Aug 20, 2025
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Now, let’s jump in!
Are you ready to handle a crisis at your manufacturing plant? This episode focuses on crisis communication and how leaders can stay calm, clear, and effective under pressure.
In this episode, Angela Billings, a strategic communication professional with more than 20 years of experience in the Air Force, including during September 11 while stationed at the Pentagon, shares insights on manufacturing leadership, communication skills, and resilience for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors.
Angela explains how strong crisis communication improves employee engagement, trust building, and team performance. She shares real world lessons on proactive planning, clear messaging, and empowering frontline teams so leaders can reduce uncertainty, strengthen accountability, and protect manufacturing culture during high stress situations.
You will walk away with practical strategies to improve leadership presence, support your people, and confidently guide your plant through disruption.
1:00 – In any field, you need to anticipate crisis and be prepared
to manage and own them
6:46 – Having a chain of command and clear communication channels
are crucial for effective crisis management
9:12 –The proactive connection of supervisory teams is essential to
crisis management
10:14 – To prepare, do tabletop exercises to act out likely and
worst-case scenarios
12:04 – All employees should act as ambassadors for their
organization
15:05 – Media training can be a strong tool for employees at all
levels, not just executives
16:03 – To safeguard your brand, own your stories
17:32 – Even everyday issues need transparent
communications
19:30 – Consider the role of public communications
channels
21:21 – Apply the same urgency to communications that you do to
everyday production challenges on the floor
Connect with Angela Billings
Visit her website
Learn more about
Command the Crisis
Find her on LinkedIn