By Edward Segal for Forbes The response to the deadly explosions that rocked the Boston Marathon 10 years ago today yielded important lessons about managing and communicating about a crisis that continue to resonate. The lessons provide important and timely reminders for corporate executives about the best practices for preparing for and responding to a crisis at […]
By Allison Braley for PRNews The role of a communications professional in pop culture is often reduced to a “fixer” who goes as far as hiding bodies (see: “Scandal“), a glorified party planner (see: “Sex and the City” or “The Hills”), or most commonly, a nameless, harried, go-between shouting “no comment” into an open mic. If […]
By Jim McKay for Government Technology As a firefighter, Andrew Leith used to teach the Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) how to prepare for disasters. That morphed into teaching classes for the everyday citizen on being prepared — and that meant delivering the eye-opening news to most of them. He said he would ask the […]
By Police1 Staff In the unsettling aftermath of a school shooting, law enforcement agencies inevitably encounter inquiries from community members and local media outlets. These queries often surround the agency’s readiness to respond to such incidents should they occur within their jurisdiction. In this roundtable, we’ve collated firsthand advice and insights from experienced police PIOs […]
Introduction by Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications Ensuring the safety of students is a collective responsibility, with school board members and superintendents playing a crucial role. In today’s world, where school safety is increasingly at stake, it is imperative that these leaders receive adequate crisis management training and share lessons learned to effectively address the challenges […]
By Nora Jacobs, Hennes Communications Executive Summary Business closures, consolidations and downsizings can be difficult decisions for organizations to make. These decisions can affect employees, clients, vendors, and local officials, and can have a significant impact on the reputation of the organization. To effectively communicate these decisions, a comprehensive communication strategy is necessary, much like […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications Cancel culture is a movement aimed at ostracizing, discrediting and “deplatforming” individuals and companies for behavior or transgressions deemed offensive. According to Wikipedia, cancel culture is a controversial topic that exacerbates political polarization, with arguments from two opposing sides. One side argues that it gives a voice to marginalized communities […]
By Arthur Solomon for PRNews The indictment of former president Donald Trump provides a lesson that young PR pros should remember: Like other powerful CEOs of Boeing, BP and Wells Fargo, to name a few, all the best PR minds combined can’t save a person or entity from the judgments of the public or law […]
By Katie Paine for PRNews Anyone who has studied crisis communications knows, “he/she who speaks first owns the narrative.” Once bad news breaks, whether it is a self-inflicted crisis, accident or natural disaster, there’s a sequence that all crises follow. Something happens, the news media finds out about it and starts asking questions, and whoever […]
By Lisa Ann Pinkerton for PRNews As the dust settles on the failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), ground zero might turn out to be a one-two punch of mishandled communications. First, there was a newsletter circulated by venture capitalists that may have begun an erosion of confidence. Second, TechCrunch reporter Connie Loizos called out its “convoluted press release that […]