When your PR team is in disarray during a crucial client pitch, strong leadership and quick thinking can turn things around. Start by calmly refocusing the team on the key message, ensuring everyone has a clear role. In 2017, Singapore Airlines’ PR team faced challenges during a crisis, but leadership quickly realigned efforts, focusing on transparency and teamwork. The result? They not only regained trust but also improved long-term brand loyalty. In moments of chaos, clarity and collaboration can transform a potential failure into a success .

Here’s a step-by-step strategy to restore order, salvage the pitch, and leave a positive impression: 1. Stay Calm and Take Control Immediately Pause the Presentation (if needed): Politely acknowledge the situation to the client, saying something like: “Apologies, let’s take a moment to align on a few things to ensure we deliver our best for you.” Maintain a Professional Demeanor: Show confidence and composure to avoid alarming the client. 2. Identify the Issue Quickly Assess What’s Going Wrong: Are team members misaligned on content? Is someone missing a key hand-off? Are there technical glitches or unclear roles? Prioritize Solutions: Determine what can be corrected immediately versus later without derailing the meeting.

In a client pitch, I find that its best to have 1 person leading, 1 person speaking to the client (this could be the same person in this instance), and the rest should be acting in support. You want to ensure the client sees a unified front - in that case, following some sort of leadership structure is key.

So, we’re in the middle of a crucial pitch, and the room is pure chaos. Papers were flying everywhere! People were panicking. My manager freaks out, “The slides aren’t working!” So I’m like, “Great, let’s go with interpretive dance—maybe they’ll think we’re edgy.” Are researcher asked “Should I email the client?” and I say, “Sure, tell them we’re late because we accidentally set the presentation on fire.” Right then, we all notice the intern… literally juggling stress balls. Of course, right? I just laugh and say, “Alright, team, if we survived the cat meme pitch, we’ve got this.” Didn’t help at all. Wait what was the question again?

1. Pause and Regain Control Acknowledge the hiccup: Briefly address the disruption to reset expectations and demonstrate composure. Take a breath: If appropriate, pause for a moment—offer a quick reset such as, “Let’s take a second to refocus and ensure we present the best version of our ideas.” Reassign speaking roles on the fly: If someone is struggling, calmly step in to cover or signal a teammate to take over. Example: “We got off to a bumpy start, but we’re excited to jump right into our strategy. Let’s begin with the campaign goals.” 2. Prioritize the Key Pitch Elements Refocus on the client’s needs: Zero in on the core objectives of the pitch—what the client wants to hear most.