Yesterday: Slam Books. Today: Online Bullying and Public Shaming.
[By Bruce Hennes] I recall, from the 1960s, what we called “Slam Books” – spiral-bound notebooks with a single student’s name at the top of each page and enough pages to list every student in class. These books were passed surreptitiously, and students would write about their classmates until teachers confiscated them. The anonymous comments […]
6 Reasons Why We’re Bad at Spotting Liars
We often remind clients that it’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it. In fact, how you communicate often trumps the exact words you use. The how includes the way you look, the way you dress, move and occupy space – in other words, the totality of your being. From our colleague, […]
Why Internal Audiences Should Be Your Priority
[By Howard Fencl, APR] When we talk to clients about reputation management and ask who their most important audience is, “media” is all too often their answer. They are wrong. It is your internal audiences – your board, staff, vendors, volunteers, donors – who ultimately support your reputation or sink it. Your internal stakeholders are […]
10 Powerful and Simple Body Language Tips for 2015
Whenever Hennes Communications trains clients for public speaking – either to the media or other audiences – we always teach that it’s not just the words you use, it’s the way you deliver them. Over the decades, we’ve seen hundreds of examples of good and bad delivery. What they have in common is the effective, or […]
Seven Phrases You Should Never Say on Television
In the most general terms, “risk communications” takes place before something actually happens. According to emergency management expert Dr. Jeff Rubin, “In the preparedness business, engaging the public is a necessity and a challenge. Effective risk communication includes identifying audiences and understanding how they perceive the messages we broadcast. With that in mind, with tongue […]
Who Are Your Stakeholders?
[By Nora Jacobs] Short of prison time or financial ruin, businesses and other organizations probably fear media coverage of their problems more than any other threat confronting them. Media, of course, love to leap on stories laden with conflict, guilt and incompetence, so it’s a justified fear. Good crisis communication response strategies make sure clients […]
How Some Reporters Get Ready to Talk To You
When the New York Times decides to pursue a major story, there are often days, weeks or even months of work that must be done before the article is published. Here, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Matt Apuzzo tells his reporter colleagues how to investigate you. Even if you don’t work for a powerful institution likely to […]
Six Reputation Resolutions for the New Year
[By Nora Jacobs] 2014 was a rocky year for reputation management – from the NFL and Hollywood, to Main Street USA and the corporate board room, entities of all sorts lost ground due to both bad behavior and bad communications. As we embark on a new year, here are six resolutions designed to protect your […]
Why Tell a Story in a Crisis?
[By Bruce Hennes] In a recent New York Times article, reporter Alina Tugend wrote “It’s not enough just to offer up the facts about you or your company. You need to be compelling, unforgettable, funny and smart. Magnetic, even. You need to have a good story.” Tugend is right, suggesting that people are often attracted […]
Pandora’s Box of Twitter Trolls
[by Howard Fencl, APR] Interacting on Twitter can be a powerful reputation-building tool. But if you haven’t considered that skeleton in the closet, prepare for a bash-fest that could reduce your hard-earned reputation to rubble. This week, comedian Bill Cosby and celebrity doc Mehmet Oz naively engaged the Twittersphere. Trolls attacked mercilessly. On Monday, serial […]