Dr. Matt Tidwell: crises, values and media readiness in a divided world
“There’s a right and wrong way to make tough calls under pressure.”
Resilience Unfiltered Coffee Chat Series
In this chat, I sit down with Dr. Matt Tidwell to explore the intersection of values, crisis resilience and media readiness in today’s fast-changing, polarized world. Matt brings a unique perspective as a member of the International Executive Board of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), helping raise global communication standards for a network of several thousand professionals. A seasoned consultant and educator, he’s held senior roles at Fortune 500 companies, worked with agencies and conducted academic research in crisis communication. Now, Matt is teaching the next generation of leaders as a program director for professional graduate studies at the University of Kansas.
Natalia
Matt, you have a unique bird’s-eye view of what communication excellence looks like globally through your work on the International Executive Board of IABC. When you think about the future of our profession, what gets you up in the morning — and what keeps you awake at night?
Dr. Tidwell
It’s a really exciting time to be in our profession. That’s what gets me up in the morning. I’ve lived and worked in both the pre-digital and digital worlds. When you compare them, the changes are astounding. We’re talking just two or three decades, really. Name another industry that’s undergone this much change in such a short time. I love my role as an educator and the chance to pass on my experience – sharing with the next generation where we've been while also helping shape where we’re headed in strategic communication. But that same rapid change is also what keeps me up at night. It's two sides of the same coin. Across the spectrum of strategic communication, we are facing massive digital transformation. In the last two years, AI has taken it to a whole new level. How are we adapting? Change is hard. We all know that. It’s especially challenging for those of us in crisis communication, where high-stakes situations can escalate in an instant. You hear it at conferences we attend and in conversations with peers. The big question is: how do we respond to these changes in a positive way? That’s a book still waiting to be written.
Natalia
You mentioned this environment is particularly challenging for crisis communicators navigating volatile issues. We are seeing increased fragmentation, polarization and disinformation that organizations and societies are struggling to cope with. Sometimes, the line between fact and fiction feels blurred, and everyone seems to have their own version of the truth. Having worked across industries – from energy companies to hospitals to universities—what common mistakes do you see organizations making as they navigate this complex information landscape?
Dr. Tidwell
I’m not sure we’re doing enough to build media literacy, especially with young practitioners. They need to be able to spot and respond to mis- and disinformation. Strategic communication planning must account for the realities of the digital world right from the start. We can’t just wing it – we have to be intentional. In today’s landscape, strategic planning, environmental scanning and media literacy aren’t just nice to have. They are essential for organizational resilience.
This naturally brings us to crisis preparedness. The way information spreads today creates new risks. Misinformation can quickly snowball into a trending topic – often stemming from honest misinterpretations, knowledge gaps or biases. Disinformation, on the other hand, is a deliberate attempt to mislead or harm, which makes it even more dangerous. Both can escalate into full-blown crises at lightning speed. For example, with AI, bad actors can fabricate content that’s, say, 90% true and 10% false. That small injection of inaccuracy may be hard to spot but powerful enough to cause real reputational damage.
We’ve said it for years: you’re only as good as your crisis plan. But the old excuse—“we’ll get to it when we have time”— just doesn’t cut it anymore. Crisis planning isn’t a one-and-done exercise where you file a document away and hope it holds up five years later. It must be an iterative process—living, breathing and continuously evolving through regular training, drills and updates to reflect changing realities.
Organizations need to stop thinking about crisis planning as a document. It is a process – much like strategic planning. In best-in-class organizations, both are continuous activities – a mindset, not a task. We are talking about strategic planning closely integrated with risk management and crisis planning. That’s what true resilience looks like. Too often, I still walk into organizations and find crisis plans gathering dust. It’s always been a problem. Now, with the rapid spread of digital communication, outdated plans leave organizations more vulnerable than ever.
