By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications In today’s high-stakes environment, rising to the C-suite is one challenge. Navigating a full-blown crisis is another entirely. Leading an organization into financial success, operational growth or market dominance does not automatically prepare you for the turbulence of public scrutiny, viral misinformation or emotional social media backlash. While your boardroom […]
By Seth Chalmers, writing for The Stanford Social Innovation Review… “Should we put out a statement?” If you’re a nonprofit communications professional, you’ve heard that question many times, often the day after some major news event. Since the October 7 massacres in Israel and subsequent war in Gaza, many nonprofits have struggled to decide whether […]
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declined to respond to criticism on Wednesday of the city’s handling of a series of wildfires that have left at least five people dead and thousands of structures burned. Bass was on a diplomatic trip to Ghana as flames tore through the Pacific Palisades and left on Saturday. Here, in […]
This article ran first in Crain’s Cleveland Business on December 19, 2024. By Bruce Hennes, CEO, Hennes Communications This article examines the crisis communications lessons from the tragic assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, Brian Thompson. It critiques the company’s public statements and explores the broader ethical and reputational challenges facing UnitedHealthcare in light of this tragedy […]
In this post-election climate, the expectations placed upon corporations, as well as healthcare, education and social service organizations, are more complex than ever. Navigating societal issues, especially hot-button topics like gender, climate and racial discrimination, is no longer optional—it’s an expectation. This responsibility grows exponentially with the reelection of Donald Trump, as organizations may face […]
We are pleased to announce that Hennes Communications has been named Preferred Provider of Crisis Communications Services for the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA). COSSBA represents 25 state school boards associations across the United States, serving more than 7,700 local public school districts. About Hennes Communications Founded in 1989, Hennes Communications is one […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications For decades, we’ve paid a premium price for Boar’s Head deli meats, trusting them to deliver quality and safety. Now, we learn that for over two years federal food safety inspectors documented water dripping over meat, dead flies, small pieces of meat residue on food contact surfaces, pooled blood on […]
By Thom Fladung, Hennes Communications Whether in-person or virtual, the kids are still in school. For the moment, however, this will be a class for the adults – and class is now in session on how to handle a social media crisis. On a Labor Day Sunday some time ago, the leadership team at a school that […]
By Shubhangi Goel for Business Insider CrowdStrike’s president himself just collected an award for the “most epic fail” following the company’s mass IT outage. The cybersecurity firm’s president, Michael Sentonas, said he wanted to receive the award in person because the company aimed to own its mistake. “I want every CrowdStriker who comes to work to see it,” […]
Introduction by Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications Ensuring the safety of students is a collective responsibility, with school board members and superintendents playing a crucial role. In today’s world, where school safety is increasingly at stake, it is imperative that these leaders receive adequate crisis management training and share lessons learned to effectively address the challenges […]
