Crisis is not the time to guess. When the pressure is on, you need to know what’s working, what’s failing and what to adjust – fast.

That’s where monitoring and evaluation (M&E) come in. Not as post-mortems, but as live tools to help you lead confidently when it matters most.

Let’s get one thing clear: M&E during a crisis isn’t about ticking boxes or writing reports. It’s about survival, credibility, and control.

1. Monitoring tells you what’s happening – right now
Is your message landing? Are your people clear on what to do? Is the media running with your narrative or someone else’s? Monitoring provides the answers.

You can’t fix what you don’t see. Monitoring tracks:
• Media coverage and sentiment
• Social media reaction
• Internal communication effectiveness
• Stakeholder response and misinformation

This data gives you eyes on the ground, so you’re not flying blind.

2. Evaluation helps you steer – not just reflect
Evaluation isn’t just about what went wrong after the dust settles. In a crisis, real-time evaluation allows you to course-correct mid-response.

Are the briefings too technical? Is leadership visible enough? Are frontline teams aligned? Evaluation feeds strategic adjustments – before things spiral.

3. Your response is the message
In a crisis, how you respond is the story. Monitoring and evaluation protect your reputation by making sure that response is consistent, confident and credible.

They help you answer:
• Are we being heard?
• Are we being believed?
• Are we being effective?

Bottom line?


Crisis leadership isn’t instinct – it’s informed. Monitoring and evaluation arm you with the insight to act decisively and communicate with authority. Because in a crisis, perception is reality – and reality is moving fast.

Want to lead with confidence in your next crisis? Start by making monitoring and evaluation a non-negotiable part of your communication strategy.

We can show you how.