Say the Right Thing, Right When It Matters

The Starter Kit to help you find the words that cut through panic, noise, and pressure, so people take you seriously the first time they hear you.

A woman in a white dress holding a microphone and speaking to an audience in a formal setting, with people seated at a table and on chairs around her.

When pressure hits, silence isn’t an option

 People expect you to know what to say, and to be able to say it clearly, whether it’s a media interview, a stakeholder crisis, or a leadership briefing with emotions running high. But here’s the truth. When the stakes are high, most people:

  • Freeze

  • Waffle

  • And talk nonsensically, with no structure, creating more confusion.

The Clarity Under Fire Starter Kit helps you avoid that.

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Cover of a book titled 'Clarity Under Fire: What To Say Starter Kit' by Vienna Senima Richards, with a subtitle describing it as a crisis-ready messaging framework for calm, confident communication, and a website URL www.viennarichards.com.

Clear Words. Calm Delivery. Real Direction.

The Clarity Under Fire Starter Kit is a messaging tool that gives you a simple, high-trust framework you can use on the spot, even when facts are shifting and emotions are raw.

If you’re giving an impromptu update or crafting a statement for the media, you’ll be able to:

  • Get to the point

  • Sound steady, not scripted

  • Move people to action with clarity and care

Because in high-pressure moments, it’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it, and how soon you say it.

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What You Get Inside the Kit

The Clarity Under Fire Framework
 A 3-part message model that works for spoken updates, written statements, and anything in between.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid
 So you don’t freeze, over-explain, or miss what people actually need from you.

Pro Tips from the Field
 How to speak when you don’t have all the facts, when tech fails, or when emotions are high.

Quick Message Template
 A fill-in-the-blanks tool to help you write or speak your next message in under 10 minutes.

When you're ready for more, there’s a workbook edition, team training tools, and opportunities to work with me directly. But this Starter Kit will give you a clear, confident foundation, right now.

This is for you if…

You’re the person people look to when something needs to be said.

You don’t need to be a comms expert, just someone who understands that in moments of pressure, a calm voice and clear words can change everything.

The Clarity Under Fire Starter Kit is perfect for:

  • Communications leads and media spokespeople

  • Health and emergency teams

  • Community leaders and directors

  • Project managers or anyone in high-trust roles

  • Human beings who care about saying it right when it counts.

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I’ve written for man-made crises, natural disasters, deaths, and everything in between.

I’m Vienna Senima Richards, a communications specialist with 20+ years in health, education, community, government, and emergency response in New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific.

I’ve helped leaders and organisations prepare messages and media interviews in all kinds of situations:

  • Following major earthquakes and communicable disease outbreaks with loss of life

  • Media firestorms and national scandals

  • Organisational change with public pressure mounting and relentless media attention.

What I’ve learned is this: Your words don’t have to be perfect. People can be very forgiving if you’re sincere and humble. But you do need to communicate clearly, and as honestly as you can be, in that moment.

That’s why I built this Clarity Under Fire Starter Kit. For moments when you’re under fire and still you need to show up calm, steady, and clear. Ready to talk to people and respond to questions.