In high-stakes situations, what leaders say matters — but how they say it can matter just as much. This practical guide examines how executive presence, nonverbal communication, active listening and disciplined message delivery can strengthen credibility during media interviews, board meetings, difficult conversations and crisis communications. Learn how posture, eye contact, vocal tone and preparation […]
Effective apologies are essential to leadership, crisis communications and trust repair. Experts say a meaningful apology requires taking responsibility, acknowledging harm, avoiding excuses, promising change, offering repair and allowing space for forgiveness. For CEOs and communicators, the lesson is clear: accountability and empathy can strengthen relationships, rebuild trust and protect credibility. By Jancee Dunn, writing […]
Dolly Parton’s legacy offers business leaders and communicators a powerful lesson in trust, authenticity and reputation management: credibility is earned when values, words and actions consistently align. For crisis and executive communications, her example underscores listening, humility, kindness, self-awareness and knowing when to speak…and when not to. By Faye Shapiro, writing for CommPro… We all […]
By Michael Levine, writing for CommPro… Traditional talking points are losing effectiveness in crisis communications, media training and executive communications. Michael Levine argues that today’s leaders must replace overly scripted messaging with fact-based authenticity, answering questions directly, acknowledging complexity and communicating naturally across interviews, podcasts, livestreams and social media, where audiences increasingly scrutinize credibility and […]
Effective public speaking is a critical skill for young lawyers and other professionals. These 50 practical tips emphasize preparation, audience awareness, clear messaging, confident delivery, storytelling and authenticity. The advice offers a useful roadmap for improving presentation skills, executive presence, courtroom communication, media interviews and persuasive communication—skills essential to leadership, reputation management and crisis communications. […]
By Carol Kinsey Goman There are two sets of qualities that people look for in leaders: warmth/likeability/empathy and power/confidence/authority. While women often excel in displaying warmth (which shows up in their influence and collaboration skills), they may hesitate to directly seek or show power. As Women’s History Month ended, it served as timely reminder to […]
Introduction by Bruce Hennes We’ve long admired attorney Sterling Miller and his periodic “Ten Things You Need to Know as In-House Counsel” series. Each piece is, in its own way, a master class: practical, sharp, and relentlessly useful. His latest article on how attorneys should communicate with a non-legal audience is especially on point. While […]
We are pleased to announce that Hennes Communications is now a division of AKCG – Public Relations Counselors. A Strategic Partnership AKCG, a leading strategic communications firm headquartered in the Philadelphia area with offices in D.C. — and now Cleveland — brings additional depth to our work and the services we can now offer to […]
AKCG – Public Relations Counselors Acquires Cleveland-based Hennes Communications The acquisition, bringing together two long-established national crisis communications agencies, strengthens AKCG’s reputation management footprint AKCG – Public Relations Counselors, headquartered in the Greater Philadelphia Region, today announced that it has acquired Hennes Communications, a nationally recognized crisis communications agency founded by Bruce Hennes in 1989. […]
From our good friends at AKCG – Public Relations Counselors Preparing for Crisis: Developing a Crisis Communication Strategy for Independent Schools Independent schools face numerous challenges that can potentially disrupt their operations and reputation. From staff turnover, employee misconduct, cyber-attacks and more, schools need to be prepared to effectively manage and mitigate the impact of […]