In this paper we focus on crisis spokespersons to confront two theories. On the one hand, Grunert and Grunert's theory of excellence in public relations states that the spokesperson should aim at negotiating with the public, and not simply talk or give information. On the other hand, the literature focusing on boundary spanning points at role conflict and role ambiguity. Crisis situations are times and places where those two bodies of literature collide, making the job even harder.