By Alison Wood Brooks for HBD Working Knowledge The following is an excerpt from Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves, written by Alison Wood Brooks and published on Jan. 21, 2025. When my fellow researchers and I analyzed 15-minute get-to-know-you conversations among 398 strangers, we found that four dominant question types […]
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declined to respond to criticism on Wednesday of the city’s handling of a series of wildfires that have left at least five people dead and thousands of structures burned. Bass was on a diplomatic trip to Ghana as flames tore through the Pacific Palisades and left on Saturday. Here, in […]
By Gabriel De La Rosa for PRNews Public relations is a messy business. Even when you don’t screw up, somehow you do. That is even more true now in the emerging AI era of deepfakes, when an image of your likeness can be used against you, even if it wasn’t really you. Take the example of […]
By Tony Jaques for Crisis Response Journal When the label ‘troubled’ is inserted every time your company name appears, you know you are on a hiding to nothing. That is the reality for a once much-admired and envied giant of the aviation and aerospace industry. And it’s a stark example of how a succession of […]
By Carol Kinsey Goman A recent graduate had just been hired by one of the world’s most prestigious high-tech companies. When I asked her why she was chosen out of the hundreds of candidates vying for that position, she said that it was due to the “sit next to on a bus” test. She went […]
In this post-election climate, the expectations placed upon corporations, as well as healthcare, education and social service organizations, are more complex than ever. Navigating societal issues, especially hot-button topics like gender, climate and racial discrimination, is no longer optional—it’s an expectation. This responsibility grows exponentially with the reelection of Donald Trump, as organizations may face […]
By Kim Markus, writing for PR News… In today’s fast-paced media environment, where misinformation quickly spreads, PR professionals face a critical challenge: how to ensure authenticity remains at the heart of campaigns. The trust built with audiences is fragile, and reclaiming it requires courage, transparency and a focus on storytelling that resonates. The release of the […]
By Luxuan Wang and Naomi Forman-Katz for Pew Research Center Social media plays a crucial role in Americans’ news consumption. Half of all U.S. adults say they at least sometimes get news there, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey. Those who get news on social media name a variety of things that they like about […]
We are pleased to announce that Hennes Communications has been named Preferred Provider of Crisis Communications Services for the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA). COSSBA represents 25 state school boards associations across the United States, serving more than 7,700 local public school districts. About Hennes Communications Founded in 1989, Hennes Communications is one […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications UPDATE: The piece below was written a few days before Election Day. We hope you agree it’s still worth a read. However, the polls are now closed, Election Day is behind us, most of the results appear to be uncontested, the U.S. Senate will soon be in the hands of […]