public but could become more difficult if left unmanaged.
Biased can help with:
- Issues assessment
- Scenario planning
- Stakeholder mapping
- Message development
- Response preparation
- Executive advice
- Ongoing communications support
Crisis communications preparation
For organisations that want clear responsibilities, procedures and materials in place before an incident occurs.
Biased can help with:
- Crisis communications planning
- Risk and issues workshops
- Escalation procedures
- Response templates
- Spokesperson responsibilities
- Scenario exercises
- Media training
Confidential communications support
Sensitive work should be handled with discretion. Crisis communications and issues management often involve information that cannot be discussed publicly or shared across the wider organisation.
Biased works with the client to establish who needs to be involved, how information should be handled and where legal, regulatory, technical or specialist advice is required. Where other advisers are already engaged, Biased works alongside them to keep the organisation’s communications accurate and coordinated.
Work directly with Biarta Parnham
Biarta founded Biased in 2020 after developing her experience across specialist firms and cultural institutions in Sydney and London.
Her previous roles include Strategic Partnerships Manager at the Australian Museum and Development Manager at the National Art School. She holds a Bachelor of Communications in Public Relations and a Bachelor of Business and has served as a juror for the Mumbrella CommsCon Awards.
Biarta works directly with clients to understand the situation, challenge the proposed response and help decision-makers communicate clearly when the organisation is under pressure.
Crisis communications frequently asked questions
What should we do if a journalist contacts us?
Yes. Crisis communications often needs to be coordinated with legal, regulatory, technical, human resources or operational advice.
Biased works alongside the organisation’s advisers so public, employee and stakeholder communications remain aligned with the confirmed facts and wider response.
What is a holding statement?
A holding statement is a short initial response used when an organisation needs to acknowledge a situation but does not yet have all the confirmed information required for a complete statement.
It should be accurate, appropriate to the circumstances and limited to what the organisation can support at that time.
What is the difference between crisis communications and issues management?
Crisis communications deals with situations requiring an immediate or time-sensitive response.
Issues management focuses on concerns that are developing and may affect the organisation if they are not addressed.
An unmanaged issue can become a crisis, which is why bringing in communications support early can create more options.
Can Biased work with our lawyers and other advisers?
Yes. Biased regularly works alongside internal communications and marketing teams.
We can lead the media relations, add experienced capacity during a busy period or take responsibility for a defined announcement or part of the wider communications program.
Can Biased manage internal communications during a crisis?
Yes. Employees are often one of the most important audiences during a crisis or significant organisational issue.
Biased can prepare internal announcements, executive messages, manager briefings and employee questions and answers.
Can Biased help with negative social media attention?
Yes. Biased can assess the source, scale and credibility of the criticism, establish the organisation’s position and recommend whether a public response is appropriate.
Not every negative comment requires a response. Sometimes responding can give a minor issue more attention.