Introduction by Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications There are many reasons to be fearful of speaking in public. If you’re reading this, you don’t need that list. You already know it by heart. I used to be one of those people, scared to death of getting up in front of a group, saying the wrong thing, […]
By Joan Acocella, writing in The New Yorker… Sara Solovitch, in “Playing Scared: A History and Memoir of Stage Fright” (Bloomsbury), says that while she was a good pianist as a child, she fell apart—sweating, trembling—when she had to play for an audience. She got through the Eastman School of Music’s preparatory program. Then she […]
By Evan Nierman, writing for PR News… The swift downfall of “Jeopardy!” host Mike Richards is the latest example of the jeopardy that surrounds us in today’s lightning-fast unforgiving age of social media. Whether you make a wrong move, say something offensive, or have ugly skeletons in your closet, the career-ending rush to judgement can be fast […]
By Bethan Moorcraft writing in Business Insurance Australia… A few years ago, if a company suffered a cyberattack, the message they would relay was often: “We’re experiencing technical difficulties,” or “We’re dealing with a cyber incident.” But in today’s technology-first society, with ransomware and other cyberattacks so prevalent, crisis communication strategies have changed. Ransomware is […]
From Tom Weidlich and Eric Rose writing for PR News… Actor Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company is turning out to be a blockbuster. Yet, the company’s response is eliciting mostly thumbs-down reviews and providing an example of bad litigation communication. To its credit, Disney responded promptly and publicly. On the down side, […]
By Brittany Wong, writing for HuffPost… The Celebrity Apology™ is having a moment, with famous person after famous person apologizing for stupid things they said online in years past. Just this year we’ve had journalist Alexi McCammond apologize (and resign from a Teen Vogue editor-in-chief position) for anti-Asian and homophobic tweets. We’ve had Chrissy Teigen apologize for cyberbullying and Billie […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications This article first appeared in the National Law Journal Crisis communications is a sub-specialty of the public relations profession that is designed to protect and defend an individual, company, or organization facing a public challenge to its reputation. Crisis communications is aimed at raising awareness of a specific type of threat, the magnitude, […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications Crisis communications is a sub-specialty of the public relations profession that is designed to protect and defend an individual, company, or organization facing a public challenge to its reputation. Crisis communications is aimed at raising awareness of a specific type of threat, the magnitude, outcomes, and specific behaviors to adopt to reduce the threat. […]
By Howard Fencl/Hennes Communications Who doesn’t love HBO Max? It’s where Wonder Woman and Aquaman hang out. You can catch Kate Winslet in “Mare of Easttown” or slog through “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” with your kids for the umpteenth time. So, what’s all the buzz about HBO’s new “Integration Test Email #1,” which […]
By one of our favorite communications consultants, Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D., writing for CommPro… The body language question I’m asked the most when people are preparing to make a presentation is: “What should I do with my hands?” My answer? “Use them.” Research shows that audiences tend to view people who use a greater variety […]