What goes in a holding statement, and what doesn’t

A holding statement buys time without giving anything away you’ll regret. Most of the ones we’re asked to review fail for one of two reasons: they say too little to be useful, or too much to be safe. Here’s the checklist we work through with counsel.

Include

• Acknowledgement. Name what has happened in plain words. “We are aware of” is fine; euphemisms are not.

• Action. One or two concrete things you’re doing right now.

• Guidance. What affected people should do, if anything, and where to find help.

• A next update. A specific time, and then keep it.

• A human sign-off. A named role, not “the company”.

Leave out

• Causes you haven’t confirmed. Speculation becomes the headline if it’s wrong.

• Blame, including of suppliers or partners, even if it’s deserved.

• Promises about outcomes. “This will not happen again” is a promise you can’t guarantee.

• Legal language that reads as defensive: “without admission of liability” belongs in legal correspondence, not a public statement.

Test it before it’s needed

For each likely scenario in your crisis plan, draft the holding statement now and have counsel pre-approve it with placeholders for the specifics. On the day, the approval question becomes “are these facts right?” instead of “can we say anything at all?”

The best holding statements are written in a calm week and published in a bad one.