small-logo
Need help now? Call 216.321.7774

Attention Ohio Mayors & City Managers

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 […]


A Summer Assignment for Educators: Learn From the Pandemic

By Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications School leaders have earned the looming summer break. They now have lived through two school years – 2020-21 and 2021-22 –  unlike any others, featuring the continuation of a public health pandemic, the most hyper-charged political atmosphere in memory and social justice issues that roiled the nation. Their reward: Start […]


The Role of the Board in Preparing for Extraordinary Risk

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 […]


Zelensky Shows the Power of Persuasion During Time of Crisis

From Evan Nierman, writing for The Hill… Whether he is reporting news in cryptic sound bites on Twitter or speaking from a gloomy subterranean bunker or darkened streets, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to demonstrate the enormous impact of harnessing powerful messages and sharing them with the right tone and authority. In addition to his undeniable bona fide […]


Joint Message From the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Regarding the Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a private meeting with a group of CEO’s to hear Eric Smith, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Cleveland, Ohio office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, talk about cybersecurity. The main takeaway was this plea:  If your organization is hacked, you should immediately notify the FBI and CISA.  […]


Fighting Putin’s Propaganda: Narrative Response Toolkit

From our colleagues at Lynn PR in the United Kingdom, written by Stefan Rollnik… President Putin is waging two wars which are mutually reinforcing.  One with bombs and one with information. In seeking to pollute the information space with bad information, contradictory information and downright lies, Putin is blurring the lines of reality and making […]


How Crises Affect Law Firm Leaders — and Some Helpful Resources

By Gina Rubel, writing for Attorney at Work… I’ve been thinking about what it means to lead a company through crises and how each crisis affects law firm leaders. A few years ago, I believed I had handled just about every type of crisis conceivable. How wrong I was. In recent years, we have dealt […]


The Best Guide to Spotting Misinformation Online

The Poynter Institute is a global leader in journalism.  It is the world’s leading instructor, innovator, convener and resource for anyone who aspires to engage and inform citizens.  Poynter champions freedom of expression, civil dialogue and compelling journalism that helps citizens participate in healthy democracies. Poynter prepares journalists worldwide to hold powerful people accountable and promote […]


I’ve Been a Hostage Negotiator for Kidnapped Journalists Like Daniel Pearl. Here’s What I Wish Everyone Knew.

From Daniel Levin, writing in The Forward… Today marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Daniel Pearl, the American journalist who was kidnapped and then brutally murdered by terrorists in Pakistan on Feb. 1, 2002. Danny’s death affected me deeply — his abduction on the way to an arranged interview at a Karachi restaurant, […]


A General Counsel Provides Counsel on Crisis Communications

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 […]


Contact Us

Your name Organization name Describe your situation Your phone number Your email address
Leave this as it is