Revealing Client Information
When is it OK to tell tales? Our good friend and colleague, attorney Karen Rubin, has advice for both lawyers and non-lawyers: Holiday parties are great times to socialize and network with colleagues. But the casual atmosphere and the sometimes-plentiful adult beverages can also tempt you to tell war stories that reveal too much about your past […]
These Women Are on Front Lines of Harassment Fight
As has been said many times by those in our business, you can’t communicate your way out of bad behavior. It’s also true that silence doesn’t fix things, either. From Meg Fry, writing for ROI: Sexual harassment. It is common, career-altering and currently celebrity-driven. And it is a serious workplace issue that three New Jersey […]
Escape from Email Hell: A Simple Change to Work Faster, Save Time and Angst
[by Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications] It’s crunch time. You’re working on deadline, wrapping up an important communication for an important client, and you know that one nugget of new information you need to include is somewhere deep in your email inbox. You’re sure it was in the thread you had with your client team, so […]
This Delta Pilot Did Something Great. So Why Didn’t the Airline Want to Recognize Him?
This is the way airplane delays should be handled. And, just what we counsel. From writer Jeff Haden: I was sitting in a gate area at the Atlanta airport, waiting to board flight Delta flight 2074 to Norfolk, Virginia, when a gate agent announced, “We’re sorry, but boarding will be delayed while the mechanics take […]
Could It Happen Here? Talking about Somebody Else’s Accident.
Last summer’s deadly Grenfell Tower fire gave risk management expert Peter Sandman cause to consider whether a tragedy in one place should give encouragement to owners and managers of similar facilities reason to proactively talk to their stakeholders about similar risks. Conventional wisdom usually leads most to avoid drawing comparisons – or any attention whatsoever […]
The Recent Tide of Apologies by Famous Men Has Been ‘Awful.’ Here’s What the Men Should Have Said.
From The Washington Post: The near-daily tide of sexual misconduct allegations against famous men has spawned a head-turning stream of apologies, acknowledgments that experts say have been generally self-serving and aimed at the public more than the victims. The apologies have often seemed obligatory, as the men offer excuses for their behavior or cast doubt […]
Lawyers Who Do Their Own Media Strategy Have a Fool for a Client
From our good friend, Gene Grabowski: A disturbing sidebar to the story about accusations that Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein engaged in decades of alleged sexual misconduct features the performance of his former lawyer, Lisa Bloom. Bloom, who resigned after clashing with the Weinstein Company’s board of directors, was recently exposed for presenting to the board […]
“Thanks, and I Hope We Never See You Again!”
A Holiday Wish from Hennes Communications [by Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications] As you might well imagine, there are emotional hazards associated with working as a crisis consultant. Though every client is happy – or at least, relieved – to see us walk in the door as a crisis is breaking and their reputation is threatened, […]
When Crisis Management is in the Dark: Front Seat at the Atlanta Airport Power Outage
[by Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications] Atlanta’s sprawling Hartsfield-Jackson Airport (ATL) may boast awards for efficiency, but after electrical switching gear fried and fire took down power – and backup power – for 30,000 souls left stranded in the dark for 11 hours, ATL won’t be winning crisis communications awards any time soon. I was caught […]
Got a Boss Who Denies Reality? A Behavioral Scientist’s Guide to Tactful Truth Telling
From The Conversation: ‘Tis the season for holiday parties at the office. While they’re great for building workplace camaraderie and team spirit, when was the last time a colleague – perhaps fueled by too much alcohol – said something so ridiculous that it made your jaw drop? Perhaps a desk mate went into something political, […]