March 15, 2023
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Oscar Ceremony Team on High Alert With a Crisis Communications Plan for This Sunday’s Broadcast
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications
After last year’s “slap heard ‘round the world,” the people who hand out Oscars aren’t going to be caught unprepared this year. They’ve created a crisis communications response team to handle everything from a terrorist attack to an earthquake, medical emergency, technical malfunction, protest – or even another celebrity meltdown. They probably even have a plan just in case Will Smith shows up unannounced (unlikely, but possible).
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The Bottomless Newshole
By Howard Fencl, Hennes Communications
It’s everywhere. The smallest blip on Wall Street after a draconian political pronouncement will summon a sea of news satellite trucks and breathless correspondents panting into stick mics on contrived live shots. Watch cable news for more than a few minutes, and you’ll hear the same report over and over again. It’s framed as “BREAKING NEWS” spelled out on the screen in Avengers superhero font, though you likely saw the “news” break on your Facebook or Twitter feed hours ago. If you're an elected official, a school executive or a business owner, how do you stay ahead of this when those stick mics are aimed at you?
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Speak First or Forever Lose your Crisis Message
Anyone who has studied crisis communications knows, “he/she who speaks first owns the narrative.” Once bad news breaks, whether it is a self-inflicted crisis, accident or natural disaster, there’s a sequence that all crises follow. Something happens, the news media finds out about it and starts asking questions, and whoever answers those questions first gets to shape the narrative of what happened.
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How Companies Can Find Their Authentic Voice Amid Crisis
A few short years ago, sending a corporate communication to our employees about personal and political issues such as women’s reproductive rights, gun control, police violence, or other culturally and emotionally charged topics felt taboo. Now, it’s not only normal — it’s expected.
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Elon Musk Has Broken Disaster-Response Twitter
For years, Twitter was at its best when bad things happened. Before Elon Musk bought it last fall, before it was overrun with scammy ads, before it amplified fake personas, and before its engineers were told to get more eyeballs on the owner’s tweets, Twitter was useful in saving lives during natural disasters and man-made crises. The platform didn’t just provide a valuable communications service; it changed the way emergency management functions.
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Companies Aren’t Prepared for Today’s Crisis Landscape
Businesses are navigating an unprecedented set of business and societal challenges. From the lingering impacts of the global pandemic to supply chain disruptions, the rippling effect of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the energy crisis, rising costs of living, to new expectations around racial justice and diversity and debates on abortion rights, companies are grappling with a non-stop barrage from every angle, and executives are feeling the pressure.
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When Crisis Threatens an Influencer-Deal Partnership
Brands are facing a widespread conundrum that is really just getting started. If a company partners with the wrong celebrity or influencer, they’re leaving themselves wide open to public criticism and potential crisis. Just look at Adidas, the company got slammed in the media and its stock took a hit for not acting soon enough after Ye’s antisemitic remarks and it stands to lose millions from pulling its Yeezy line.
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How to Communicate Before, During and After Layoffs
With all the news of economic turmoil and layoffs at major companies in the news lately, it’s hard not to think of how these job cuts were communicated to employees. According to recent reports, Google employees were told via email, with some getting the news at 3 a.m. local time, that they no longer had jobs at the company. From a communications perspective, to quote kids these days, this ain’t it. While Google is the latest example of mishandled layoff comms, they’re certainly not the only guilty party.
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3 Traits Successful Entrepreneurs Rely On During Times of Crisis
It's no secret that we're currently facing the possibility of an economic downturn. And the reality is that business leaders need to be resilient if they want to make it through unscathed. There are plenty of ways to prepare for situations like these, but shifting your mindset can be just as powerful as any business tactic.
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Our Upcoming Seminars In Case You Missed It
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3/21/23 Library of Michigan
3/30/23 Cleveland Devel. Corp. Leadership Program
3/31/23 National School Boards Association
4/1/23 National School Boards Association
4/1/23 Consortium of State School Bd. Assoc's.
4/15/23 Neighborhood Leadership Devel. Program
5/3/23 Highland-Fayette-Clinton Safety Council
5/16/23 Library of Michigan
5/18/23 Bath Township
5/18/23 Utah Municipal Power Agency
5/22/23 Ohio Health Care Association
5/23/23 Winding River Mg. Partner Bootcamp
6/4/23 Orrville Safety Council
6/7/23 Florida School Boards Association
6/13/23 Texas Health Care Association
8/18/23 Coll. of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State Univ.
10/18/23 Ohio Municipal League
10/12/23 Midwest Labor and Employment Conference
11/6/23 Ohio Assisted Living Association
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7 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Crisis Communications Firm
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications
Almost every PR firm in the world now claims to offer crisis communications services — even if the firm doesn’t truly have experienced professionals on staff to deliver those services. Here are seven simple questions you must ask before hiring a "crisis comm" firm.
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