Introduction by Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications Cat YouTube? Happy Dog TV? Relax My Cat? DOGTV? If you’re thinking, “What on earth does Cat YouTube have to do with crisis communications?”, that’s exactly why this New York Times piece belongs here. Because at its core, it’s a story about audience. We spend our professional lives trying […]
The Mass Shooting Playbook Introduction by Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications… A mass shooting is not just a tactical emergency. It is a communications crucible. This article introduces the Mass Shooting Playbook, a research-driven, practical handbook for leaders and communicators responsible for communities under threat. Built on real-world cases, it offers checklists, clear roles, and guidance […]
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 […]
By Julia Minson, writing for The New York Times A Harvard researcher describes a fraught conversation about immigration with her conservative, veteran father-in-law and shares the behavioral-science playbook that kept it constructive. The takeaway isn’t “win the argument,” but keep the relationship intact. She explains why curiosity beats persuasion, how to signal respect while disagreeing […]
By Andrew Marchand for The Athletic Tom Brady is on the other end of the phone line from Miami, going behind-the-scenes of his daunting rookie year as an NFL TV analyst. During postgame review sessions of his performances, he would say: “Why’d I say that?” “I didn’t like that.” “That made no sense.” He wasn’t […]
By Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications Before James Comey headed up the F.B.I., he served as general counsel of Lockheed Martin Corporation. While at Lockheed, he spoke at the National Security Agency about how studying law is similar to the education intelligence analysts receive. “You read a case and decipher…relevant facts, the [outcome] of the case…you are drilled […]
By Amaris Castillo for Poynter.org It’s nearly impossible to describe the “Queen of all Media” in one sentence. Oprah Winfrey is a multihyphenate: A daytime talk show host who changed the business. A producer. An author. A philanthropist. An actress with accolades. A billionaire. An avid gardener. A champion of books and education. A media […]
By Adam Probolsky Most Americans are not trying to get to the “shining city on a hill.” They can’t see “a thousand points of light.” They do not believe it’s morning in America.” But it gets worse, recent national polling shows that just 54% of us have a positive view of capitalism – it’s down […]
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. […]
Introduction by Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications… Every issue of Crisis Communications Today is written with one hope: to teach and give our readers usable, do-able information. Unfortunately, we know the reality many of you live with every day: the threat of a mass shooting is no longer theoretical for city halls, schools, colleges, hospitals and […]