What Can I Say?
This article is part of Finding the Words, a newsletter that delivers practical insights on the day’s issues.
Tuesday mornings are notoriously early in our household. Brian and I both wake up in the pre-dawn hours—he to tend to an early personal training commitment and I to write this weekly column. He’ll often roll out of bed just a few minutes before me, which means he’ll usually encounter the day first.
On a recent morning, I heard him in the next room let out a long, worried exhale.
“Oh no.”
I wasn’t quite sure what he had discovered, but it didn’t sound good. Suddenly, I found myself bracing for bad—maybe very bad—news.
Thankfully, it wasn’t as serious as I imagined, and we were able to go on with our mornings as planned. But that feeling—and I suspect you know it well—has become increasingly familiar. It’s the feeling of bracing ourselves for what the news will bring and what it will require of us.
For leaders, that feeling isn’t just personal. As news headlines break, many nonprofit and foundation leaders find themselves asking the same questions:
Will I need to say something? When? And what, exactly, should I say?
It was this reality that my team and I had top of mind when we released our How to Respond to Breaking News resource last year. The guide offers a practical, mission-centered framework to help leaders decide when to speak up, when to stay silent, and how to communicate thoughtfully when they do speak.
The truth is, when news breaks, leaders are often left balancing urgency, responsibility, and uncertainty—all while knowing their words (or silence) will be interpreted. This framework isn’t about saying the ‘right’ thing. It’s about making intentional choices in moments that don’t allow for easy ones.
In today’s Finding the Words, I’ll offer a brief breakdown of those considerations and invite you to explore the full resource, linked at the bottom of this post.
1. Let mission be your first filter.
When news breaks, the most important question isn’t “What should we say?” but “Does this moment connect to our mission?” Your mission is the lens through which every external issue should be viewed. If the news directly affects the people you serve, threatens your ability to advance your work, or materially impacts your operating environment, that connection alone is meaningful information. It helps you decide whether—and how—you should show up.
2. Decide if you need to speak before deciding what to say.
Not every headline calls for a public statement. In fact, most don’t. Often, the most meaningful communication happens quietly—internally with staff, directly with partners, or in a note to your board that acknowledges what’s happening and grounds people in what you know to be true. Before saying anything publicly, ask yourself:
Will our voice add insight, or merely contribute to noise?
Are we communicating out of reaction, or in service of clarity?
These aren’t performative exercises; they’re leadership filters that help prevent responses you may later wish you’d handled differently. And, choosing not to issue a public statement can be a form of leadership too—when it’s paired with intentional internal communication and clear reasoning.
3. When you do speak, lead with humanity.
If you determine that a public response is warranted, lead with empathy first. Recognize the human impact of the moment. Acknowledge the emotions your audience may be feeling. Center people before institutional positioning. Empathy doesn’t weaken your message. It strengthens trust and reminds people that your organization is led by humans who understand what’s at stake.
4. Say what you know—without waiting to know everything.
In moments of uncertainty, a leader’s job is to provide as much relevant and accurate information as possible, as clearly as possible. Effective responses demonstrate integrity, transparency, empathy, and commitment. While there are real advantages to being thoughtful and measured, there is also risk in waiting too long or saying too little. Silence or vague language can be perceived as withholding or disengagement.
You can:
Acknowledge what you know—and what you don’t yet know.
Express concern without speculating.
Show care for affected communities even while you’re still assessing the implications.
5. Anchor what comes next.
After your initial acknowledgment—whether public or private—your role is far from over. As the situation continues to unfold, consider:
What actions are you taking internally to support your people, and how are you listening directly to your community to inform those actions?
What follow-up communication might your audiences need?
Are you prepared with the resources and people required if a larger response becomes necessary?
Your words shouldn’t simply react to the moment. They should help anchor what comes next.
Bottom line: When you next get that "brace yourself" feeling, remember this: Finding the right words—and the right time to use them—can be stressful in itself. Instead of spending too much early energy on 'what to say' when news is breaking, remember that what your team needs most is your present and careful leadership. Start there, and the right words will likely follow.
This post is part of the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights direct to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.