Natalia
One growing family of risks that should be on every leader’s radar is the combination of online activism and misinformation in a polarized world. Inaccurate or inflammatory claims often seep into traditional media. Sometimes, shrinking newsrooms just don’t have the resources to fact-check every story line. To add insult to injury, employee or external activists can pressure leadership to pick a side. We’ve seen organizations caught in an “us versus them” dynamic—some postponing or canceling events to avoid protests, others shifting their strategies entirely. In your Journal of Professional Communication article, you explore the interactions between corporate values and crisis management. How can organizations make viable decisions when caught between competing pressures?
Dr. Tidwell
Burying your head in the sand is no longer an option. Activism is on the rise, and stakeholders increasingly expect corporations to take a stand. This became especially clear in the U.S. after the George Floyd tragedy, which sparked a broader reckoning on racial equity. But there’s a right and wrong way to do it. Any position must be thoughtful and rooted in the organization’s core values, consistent with its overall corporate philosophy and business vision.
Natalia
In my crisis planning work, I’ve found that many companies invest heavily in defining their values and display them prominently—on office walls, in annual reports and across their websites. But what’s often missing is clear guidance on how to apply those values as decision-making tools in high-pressure situations. More often than not, this critical link is absent from the crisis plans I’ve seen.
Dr. Tidwell
That's exactly what I found in my research. When I interviewed high-level chief communications and marketing officers, the recurring theme was, “Yes, we have a values program (those became in vogue in the last couple of decades). But we don't necessarily connect it to our crisis response.” That’s a serious disconnect. When done right, values should be the North Star of an organization. And when do you need a North Star the most? In moments of crisis – navigating uncertainty. Too often, values and best practices are forgotten or completely absent from the crisis planning process.
I’ve seen companies with their values—words like honesty, integrity, respect – proudly displayed on plaques in the conference room. Then they hand me their crisis plan. As I go through it, those words from the plaque are nowhere to be found.
In complex, uncertain, high-pressure situations—sometimes involving conflicting political or stakeholder demands—values can provide critical guidance. They are your fallback. You can never go wrong if you start there when shaping your messaging and response.
Natalia
Can you talk more about how companies can best integrate their values into their crisis plans?
Dr. Tidwell
The best practice is to include a section at the top of the crisis plan outlining the principles that would guide decision-making in a crisis—complementing the detailed playbooks and response protocols. Ideally, these principles should be workshopped with the crisis team to interpret how the organization’s core values apply in a crisis context. For example, if transparency is a core value, the team might commit to proactive communication with stakeholders, even when the full picture is not yet clear.
These guiding principles can evolve over time. Regular desktop exercises and simulations often reveal blind spots, giving us an opportunity to refine all elements of the crisis plan and ensure they remain relevant and actionable. However, core values behind these principles guiding our crisis work remain relatively stable.
Alternatively, organizations can simply incorporate their existing core values verbatim in the introduction of the crisis plan. For example, it might explicitly state: "The values that guide our everyday decisions—such as integrity, respect and transparency—will also serve as our compass in a crisis." This simple message reinforces consistency across communication and decision-making during high-pressure situations.
This ties back to Jim Collins’ thinking in Good to Great, where he describes a core corporate ideology as the combination of values and a purpose beyond profit. For crisis communicators, these values can serve as a North Star in ambiguous, complex and uncertain situations where there’s no clear rulebook on what to do and what to say. Even as economic conditions fluctuate and political pressures mount, true core values should remain constant – deeply embedded in the culture.
Of course, some readers may be sceptical here, and for good reason. Many of us have seen hollow values programs that are little more than empty slogans. In fact, our research found that poorly executed values initiatives can actually harm organizations and complicate crisis response. Paying lip service to values, jumping on the bandwagon of the latest trend or abandoning principles at the first sign of trouble erodes trust. Stakeholders will see right through it.
Natalia
The landscape is shifting rapidly. In the U.S., figures like Robby Starbuck are campaigning against 'wokeness,' and major companies such as Walmart have publicly announced they are scaling back some of the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments made after George Floyd’s death. It’s easy to see why some organizations might feel tempted to soften their 'values' language—perhaps swapping 'DEI' for words like 'belonging.'
In Canada, we’re watching closely—wondering whether this shift will cross the border or, conversely, reinforce our more communal values of fairness and social justice. In fact, it seems that we’re seeing Canadian values crystallize in response to developments south of the border. In this not-business-as-usual environment, I wonder if the same values-based approaches we’ve just discussed still hold true when political and social pressures pull in opposite directions?
