6 Crisis Management Lessons From the Florida Condo Collapse
From Devin Partida, writing for Worth… The tragic condominium collapse that occurred recently in Surfside, Fla., has shed light on the importance of crisis management. Identifying threats before they arise can be a challenge. Emergencies can be difficult, if not impossible, to anticipate, but how to respond to them can be thought out beforehand. Proper planning […]
How ‘Engagement’ Makes You Vulnerable to Manipulation and Misinformation on Social Media
Filippo Menczer, Luddy Distinguished Professor of Informatics and Computer Science at Indiana University, writes… Facebook has been quietly experimenting with reducing the amount of political content it puts in users’ news feeds. The move is a tacit acknowledgment that the way the company’s algorithms work can be a problem. The heart of the matter is the distinction between […]
The Media Revolution is ‘Iterative’ and Social: Experts Share How Not to Get Left Behind
From Bar Leader, a publication of the American Bar Association: “You’re all living in a media revolution,” said Thom Fladung, vice president of Hennes Communications. “And you don’t even know it.” Offering a window onto one aspect of that revolution, Bruce Hennes, president of the same crisis communications firm, said, “I don’t think there’s a reporter […]
5 Mistakes Not To Make On-Camera
By Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications… When you appear on-camera for an interview, you are going on the record in perpetuity. Period. Excerpts will be broadcast, uploaded, archived, keyword searchable and available 24/7 on the web. You can do your organization’s brand a whole lot of good with a strong, articulate interview. But if you’re not […]
Disney Attacks Scarlett Johansson Instead of the Facts
From Tom Weidlich and Eric Rose writing for PR News… Actor Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company is turning out to be a blockbuster. Yet, the company’s response is eliciting mostly thumbs-down reviews and providing an example of bad litigation communication. To its credit, Disney responded promptly and publicly. On the down side, […]
The Right (And Wrong) Way To Apologize For Dumb Things You Said Online
By Brittany Wong, writing for HuffPost… The Celebrity Apology™ is having a moment, with famous person after famous person apologizing for stupid things they said online in years past. Just this year we’ve had journalist Alexi McCammond apologize (and resign from a Teen Vogue editor-in-chief position) for anti-Asian and homophobic tweets. We’ve had Chrissy Teigen apologize for cyberbullying and Billie […]
7 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Crisis Communications Firm
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications This article first appeared in the National Law Journal 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, […]
Five Ways to Network at a Barbecue and Not Get Burned
By Mike O’Horo, writing for Attorney at Work… As invitations begin to roll in for social events this post-pandemic summer, here’s a refresher from “coach” Mike O’Horo on how to handle yourself when you meet someone for the first time — or after a long time. As summer approaches, social schedules ramp up with graduation parties, barbecues, golf outings, […]
The New Rules of Risk
From C.J. Prince writing for Chief Executive… One thing is certain coming out of 2020: The global pandemic and recession will be followed by new challenges in the years to come—and if the past year-plus has taught boards anything, it’s that they have to find better ways to forecast those financial and non-financial risks and […]
7 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Crisis Communications Firm
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications 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. […]