You Have a Crisis Communications Plan. Now It’s Time to Test It with a Tabletop Drill.
By Nora Jacobs, Hennes Communications Organizations often assume that having an up-to-date crisis communications plan on the shelf will ensure that responding to a crisis event will go smoothly as a result. If the plan was carefully researched and based on good knowledge of the organization, that may well be the case. But there’s no […]
The Evolution of Terror: 6 Critical Threats 19 Years After 9/11
Bridget Johnson is the Managing Editor for Homeland Security Today. A veteran journalist whose news articles and analyses have run in dozens of news outlets across the globe, Bridget is a senior fellow specializing in terrorism analysis at the Haym Salomon Center. She writes in Homeland Security Today… When the planes hit the Twin Towers, […]
National Preparedness Month
National Preparedness Month (NPM) is recognized each September to promote family and community disaster planning now and throughout the year. As our nation continues to respond to COVID-19, there is no better time to be involved this September. The 2020 NPM theme is: “Disasters Don’t Wait. Make Your Plan Today.“ For more information: www.ready.gov Week 1: […]
The Two Political Conventions – It’s Not Just What You Heard, But What You Saw
We’ve said it over and over again to our clients and in this newsletter: how you say something is almost always more important than the way you say it. Joe Navarro agrees. He’s author of the international bestseller What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People and The Dictionary of Body […]
How Police Departments are Applying the Principles of Crisis Communications in the Age of Citizen Journalism
By Nora Jacobs, Hennes Communications As protests rage across the country in the wake of police shootings, police departments are learning that shaping the public’s perception of any given event requires an increasingly sophisticated communications response. Gone are the days when a department’s public information officer would brief the media and then retreat from view […]
Eight Lessons I Learned from Hiring a Writing Coach
By Ari Lewis, writing in Crain’s Cleveland Business… The best athletes in the world have personal trainers: LeBron James, Serena Williams, Megan Rapinoe. I knew that to be the best, I needed to hire a writing coach to take me to the next level. As a species, we have a monopoly on collective knowledge. So […]
How to Make Sure Your Vote Counts in November
From Amy Dacey, Executive Director of the Sine Institute of Policy and Politics at American University… The time is now! Voting in the presidential election has already begun in some states. Every state’s regulations and procedures are different, so it is vital that you understand the requirements and opportunities to vote where you live. Here’s […]
Don’t Let a Crisis Become Your Legacy
From Zach Olsen, writing in Inside Higher Ed: Public perception has become reality — reputations are made and destroyed overnight thanks to the power of social and online media and an emboldened public who has seen Twitter bring down corporate titans and foment socio-political unrest around the world. Schools can no longer be certain they’ll […]
Creating a Post-Pandemic Crisis Team
By Nora Jacobs, Hennes Communications Pre-COVID, few of our clients had ever experienced a crisis event with the potential to threaten the very existence of their organization. Now, almost everyone we talk to has had first-hand experience managing disruptions in supplies, sales, finance, staffing, production, logistics, communications, marketing and technology. Some organizations have emerged stronger […]
Crisis Management – Your Organization’s Reputation is Its Largest Uninsured Asset
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications Sexual misconduct, data theft, unfair labor practices, OSHA complaints, mergers & acquisitions, active shooters, layoffs, accusations, food tampering, employee fraud and product defects are just a few of the situations today’s CEOs face. It’s been said that an organization’s reputation is its largest uninsured asset – an asset that can […]