In the previous chapter, we have laid the foundation for a comprehensive discussion of Crisis Communication by reviewing some of the most relevant academic contributions to the field. While these are of course very helpful to gain a profound understanding of the topic, however, crisis management and crisis communication, that necessarily go together, do not take place during presentations of research papers at conferences, through publications in learned journals, or between book covers. The competent handling of crises and the simultaneous dissemination of compelling messages form a very practical challenge in very unique circumstances and under very stressful conditions. So, building on those theoretical considerations, we now turn to the real world as it presents itself when the situation arises, the practice of Crisis Communication. In this first chapter of two, we begin with an outline of characteristics common to crisis situations as practitioners will likely encounter them. We then analyze additional complicating factors to do with social media (see also Chap. 3 ), “Firestorms” that frequently feed on “Fake News,” and “Alternative Facts.” Next, we gain an overview of prominent historical cases, some handled well, some less so, and look in some detail at a prime example of the last category, BP’s Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil spill of 2010. Moving from the specific to the generic, we close with some thoughts on what sets organizations up for failure in crisis situations, common mistakes made by too many, and the resulting conclusions to be drawn.