Communications lead

Crisis holding statement

Immediate result: A short holding statement that acknowledges, states what's known, what you're doing and when you'll update.

Problem it solvesIn a crisis, the first statement is late, defensive or says too much.

Download SKILL.md
Add this skill to
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexity

You paste

Data incident: some customers' email addresses exposed via a misconfigured server, found today

You get

'Today we found that a misconfigured server exposed some customers' email addresses. We fixed it within the hour…'

'We're contacting everyone affected directly and will share an update by 6 pm tomorrow.'

Don't say: 'No sensitive data was exposed' until the investigation confirms it.

About this skill

About Crisis holding statement

In a crisis, the first statement tends to be late, defensive or say too much. This skill writes a short holding statement that acknowledges what happened and who is affected, states only confirmed facts, says what you're doing now and commits to a time for the next update. You also get a social post, an internal note for staff and a list of things not to say yet. It never speculates on cause or blame, and the statement must be cleared by legal and leadership before release. To use it, paste the skill into your assistant and send what happened, what is confirmed, who is affected and what's being done.

Crisis holding statement AI skill for Communications lead: you paste "Data incident: some customers' email addresses exposed via a misconfigured server, found today" and get "'Today we found that a misconfigured server exposed some customers' email addresses. We fixed it within the hour…'"
Crisis holding statement — example input and the first lines it returns. Works in ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini.
Job profile
Writing & communications · Communications lead
Works in
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Claude Code
Format
Agent Skills (SKILL.md)
Price
Free, no sign-up
Install instructions

Copy, paste, send

  1. Cold email writerCopy skillCopied ✓1 Copy the skillPress Copy skill.
  2. ANY AI ASSISTANTSKILLPaste here, then press Enter2 Paste it into a new chatChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot.
  3. ANY AI ASSISTANT3 Send your inputSend what happened.
The skill — paste this into your AI assistant
# Skill: Crisis holding statement

You are running the "Crisis holding statement" skill for me. I work as: Communications lead. What I need from you: a short holding statement that acknowledges, states what's known, what I'm doing and when I'll update.

## When I send you what happened, what is confirmed, who is affected and what's being done
1. Acknowledge the situation and the people affected.
2. State only confirmed facts.
3. Say what you're doing now.
4. Commit to a time for the next update.

## Reply in this format
- Holding statement (≤ 120 words)
- Social post version
- Internal staff note
- What not to say

## Rules
- No speculation on cause or blame.
- Must be approved by legal and leadership before release.
- Use only the facts I give you; mark anything you had to assume with [ASSUMPTION].
- If something essential is missing, ask me one short question, then continue.
- No preamble or filler: start with the result.

Confirm you're ready in one line, then wait for me to send what happened, what is confirmed, who is affected and what's being done.

Then sendWhat happened, what is confirmed, who is affected and what's being done. For example: Data incident: some customers' email addresses exposed via a misconfigured server, found today

ChatGPT

  1. Fastest: paste the skill as your first message in a new chat, then send your input.
  2. To keep it: open a Project, choose Instructions (or Settings → Personalization → Custom instructions for every chat) and paste it there.
  3. To share it with a team: create a custom GPT and paste the skill into its Instructions.
  4. In the Codex app: copy the skill's folder into ~/.codex/skills/ (or Customize → Skills → Add → Create skill).

Claude

  1. Fastest: paste the skill as your first message in a new chat, then send your input.
  2. To keep it: create a Project, open Project instructions and paste the skill.
  3. As a Claude Skill: download the skill's ZIP, then in Claude open Settings → Skills → Add → Upload skill and choose the file.

Gemini

  1. Fastest: paste the skill as your first message in a new chat, then send your input.
  2. To keep it: open Gems → New Gem, paste the skill into Instructions and save.

Microsoft Copilot

  1. Fastest: paste the skill as your first message, then send your input.
  2. In Microsoft 365 Copilot, save it as a prompt or paste it into an agent's instructions to reuse it.

Any other assistant

  1. Paste the skill as the system prompt or first message in any chat assistant (Perplexity, Meta AI, DeepSeek, Mistral, local models).
  2. Coding agents that read the Agent Skills format (SKILL.md) can load the downloaded file from their skills folder.

Install it permanently

Upload it to Claude, add it to ChatGPT's Codex app, clone it into Claude Code, or download the SKILL.md for any agent. Full guide with screenshots →

Download the ZIP and upload it in Claude. Claude then uses the skill on its own whenever a request matches.

Download ZIP

Quick setup

  1. In Claude, open Settings → Skills (under Customize).
  2. Click Add → Upload skill.
  3. Choose the ZIP — don't unzip it — and make sure the skill is switched on.
Claude Settings with Skills selected under Customize, and the Add menu open showing Upload skill, Create a skill, Create with Claude and Record your screen

Repositoryscienceofapps.com/skills/ai-skills.git · all 200 skills, one folder each, plain git over HTTPS

What it does

The steps it follows

  1. Acknowledge the situation and the people affected.
  2. State only confirmed facts.
  3. Say what you're doing now.
  4. Commit to a time for the next update.
What you get back

The reply format

  • Holding statement (≤ 120 words)
  • Social post version
  • Internal staff note
  • What not to say

Rules it never breaks

  • No speculation on cause or blame.
  • Must be approved by legal and leadership before release.
  • Uses only the facts you give it and marks assumptions.
FAQs

Questions about Crisis holding statement

What does the Crisis holding statement skill do?

In a crisis, the first statement is late, defensive or says too much. The skill fixes that: a short holding statement that acknowledges, states what's known, what you're doing and when you'll update.

How do I install Crisis holding statement in ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini?

Copy the skill and paste it as the first message of a new chat, then send your input. To keep it, paste it into a ChatGPT Project or custom GPT, a Claude Project or a Gemini Gem, or upload the SKILL.md file as a Claude Skill.

What do I send Crisis holding statement after installing it?

Send what happened, what is confirmed, who is affected and what's being done. If something essential is missing, the skill asks you one short question and then continues.

Is the Crisis holding statement skill free?

Yes. It's free to copy, use and adapt, with no sign-up, and works in the free versions of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot.

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You paste

'Why is the report late again? This is unacceptable.' → firm but respectful

You get

V2: 'The report is late for the second time this month. Can you tell me what's getting in the way, and when I'll have it?'

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You get

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You paste

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You get

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