Maria Feeley, chief legal officer for Washington and Lee University, has seen her share of crises, at Washington & Lee as well as Rosemont College, the University of Hartford and Florida A&M, where she’s worked or served on boards. Think about whether you’d like to be faced with any of these: A social media firestorm attracts […]
By Christopher Zara for Fast Company True innovation is hard enough to achieve on its own terms, but imagine trying to do it at 50 times the speed. The following 10 companies and nonprofits were recognized for creative and groundbreaking responses to emergency situations, often amid extremely high stakes and with human lives on the […]
By Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications Whether in-person or virtual, the kids are still in school. For the moment, however, this will be a class for the adults – and class is now in session on how to handle a social media crisis. On a Labor Day Sunday some time ago, the leadership team at a school […]
Our good friend and colleague, Dr. Tony Jaques, is a prolific writer and commentator on risk, issues and crisis management. Based in Melbourne, Australia, he consults and has written three books in the field, also producing his must-read newsletter, Managing Outcomes. Tony’s latest book is titled Ten Things Law School Doesn’t Teach About Crisis Management. Read below to […]
Time Magazine chose Taylor Swift as Person of the Year, offering a jump-off to examine the challenges faced by CEO’s and nonprofit executives in today’s climate of intense consumer activism and digital scrutiny, highlighting how modern boycotts and activism can cause lasting reputational damage to brands, unlike in the past. The article emphasizes the need for […]
By Mark Penn for Harvard Business Review Historically, companies faced crises related to their products, services, or governance. Think Boeing and 737 Max crashes, Chipotle and burritos contaminated with E. coli and Wells Fargo creating millions of fake bank accounts. And historically, these companies’ reputational recovery, as measured by the Harris Poll’s Reputation Quotient, followed […]
By Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications At Hennes Communications, we often tell clients that they have an attorney for the Court of Law. But they have us for the Court of Public Opinion. And those two courts often require different – and at times conflicting – strategies. Attorneys have persuasive arguments for tailoring a strategy completely around […]
By Sean Devlin for Ragan In today’s world, communicators must be prepared for all sorts of crises, whether they’re directly related to company operations or part of our larger society. With the news of the ICBC cybersecurity attack that disrupted treasury trading last week, it’s a prime time for communicators to consider the plans they have […]
From wildfires in Hawaii to hurricanes in Florida, and sweltering heat, ice storms, boil-water notices, tornadoes, and extended service outages everywhere in between, 2023 has provided many crises (or near crises) on which utility communicators must communicate. That’s why we sat down with Thomas Fladung (left), managing partner at Hennes Communications, a crisis communications firm, to assess the current state of […]
Introduction by Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications As suppliers of essential services, utility firms are frequently on the front lines of controversies that can spark public outrage. And for public utility firms, the stakes are raised even higher. Effective communications are vital for utilities – to share important information on an ongoing basis, to keep the […]