Crisis Proof – Jonathan Hemus – Review, The best crisis comms book out there

Apart from a few back and forth tweets I have never spoken to Crisis Proof author Jonathan Hemus and we have certainly never met, but based on this book alone, I really want to.

In my near 25 years of working in crisis communications I have never read such an all-encompassing guide to surviving a media crisis. I would go as far as to say that this book could be used by any business owner or senior level employee as the bible for crisis communications.

The fact the the book is written in the immediate aftermath of the COVID pandemic gives it an added perspective and makes it, in my opinion, one of the best PR books of the modern era. It covers in huge depth the framework a business needs to have in place in order to navigate through any issue and the experience of the author really shines through.

From stakeholder management though to how to get senior level buy in for handling a crisis, this is a must have in terms of an essential business book to keep near your desk. There are loads of practical tips around training exercises, who from your company should make up your crisis communications team and examples of people doing it very well and maybe not so well.

I really wish that Crisis Proof had been about when I was starting my corporate career and I would probably add it to the must-read list for public relations and communications students that I deliver lectures too in the future.

The book is packed with real life experiences and you can really see why Hemus has risen to be seen as one of the foremost global operators when it comes to crisis communications. I don’t want to spoil the read for anyone, but the foreword alone inspires confidence that you are in for a treat and the rest of the book does not disappoint.

5 stars out of 5 for me and Crisis Proof is currently available for £14.75 on Amazon.