Navigating today’s “decision dilemma” means more than simply weighing pros and cons – it’s about finding a path forward when every choice carries risk. On the PR’s Top Pros Talk podcast, Doug Simon, CEO of D S Simon Media, spoke with Rachel Catanach, a seasoned communications strategist and trained violinist, about helping brands make values-based decisions in uncertain times.

Her artistic discipline translates into her corporate work, where she counsels companies facing what she calls the "decision dilemma." In today’s fractured environment, she explains, brands are often “stuck between a decision that has a negative impact and another decision that has negative impact.” The challenges are no longer singular, as they were during COVID, but span geopolitics, supply chain pressures, scientific disputes, and cultural divides.

Rachel’s process begins at the core, uncovering the client’s business model, guiding values, and leadership structure. She and her team use advanced tools like synthetic audience simulations to test messages before they go public. This helps companies weigh the effect of one statement on multiple, sometimes opposing, audiences and, in some cases, discover a “third way” that both sides can accept.

One of the biggest traps companies fall into, she warns, is paralysis. “The point of safety, for us, is staying still,” she says, but with uncertainty likely to persist for years, staying still isn’t an option. Instead, she advises identifying the true anchors of the business and building scenario plans around them.

The complexity extends to message distribution. Understanding audience habits, preferred channels, and trusted influencers is essential. Increasingly, Rachel sees public affairs shaping PR strategy, with influence sometimes exerted more effectively behind the scenes. Local media is regaining importance, especially in communities where strong journalism can surface issues before they escalate into crises.

Emerging technologies are also changing the game. Rachel’s team is developing “risk radars” to quickly assess the potential fallout of campaigns or statements. Paired with a framework called “Two Truths” – designed to help brands communicate in polarized environments, these tools aim to make decision-making faster, more deliberate, and more accurate.

Rather than resisting change, Rachel uses it to uncover new pathways. The key, she says, is “getting clients out of stasis” and helping them make intentional choices. “You can communicate your way into a problem as well as out of it,” she notes.

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View all of the interviews in the “PR's Top Pros Talk” series. Interested in taking part? Contact Doug Simon at [email protected].

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Suchi Sherpa is a Marketing Communications Specialist at D S Simon Media, a leading firm specializing in satellite media tours.