By Stephanie York, JD, Hennes Communications Quick – What’s the single highest priority for a superintendent, head of school or board president? It’s not education. It’s safety. And just one part of that safety net is making sure you have a pre-written crisis communications plan at your fingertips – or at least the phone number […]
There are scores of reasons why your district can be thrust into the news. Lawsuit…sports controversy…social media threats…active shooter… board-superintendent clash…criminal accusation…discrimination complaints…diversity issues…FERPA or HIPAA violation…fiscal mismanagement…protest… sexual misconduct…student newspaper story…challenging conversations… testing controversy…union grievance/strike… Suddenly, there’s a TV crew in the parking lot, your local newspaper is on Line One and the situation […]
From Jay Fitzgerald, writing for the Harvard Business School… Days after the mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida, in 2018, a shaken Ed Stack, then the CEO and largest shareholder of Dick’s Sporting Goods, decided it was time for his 850-store chain to pull certain guns off its store shelves. The accused 19-year-old shooter in […]
From Rasheeda Childress writing in Associations Now… Actor Will Smith slapping Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s bald head—a result of alopecia, an autoimmune disorder—made headlines around the world. While most news outlets discussed the shock factor, event planners were reminded of the policies and procedures that need to be […]
From Carol Kinsey Goman writing in CommPro… During a break at the conference where I had just spoken on “Connection, Empathy, and Leadership Presence,” a man from the audience told me this story: “When one of our leadership team members suddenly died, I told his wife that I’d clean out his office and make sure […]
It was indeed the slap heard ’round the world. But if you’re looking for Hollywood gossip, look elsewhere. Instead, let’s look at the situation from the crisis management point of view. Here’s how I saw it: If you’re a high-power celeb and you sit in the front row of the Academy Award ceremonies, you are […]
Browns Release Statement After Deshaun Watson Acquisition Dee and Jimmy Haslam: “We spent a tremendous amount of time exploring and investigating the opportunity to trade for Deshaun Watson. We are acutely aware and empathetic to the highly personal sentiments expressed about this decision. Our team’s comprehensive evaluation process was of utmost importance due to the […]
With no barriers to entry, every public relations firm in the U.S. – and many around the world – now appear 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. […]
By Tom Jones, writing for Poynter… As a former sports columnist who never played sports at a professional level, I heard it all the time. “Who are you” fans would ask, “to criticize anyone? You never played the game.” It wasn’t just fans. A few athletes even said that to me from time to time. […]
By Seth Arenstein, PR News… PR pros hope there are few evenings like last night (Jan. 24). Relying on anonymous sources, CNN’s Oliver Darcy reported that CBS approached erstwhile MSNBC and NBC star Brian Williams with a job offer. Twice Williams was pitched on anchoring “The CBS Evening News.” Rehabilitated on MSNBC’s “11th Hour,” Williams left that post last month. Officially […]