From Alexandra Reed Lajoux, writing for Directors&Boards… Corporations have the right to free speech. Should they exercise that right? Should corporations take public stances on social issues? Should they make contributions to political action committees or political parties? Under what circumstances do such actions create issues for corporations and their boards? These questions are timely […]
From Mitch Mitchell, writing for Security Magazine… History has taught security teams that crisis situations can happen at any time and more frequently than anyone can anticipate. However, when a crisis does occur, organizations find themselves in a situation where survival is the main focus — the unprecedented disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic being […]
From Jonah Bryson, writing for PRNews… The 24-hour news cycle drowns countless stories that deserve attention. Stories cannot land press coverage without a tasty soundbite, as Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson describes them. Hence it is paramount to design, deliver and circulate soundbites strategically. Here are two that have stood the test of time: “The only thing we have […]
From Carol Kinsey Goman, writing for CommPro… Because I’ve trained them to do so, I know that many negotiators have learned how to read body language and to use the resulting insights to their advantage. But I also know that other negotiators miss valuable opportunities simply because they don’t pay attention. They get so wrapped […]
A Crisis Can Occur Anytime & Anywhere In the immediate aftermath of a major incident, such as a mass shooting at a mall, restaurant, school, or faith-based location, the police chief and other first responder agencies will likely be lead spokespersons. But “major incidents” could turn into multi-day or multi-week events. Some of those include […]
By Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications… Click on the above for the video Very few people are naturally gifted at doing an interview. Our knee-jerk reaction is to just answer a reporter’s questions – or to clam up and hide behind “no comment” because that’s what we’ve seen on TV time and time again. If all […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications… A reporter wants to interview you, but you don’t want to be identified as the source of the information. What do you do? The first thing to do is to ask yourself if the risk is worth it. Even if you follow everything we suggest below, what might the repercussions […]
Introduction by Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications Whether it’s a staff meeting on Teams, a webinar on Zoom, a private conversation on FaceTime or a short training video you record on WebEx, it’s not just what you say, but how you say it. It goes without saying that as a presenter, you must rehearse your material until you have it […]
From Mark Athitakis writing in Associations Now… Taking half a stand isn’t taking a stand at all. That’s one of the key lessons from the PR mess that Disney found itself in last week. The entertainment giant came under heavy criticism—including from its own employees—for its donations to Florida politicians who supported a recent bill […]
From Nora Aufreiter, Celia Huber and Ophelia Usher writing for McKinsey & Co…. The pandemic has been a stark reminder for many organizations that they are insufficiently prepared for crises that could not merely destabilize them but put them out of business. In this episode of the Inside the Strategy Room podcast, our board perspective series looks at […]