By Bruce Hennes & Stephanie York, Hennes Communications We’ve all been inundated by the media with COVID-19 information, but what can you do to help your employees get through this crisis? The best thing you can do to prepare your team for whatever is about to come is to communicate, communicate and then communicate some […]
By Bruce Hennes, CEO, Hennes Communications Two inarguable truisms: It’s not just what you say, but how you say it. And a picture is worth a thousand words. We’re all spending more time than ever online, in “virtual” environments. So whether you’re using Zoom, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, WebEx, Microsoft Teams or any of the other […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications New coronavirus headlines, tweets and Facebook posts are piling up by the moment: first U.S. death, new cases of unknown origin, updated travel advisories, outbreaks in new areas. This is how news of a virus spreads in the communications ecosystem in 2020, and it’s understandable if you’re wrestling with how […]
By Stephanie York, JD, Vice President, Hennes Communications Q: Why should a local school system (K-12) reach out to a crisis communications firm? A: Quick – What’s the single highest priority for a public, private, independent or parochial school? It’s not education. It’s safety. And just one part of that safety net is making sure the […]
This article is written by attorney David Wolowitz, co-chair of the Education Law Group of McLane Middleton, P.A., with offices in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. While written for Wolowitz’ independent schools, it’s equally applicable to public, parochial and charter schools. Strong digital use policies, trainings and behavioral standards can protect schools from these emerging […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications In the face of a coronavirus pandemic, prudent business and nonprofit leaders should be using “peace time” to prepare for the worst. Animal viruses that jump species can and often do change or mutate, presenting challenges to doctors and researchers. In rapidly developing situations, reporters demand simple and definitive […]
By Bruce Hennes/Hennes Communications With no barriers to entry, every public relations firm in the U.S. now appears to offer “crisis communications.” They don’t. At least, all of those who claim to don’t. Crisis work requires a different – and often counterintuitive – skill set from the traditional practice of public relations. It’s also an art […]
From Gail Baker, writing in Higher Education Today, a quick primer in crisis management, suitable for any organization, company or government agency. The day starts like any other. Need to handle a complicated personnel issue, post an enrollment update, and answer budget questions. As you prepare to leave for a meeting, there’s a call from […]
The City Club of Cleveland is one of the nation’s great free speech forums. A product of the Progressive Era, it was founded in 1912 and is one of the nation’s oldest continuous independent free speech forums, renowned for their tradition of debate and discussion. For more than a hundred years, all of their speakers—from […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications If you’re a regular reader of this newsletter, you know we’re constantly encouraging you to have a crisis management/crisis communications plan in-place before something happens. We are also constantly reminding you understand that you only have minutes to respond to a crisis situation; to train and test your team; to […]