In hostile situations, a communicator's goal is to establish and maintain trust and credibility with the audience. School business officials need the special skills and techniques of what's known as "risk communication." Few people are natural risk communicators. Those who do it well honed their skills over many years spent in hostile environments. This article presents three basic steps that will help one prepare in a hostile situation: (1) think about how audiences judge one's trust-worthiness and credibility; (2) pay close attention to the nonverbal messages one sends; and (3) think about questions the audience may ask--and the answers one wants to give.