Equifax Apologizes
We have never read such a complete and abject apology by a corporation. Not only does the interim CEO of Equifax apologize profusely, he clearly states what they have done and will do to address the problem, and he sets clear deadlines. It’s textbook crisis management. He also announces new products that may put the […]
Corporate Attorneys & The Court of Public Opinion
[By Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications] “The house could be burned down before you even smell smoke.” In 2009, The Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics set out to study how the court of public opinion can shape legal controversies. The sources were the people on the front lines – responses gathered from a questionnaire sent […]
Body Language: Telling Your Team How You Really Feel
From one of our favorite columnists, Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D: Do you know that your team is constantly evaluating your emotions through cues in your body language – and that they can do so in a fraction of a second? At the Center for Cognitive Neuroimaging at the University of Glasgow, researchers found that it […]
SpaceX Reputation Blasts Off with Landing Flame-Outs
[by Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications] In our crisis management presentations, we talk about how your reputation in a crisis can come through intact – and perhaps even enhanced – if you handle crisis communications correctly. No matter what you think of Elon Musk, we can agree that his company, SpaceX, has endured spectacular reputation hits […]
Tackling Scandal: An Interview with Hennes Communications’ Stephanie York
Scandals come in many flavors and are often tinged with sexual misconduct, fiscal mismanagement, and/or nefarious lapses in moral and ethical judgment. American City & County, the voice of state and local government since 1909, interviewed Hennes Communications VP Stephanie York about scandal and how to neutralize it with proactive communications. Here’s an excerpt: York […]
Cruise Industry Offers Mixed Response To Irma
[by Nora Jacobs, Hennes Communications] As my husband and I spent the weekend watching the news reports coming out of the Caribbean covering the aftermath of Irma, we both felt a deep sadness for those small islands and the people who live there. It will take years – perhaps decades – for places like St. […]
Poynter KSU Media Ethics Workshop – Fake or Fact?
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP Fake or Fact? The Poynter KSU Media Ethics Workshop is a one-day training program for professionals, educators and students that examines critical issues and perspectives in media ethics. Moderated by distinguished faculty from The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., the Media Ethics Workshop provides a unique forum for professionals and students […]
President Trump, the Russian Connection & Crisis Communications
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications Some believe President Trump and his closest advisers committed illegal acts by conspiring with Russian officials on a wide variety of political and financial activities. Some believe President Trump and his closest advisers indeed had contacts with Russian officials, but that those contacts were benign or perhaps even stupid, but […]
Hurricane Harvey: Chem Plant Crisis Communications
[by Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications] The catastrophic after-effects of Hurricane Harvey continue to claim lives, destroy property, and wreak havoc across Texas and the gulf coast at this writing. Today, floodwaters have touched off reports of explosions and fires at Arkema, a French specialty chemicals and advanced materials company with facilities now underwater in Crosby, Texas. […]
Saying You’re Sorry
From Rick Seltzer, writing in Inside Higher Ed: For college and university presidents, the process of apologizing after high-profile missteps can seem to take as long as a tortoise walking a mile. As a result, the actions Wednesday of University of California, Irvine, Chancellor Howard Gillman stand out as noteworthy. Days after news broke that […]