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 […]
Fires, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, arson and active shooters can all affect houses of worship. With incidents occurring with little to no warning, many houses of worship are developing and updating plans and procedures to ensure the safety and security of their congregations, staff, and facilities. Training and planning exercises may enhance the disaster preparedness – […]
For the third consecutive year, Hennes Communications has been named one of the top U.S. crisis communications firms by Chambers and Partners, the world’s leading independent legal research and rankings organization. Hennes Communications is one of only 20 communications consultancies in the United States included in the prestigious 2025 Chambers Crisis & Risk Management guide. […]
In recent years, it seems nearly every PR firm now claims to offer crisis communications. If an agency already sells marketing plans, product launches, social media, branding, employee engagement, investor relations, and digital marketing — it’s all too easy to simply add “crisis communications” to the list, often without experienced professionals to back it up. […]
By Linda Zebian for PRNews You’re wrapping up an interview with a journalist when they turn to your executive spokesperson and ask: “Is there anything else you’d like to add that I didn’t ask?” Your executive replies, “Nope, I think we covered it.” And your heart sinks. Would your Chief Marketing Officer turn down free advertising? Would […]
By Allison Wood Brooks, writing for the Harvard Business School… When my fellow researchers and I analyzed 15-minute get-to-know-you conversations among 398 strangers, we found that four dominant question types emerged: introductory, mirror, topic-switching, and follow-up. So how do we distinguish these question types? Introductory questions are what they sound like—“What’s your name?” “How are […]
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 […]
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 Carol Kinsey Goman A recent graduate had just been hired by one of the world’s most prestigious high-tech companies. When I asked her why she was chosen out of the hundreds of candidates vying for that position, she said that it was due to the “sit next to on a bus” test. She went […]