As Coronavirus Spreads, Use Smart Communications to Spread Word on Your Plans
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications New coronavirus headlines, tweets and Facebook posts are piling up by the moment: first U.S. death, new cases of unknown origin, updated travel advisories, outbreaks in new areas. This is how news of a virus spreads in the communications ecosystem in 2020, and it’s understandable if you’re wrestling with how […]
Why Should a Local School System (K-12) Reach Out To a Crisis Communications Firm?
By Stephanie York, JD, Vice President, Hennes Communications Q: Why should a local school system (K-12) reach out to a crisis communications firm? A: Quick – What’s the single highest priority for a public, private, independent or parochial school? It’s not education. It’s safety. And just one part of that safety net is making sure the […]
Schools Face Five Areas of Technological Risk
This article is written by attorney David Wolowitz, co-chair of the Education Law Group of McLane Middleton, P.A., with offices in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. While written for Wolowitz’ independent schools, it’s equally applicable to public, parochial and charter schools. Strong digital use policies, trainings and behavioral standards can protect schools from these emerging […]
Pagers, Pay Phones, and Dialup: How We Communicated on 9/11
From Garret Graff, writing for Wired Magazine: The voice message that Lauren Grandcolas left for her husband, Jack, on September 11, 2001, would puzzle a generation raised with smartphones. Two months pregnant with their first child, the 38-year-old Grandcolas was returning home to California when her flight from Newark Airport—United 93—was hijacked, and she, along with […]
Houston Astros Sign Stealing Scandal In Extra Innings As Crisis Communication Errors Pile Up
By Thom Fladung/Hennes Communications The Houston Astros have now pulled off the rare Triple Crown of mishandled crisis communications: cover up; issue lame apologies; allow the bad news story to keep dripping out, day after day. This is not a coveted award. As even the casual baseball fan is acutely aware by now, the Astros […]
The Evolutionary Nature of Crisis Communications
From Anthony Spota, writing for Fair Observer: In an era when 280 characters can spur the demise or salvation of entire companies, so-called crisis communications has become an increasingly important and technically complex profession. Today’s successful specialists in this craft must be knowledgeable about a variety of topics including public relations, psychology, data science and […]
Humans are Hardwired to Dismiss Facts That Don’t Fit Their Worldview
From Adrian Bardon, Professor of Philosophy, Wake Forest University, writing for The Conversation. Something is rotten in the state of American political life. The U.S. (among other nations) is increasingly characterized by highly polarized, informationally insulated ideological communities occupying their own factual universes. Within the conservative political blogosphere, global warming is either a hoax or so uncertain as […]
FEMA & Emergency Management Partner Organizations Release “PrepTalk” on Lessons for Emergency Managers
PrepTalks are given by subject-matter experts and thought leaders to spread new ideas, spark conversation, and promote innovative leadership for the issues confronting emergency managers over the next 20 years. Each PrepTalk includes a video, discussion slides and resources. Today’s PrepTalk is Left in the Dark: Power Outages in an Interconnected World featuring Kate Konschnik, […]
Businesses & Nonprofits Must Plan Now for Coronavirus Outbreak
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications In the face of a coronavirus pandemic, prudent business and nonprofit leaders should be using “peace time” to prepare for the worst. Animal viruses that jump species can and often do change or mutate, presenting challenges to doctors and researchers. In rapidly developing situations, reporters demand simple and definitive […]
Coronavirus & Risk Communications
February 3, 2020 Beyond the headlines and soundbites, the main effect from coronavirus seen thus far in the United States may be confusion. Who to believe. What to believe. And how best to prepare and think about this latest global threat right now. Today, we offer analysis and advice from perhaps the United States’ preeminent […]