First of all, listen to and validate the speaker. Show no arrogance, but keep the lead. Identify and include stakeholders at all stages. Get agreement before acting, then deliver on the promise. Be honest with bad news.
Reality is never as bad as the imagined.
Recognise the value of hiring professionals to work with the public. That depends on your professional attitude. In regulatory issues, the professional will calmly orchestrate a return to compliance while the nonprofessional will be more likely to chose defiance as a response. Just look in the news and see business leaders talking about environmentalist tree huggers. The professional can go into an overheated situation and provide the credibility of an outside or objective third party.