By Sam Allcock for FEAST Boards must monitor how CEOs and executives present themselves as public and private personas become inseparable As CEOs increasingly become the public face of their organisations, their personal brands are now inseparable from corporate reputation. Boards must treat them as a critical governance risk, according to the Corporate Governance Institute. […]
By Tony Jaques, Director of Issue Outcomes Pty Ltd. Outrage moves faster than facts. And “just stay silent” is rarely neutral. This article offers a practical way to decide whether to speak on contentious issues and, more importantly, how to make that call without sounding performative or losing trust. It lays out a shared-values framework […]
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. […]
The online anger over the logo change and calls to oust the CEO were actually turbocharged by bots. Even the green beans are making people mad. Introduction by Allison Girvin, Hennes Communications In today’s digital landscape, a brand crisis can erupt in hours. As Cracker Barrel’s recent logo controversy shows, it can be fueled not […]
By: Silvia Quevedo for American Society of Association Executives One simple shift in language can help boards and leaders break out of old patterns and drive strategic, future-focused thinking—even amid current challenges in the U.S. Learn how (and why) to make this change with real-world examples that demonstrate how small wording adjustments inspire bigger impact. […]
CEO transitions are never just internal events — they are moments of truth that can redefine an organization’s reputation in the eyes of every stakeholder. The stakes are immense: investors demand clarity, employees look for reassurance, regulators expect transparency and customers want continuity. When communication is mishandled, uncertainty fills the void, and confidence in leadership […]
By Matt Watkins for The Chronicle of Philanthropy Polarization isn’t just reshaping national politics. It’s reshaping how nonprofits talk to the people they serve, the partners they need, and the communities they hope to bring together. Every day, strategic plans collapse over a single phrase. Funders and grantees misinterpret each other’s intent. Communications campaigns spark […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications When it comes to crisis communications, no amount of spin can repair the damage caused by poor judgment at the top. By now, you’ve probably seen the viral clip. At a Coldplay concert, in front of tens of thousands of fans, the stadium’s KissCam landed on Andy Byron, CEO of […]
From our good friend and colleague, Tony Jaques, Director of Issue Outcomes Pty Ltd, in Australia… Does a CEO op-ed serve any good purpose in a crisis? Writing an op-ed to help frame an important issue is a well-established tool in the communications armoury. But when a CEO uses it to “explain” a corporate crisis, it […]
By Nick Hansen, writing for The American Bar Association “If you can see it coming, it’s not a crisis,” said Bruce Hennes, CEO of Hennes Communications, to audience members at his 2024 Bar Leadership Institute workshop “Speaking Out or Strategic Silence? Organizational Approaches to Issuing Public Statements.”Hennes, along with (now former) Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association […]