It’s tough to be a celebrity, politician, business leader, or journalist in the age of television and the Internet. Make a mistake or a slip of the tongue, and your error could be ricocheting through social media in seconds. And the talking heads will be, well, talking about you on the local morning shows and nightly newscasts.

This year alone, the list of recent slips and trips is long and infamous: Brian Williams, Keith Olbermann, Patricia Arquette, Kanye West – all had to defend, explain, apologize for, or walk-back statements they made.

And it’s not just individuals. Silicon Valley’s favorite unicorn, Uber, had to explain why one of its executives was interested in digging up dirt on journalists. The slip sent the company into a PR tailspin.

CNN’s afternoon anchor Brooke Baldwin apologized after she put the blame for policing problems on military veterans returning home from war. A day later, she went on the air, admitted her words were a mistake, and apologized.

ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos also issued apologies. Not for what was said, but for what wasn’t said. He failed to disclose a $75,000 donation to the Clinton Foundation when reporting on Hillary Clinton or the nonprofit. Because journalists are expected to remain neutral in reporting, the omission raised issues about trust.

Slips and omissions, if not handled correctly, can damage a reputation. But crisis management experts generally agree the best way to handle such a situation is by issuing a heartfelt apology. Nearly all of those mentioned above handled their missteps with an apology. Yet some were more successful than others.

Public apologies can be tough. What does it take to express a convincing regret? To avoid sounding insincere or being accused of issuing a “non-apology” apology, follow these steps.

No one likes a surprise, least of all the CEO. If there’s an issue with serious consequences for his company, he needs to know far in advance what it is and how you’re going to deal with it.

Senior PR pros know they need to stay on top of emerging trends and changes in the socio-political environment. A single issue can bubble up in the most unexpected places and impact many industries and organizations of all sizes.

For example, demands for a higher minimum wage by workers at a local fast-food restaurant can cause a ripple effect, eventually reaching giant retailers like Wal-Mart. Likewise, the USDA’s new dietary guidelines can create an impact on stakeholders as disparate as regional school districts and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

Today’s media landscape is more complicated than ever before. Television remains the single most influential medium, and it reaches deep into local communities. And consumers and activists now have a powerful platform for propagating their ideas and opinions through social media. These media worlds often intertwine, feeding each other.

This makes identifying and planning for potential crises an ongoing responsibility, and one that is increasingly difficult in a very noisy and rapidly changing world.

The process for issues management can be broken down into five steps.