Dr. Tidwell
Yes, we’re seeing an erosion of commitment to DEI, much of it driven by politics in this election year. Whether it’s a short-term blip or something longer-lasting remains to be seen. It’s always smart to listen to the conversation and understand the sentiments of the audience with robust environmental scanning. On contentious issues, it may also be a good idea to seek advice from experts.
I learned long ago to be confident in areas where I have expertise and relentlessly humble where I don’t. When it comes to navigating the DEI conversation, the first step could be to call on someone who truly understands the nuances of this space. In another Resilience Unfiltered chat, you recently spoke with my good friend Kim Clark who is helping organizations find a thoughtful path through in the DEI terrain. She’s on my speed dial, too.
That said, as I mentioned earlier, when values are fully integrated into an organization’s planning and culture, they are a powerful framework for navigating complex challenges. It also helps decide which issues are appropriate to take a stand on and which may be better left to others.
Natalia
I guess the point you’re making about expertise applies to companies, too. If something isn’t their area of expertise, maybe they don’t need to take a position on it.
Shifting gears, I’d like to talk about media training. News outlets are still crucial for fact-based, credible information, and it seems like media relations—and media training—aren’t going away anytime soon. It’s easy to do interviews about good news, but complex challenges are much harder to navigate—especially when journalists push for a clear point of view on something that isn’t black and white.
Do you see any gaps in how we prepare leaders to engage with the media in this landscape—where newsrooms are shrinking, with fewer resources to fact-check or investigate every side of a story, while stakeholder activism and polarization continue to rise?
Dr. Tidwell
What’s often forgotten is that media training is an essential part of the crisis communication infrastructure. It’s not a separate activity disconnected from risk management. Just as crisis planning should be proactive, so should media training. It needs to balance short-term responses and long-term strategic objectives.
Too often, we are called in for damage control after a negative media incident. You get that urgent call from a client: “We’ve had this issue come up. Can you bring your slides and camera – and train our executives within 48 hours?” In that moment, the mindset becomes entirely reactive—focused on deflecting and minimizing immediate damage.
Of course, that initial response is critical, and I don’t want to downplay its importance—it often sets the tone for the entire crisis cycle. What’s frequently missing, though, is addressing the bigger picture behind the journalist request. Media interactions can be an opportunity to shift the conversation toward the organization’s broader strategic narrative and long-term vision.
Too many spokespeople stop at reacting and answering questions, missing the chance to advance the narrative in a way that serves both the organization and its stakeholders.
In crisis planning, we like to say: “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” There’s always a learning opportunity. An important question to ask is: “How can we turn this into something positive?” This isn’t about spin; it’s about seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and focusing on the long-term vision – and message.
Ultimately, it all goes back to values. A proactive media strategy is about shaping a narrative that aligns with your organization’s core philosophy and having the confidence to articulate that—even under intense criticism or strong headwinds.
Natalia
These are excellent points. I also find the area where spokespeople often struggle is shifting from how we see something as an organization to how the stakeholder sees it—and what’s in it for them. Instead of being truly audience-focused, leaders may end up talking about themselves, failing to view the situation through that external lens.
Another challenge is how quickly transparency can break down when a real crisis hits. One of the first things decision-makers often do is call legal counsel, who may recommend keeping everything under privileged communication. Suddenly, the logic of transparency gets thrown out the window, leaving only a tightly controlled media statement on standby. Crisis plans, values and principles we’ve talked about are forgotten. The fear of potential lawsuits may override transparency, leading to a communication breakdown that ultimately damages trust—both internally and externally.
Dr. Tidwell
I hear that all the time. A crisis hits, and suddenly minds go blank. People forget the plans they developed a few years ago. If you’re not on a regular cadence of tabletop drills, live simulations and role-playing exercises, it will happen to you. I guarantee it.
A colleague of mine, Eileen Hawley, spent about 20 years at NASA. She managed their response to the 2003 disaster when the space shuttle broke apart over Texas, tragically killing seven astronauts on board.
