Explainer: What Does ‘Off the Record’ Mean?
Note from Hennes Communications: Certainly, the information below is accurate. However, we often warn our clients that going ‘off the record’ is fraught with danger. It is particularly not advised if you don’t have a prior relationship with the reporter or if you don’t have previous experience using this technique. What you see on TV […]
Crafting the First Statement in Crisis Situations: What To Say and When to Say It
By Nora Jacobs, Hennes Communications For organizations responding to sudden, catastrophic crisis events, one of the most challenging decisions to make involves determining what to say and when to say it. Wait until all the facts have been gathered and you risk not being part of the critical first news cycle, which often sets […]
The Skill Set That Got You Into the C-Suite Isn’t Necessarily the Skill Set You Need to Manage a Crisis
It’s a simple fact: Controversies today are tried in the Court of Public Opinion more often than the Court of Law. News now breaks first on social media, with traditional media sweeping Twitter, Facebook and YouTube for leads. Whether your organization is immersed in crisis or dealing with a hot-button issue, your news can quickly […]
Use Peacetime Wisely: Plan Now For What To Say And Do In A Crisis
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications Public officials, CEOs, executive directors and members of for-profit and non-profit boards have a responsibility to their stakeholders to plan for situations that will imperil life, limb and the ability of their organizations to fulfill their missions. In the immediate aftermath of a major incident, such as a mass shooting […]
7 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Crisis Communications Firm
Crisis communications is a sub-specialty of the public relations profession that is designed to protect and defend an individual, company, or organization facing a public challenge to its reputation. Crisis communications is aimed at raising awareness of a specific type of threat, the magnitude, outcomes, and specific behaviors to adopt to reduce the threat. […]
Newspaper Giant’s New Editorial Approach Creates Crisis Communications Challenges
By Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications – Surprise! Fewer and fewer newspaper readers pore over editorial pages. So many fewer, that publishing giant Gannett recently announced a sweeping change in its approach to editorials, op-eds and political endorsements. Gannett says its readers don’t want to be told what to think – that editorial content is frequently the […]
How Your Reputation Can Survive Media Public Records Requests
By Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications… Public record requests can be complex and time-consuming. In many instances you need to drop everything you’re doing and launch a scavenger hunt through voluminous caches of electronic and paper records across a number of different departments to fulfill the reporter’s request. Yes, it may be frustrating, and it may […]
Why Should Your School Reach Out To a Crisis Communications Firm?
By Stephanie York, JD, Hennes Communications Quick – What’s the single highest priority for a superintendent, head of school or board president? It’s not education. It’s safety. And just one part of that safety net is making sure you have a pre-written crisis communications plan at your fingertips – or at least the phone number […]
Personal Crisis: You Lose Your Job. A Media Training Technique Can Help You Get a New Gig
by Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications Let’s step away from talking about crises your company may face and talk about a personal crisis that millions of us face – the threat of job loss. With the COVID pandemic, job loss went viral. Millions of Americans lost their jobs to COVID. Most of us don’t have any control […]
Tips for Creating Powerful, Pithy and Publishable Soundbites
From Jonah Bryson, writing for PRNews… The 24-hour news cycle drowns countless stories that deserve attention. Stories cannot land press coverage without a tasty soundbite, as Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson describes them. Hence it is paramount to design, deliver and circulate soundbites strategically. Here are two that have stood the test of time: “The only thing we have […]