Field note
How to write a holding statement
A holding statement is a short first response you put out before you have all the facts. In five or six plain sentences, it says what happened, what you're doing, what people should do and when you'll say more. It doesn't guess at cause or blame, and your lawyer reads it before it goes out.
What is a holding statement for?
It holds your place. It tells reporters, staff and customers that you know, you're on it, and you'll be back at a set time. That buys you room to get the facts right without leaving a blank for somebody else to fill.
I've spent years preparing police chiefs to speak on difficult topics and coaching executives through moments that called for a calm voice and a carefully crafted statement. The holding statement is where that work starts.
When do you need one?
Any time the questions will come faster than the facts. A fire. An outage. A lawsuit. A data problem. A leader who leaves without warning.
Better yet, before any of that. Draft the bones now for the three things most likely to happen to your organization, and have your lawyer read them while it's quiet. On the bad day, you fill in blanks instead of staring at a blank page.
What goes in it?
- What happened. Only what you can confirm: what, where and when.
- People. If anyone's safety is in question, say what you know about it, and nothing you don't.
- What you're doing right now. The first real step.
- What you don't know yet. Say it, and say you won't guess.
- What people should do. One line for customers, staff or neighbors who need to act.
- When and where you'll update. A clock time, a place to look, and who takes questions.
What stays out?
- The names of anyone hurt, before their families have been told.
- The cause, until it's confirmed.
- Fault, in either direction. Let your lawyer weigh in before you accept it or assign it.
- Adjectives doing the work of facts: "isolated," "minor," "out of an abundance of caution." If it's true, show it. If you don't know, leave it out.
- Promises about how it ends.
What does a good one look like?
Here's one I made up to show the parts working together.
Holding statement, draft for counsel
The setup: a fire breaks out overnight in the back of a regional distributor's warehouse. Everyone on the night shift gets out. It's 6:40 a.m., and a TV crew is parked outside.
"Shortly after 2 a.m. today, a fire started in the back of our warehouse on [street]. Everyone working the overnight shift got out safely, and the fire department put the fire out. The building will stay closed while fire investigators do their work. We don't know yet what caused it, and we won't guess. Customers with deliveries this week will hear from us directly by [time] today. Our next update will be at [time] at [web address], and media questions go to [name] at [phone]."
Why it works: every fact in it is confirmed. People's safety comes in the second sentence. It says what it doesn't know. It tells customers what happens next. And it names a time for the next update, which means you have to keep it.
Who signs off, and how fast?
One named person approves it, and your lawyer reads it. Decide who those two people are before you need them, with a backup for each. A holding statement that waits two hours on a third approver has stopped holding anything.
None of this is legal advice. Your lawyer gets the last read, every time.
What happens after it goes out?
You keep the promise in the last line. If you said 10 a.m., update at 10 a.m., even if the update is "nothing new yet, here's what we're still checking." Then replace it with a fuller statement as soon as you can confirm more.
For the rest of that first hour, here's what to say in the first 30 minutes. And if a camera's coming, read up on the questions leaders get wrong on camera.