Eileen and I did an IABC presentation called “Don’t let your crisis plan gather dust.” The premise: when a crisis hits, expect your mind to go blank—unless you’ve practiced regularly. Consider running a tabletop drill every 90 days and a full live simulation at least once a year, ideally twice. Without that preparation, when the crisis hits, people start scrambling. In the midst of it, there’s no time to debate legal privilege or clarify guardrails with legal counsel. Those conversations need to happen ahead of time, in the training room, with everyone who will participate in managing the real-world event at the table. That includes legal counsel, who are, of course, a critical part of crisis management.
I once faced an employee fatality at a manufacturing plant where an employee was tragically killed and two more seriously injured. Just three weeks earlier, we had done a tabletop exercise on that exact scenario. That morning, I had plans to play golf. Instead, I found myself driving to the plant as helicopters circled overhead. What made all the difference was being able to draw on that recent training. It gave me a path forward in the midst of chaos.
Natalia
After COVID, I’ve heard executives argue there was no way to prepare for a disaster of that magnitude. That mindset often leads to tossing formal crisis planning aside—replacing it with a firefighting approach. In other words, you’re busy putting out flames and rolling with the punches rather than following any kind of roadmap, let alone a structured, codified plan. But, to your point, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do this. What’s the right way?
Dr. Tidwell
I’ll say it again. In this business, there is no substitute for practice. Even basic tabletop exercises—like those simulating cybersecurity threats—reveal critical gaps quickly. For instance, if you don’t have your external stakeholders in your CRM database, you won’t be able to contact them within 72 hours – or whatever the legislation requires. If you miss that window, it’s a breach. You’ll end up on the regulator’s radar and potentially face lawsuits.
In my eight-week crisis communications course, we conduct three simulations: two tabletops and one live exercise. My students are all working professionals pursuing their master’s degrees. I’ve had several of them come back to me months later and say: “I’m so glad we did those simulations.” One told me: “I’d been on the job for just nine months when an employee was electrocuted.” Another said they had to manage a product tampering incident. In each case, they immediately went back to what they learned in the simulation, telling me later: “I’d done this before. Not in real life, but close enough.”
Those stories always make me proud. Crisis communication is often taught from a textbook. Students are walked through the planning process, maybe asked to write a plan, and that’s it. But that approach misses the most critical element—experience. The best learning happens through practice. Of course, nothing beats real-world experience, but the next best thing is a role-playing simulation. Even a simple tabletop can deliver that aha moment when everything clicks. Crisis communication isn’t just about having a plan; it’s about building the muscle memory to act decisively under pressure.
Natalia
Tabletops every 90 days would be on my dream list. I can see how some larger organizations – especially in critical infrastructure and healthcare – might commit to that. These best practices tend to focus on physical threats, but do not always account for what you describe in your Journal of Professional Communication article as abnormal crises.
For readers who may not be familiar with the article, abnormal crises—unlike natural disasters or normal accidents—stem from deliberate, often malicious actions, such as cyberattacks, fraud or other criminal activities.
In Canada, about 80% of our economy is small and medium-sized businesses. Many are woefully unprepared. If you ask them to run a tabletop every 90 days, they might not even know what a tabletop is. And even for larger organizations, preparing for abnormal crises can feel overwhelming. That’s where the real challenges start. Many organizations simply don’t have the tools, resources, dedicated personnel or commitment to champion best-practice crisis management models. It’s a significant gap.
On top of that, with a constant stream of shocking headlines, it’s easy to get paralyzed by uncertainty. Which crises should we even prioritize preparing for? Each day seems to bring a new one.
The same paralysis often applies to defining – or redefining – vision, values and mission. These exercises can drag on indefinitely or stall altogether – especially when those who design and run them struggle to get the necessary buy-in from the top. It’s tough to bring everyone—employees, management, executive leadership and the board—to the same understanding in any environment – let alone in today’s disrupted, fluid landscape.
I find myself circling back to the same question: What’s the right way to approach this?
Dr. Tidwell
The reason many values programs or vision exercises stall is because they are top-down. Senior leadership lock themselves in a conference room for two days and then emerge with a grand announcement—like Moses coming down from the mountain with stone tablets. What’s forgotten in that process is the organization itself. I don’t want to sound jaded toward large corporations. I’ve worked with plenty of them, and I’ve seen these mistakes firsthand. But I’ve also seen companies that get it right. The ones that succeed usually take a bottom-up approach, starting by listening at the lower levels long before heading into the boardroom. With size, money and power come higher expectations and greater accountability. If I were an employee at one of these big companies, I’d expect a lot from them, too.
Natalia
And how about smaller organizations?
Dr. Tidwell
You mentioned Canada has a lot of small businesses. It’s the same in my metropolitan area in the Midwest. We are about two and a half million people. I think we only have one Fortune 500 company. Most businesses here are smaller. This is great for diversifying our local economy. Many of these organizations have just one or two communicators on staff, which creates unique challenges you mentioned, particularly in crisis resilience.
That’s why it’s so important to tap into the professional development community. I’ll admit I’m a bit biased here, given my role on the board of IABC, but I believe it’s never been more crucial to expand your network. Whether it’s the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) in Canada, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in the U.S., or the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) internationally, these organizations offer a wealth of support. Members gain access to a network of colleagues, shared interest groups and resources. You and I have been talking about a new shared interest group for crisis communication at IABC. These communities are invaluable, especially for communicators in smaller organizations that don’t have the resources of larger companies. Members can lean on them as their brain trust for advice, insight or just a sounding board.
Natalia
Very true. Learning and development are critical for everyone—whether you are a solo practitioner, a communicator in a small company, or part of a leadership or board team. Staying connected to the latest thinking and best practices is a must. This feels like a great note to end on.
Do you have any final advice for communicators and leaders navigating today’s challenging environment—where so much is happening at once, from geopolitical challenges to AI reshaping communication and business models?
Dr. Tidwell
I’m in academia now, which makes it a bit easier—I’m somewhat removed from the fray. I still do consulting occasionally, but my focus is primarily on the academic side. You’re absolutely right about the warp speed and gravity of change. That’s why the work you and so many others are doing is so important. We have to avail ourselves of as much professional development as possible. As importantly, we need to understand that no one really has all the answers and it's very important that we give each other a bit of grace. We're all still learning in this rapidly changing environment. This is not the 1970s or 80s. In the late 80s when I broke into the business, we'd been doing things the same way for decades. It's changed rapidly in really short amount of time. I think we need to give each other grace and realize that change is complex and the answers are not simple or easy.
Dr. Matt Tidwell is on the faculty of the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas and directs KU’s master’s degree in digital and integrated marketing communications. Previously, Matt helped lead communications agencies and served as senior communications director for companies including Evergy/Great Plains Energy and Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals. Education and professional development are now his passion, and he has been a frequent speaker locally and nationally. In addition to teaching, Matt conducts academic research in crisis communications and has been published in Journal of Professional Communications and Communications World. He is on the Board for the International Association of Business Communicators. Matt has a master’s degree in communications management from Syracuse University and a Ph.D. from KU.
Natalia Smalyuk is an award-winning advisor specializing in strategic communication, crisis resilience and stakeholder engagement. She leads NBAU, a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) certified communication consultancy. What is NBAU? Not Business as Usual. Why NBAU? Because there’s no such thing as business as usual for leaders who think ahead and see a landscape of opportunity — and risk — across the unchartered global space. NBAU supports organizations in building resilience before, during and after adverse events with a unique crisis planning and training model that broadens the understanding of crises and enables positive action in an uncertain world.
Earlier chats in the Resilience Unfiltered Series:
Anne Marie Aikins on proactive reputation management in ‘good and really bad times’
Coffee chat with Kim Clark: is there a way to get layoffs right?
A coffee break Q&A with Alexander Rau: “Cyber resilience is a marathon, not a sprint”
A coffee Q&A with Helio Fred Garcia: the agony of decisions and the power of patterns in a crisis
A coffee Q&A with Christal Austin: climate emergency & disaster preparedness