Hennes Communications

Hennes Communications has built its business by helping clients manage their communications response to reputational challenges, crisis events and other issues that threaten their ability to carry out their mission and serve their stakeholders. For 36 years, the firm has worked with government agencies, public and private companies, educational institutions, healthcare providers and non-profit organizations that find themselves “on trial in the Court of Public Opinion.”

They help clients regionally, nationally and internationally by:

• Developing and executing strategic communications responses to crises, emerging issues and other game-changing internal and external events
• Helping clients communicate effectively when facing organizational change and reputational challenges
• Developing engagement strategies for social media platforms to integrate these critical communication channels into a comprehensive crisis response
• Assessing client risks and developing communication plans responding to those risks
• Conducting customized media training and crisis drills
• Providing litigation communications support
• Preparing and coaching executives for their role as organizational spokespersons

Unlike most public relations firms, their highly trained and focused staff includes only senior-level consultants with many years of experience in crisis communications and other “mission-critical” roles. They are flexible, responsive and able to get up to speed quickly, in order to understand their clients' issue and develop the best communications response strategy for the situation at-hand.

Examples of the types of work they’ve done include:

• Activist attacks
• Ballot issues
• Black Lives Matter response strategies
• COVID communications
• Criminal activity
• Cyber events (ransomware, data breaches, etc.)
• Diversity/Equity/Inclusion issues
• Environmental issues
• Executive misconduct
• Expansions
• Financial irregularities
• Food contamination/tampering
• Industrial accidents
• Intellectual property disputes
• Labor disputes/work stoppages
• Land use/zoning issues
• Layoffs/staff reductions
• Litigation
• Management transitions
• Medical malpractice
• Media investigations
• Mergers & acquisitions
• Neighbor/community outrage
• Plant closings
• Product recalls/failures
• Regulatory issues
• Reputational threats
• Sexual misconduct and #MeToo situations
• Social media attacks
• White collar crime

Scope of Practice

While the firm is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, they practice throughout the United States, with clients located from coast to coast. They have also worked on numerous client assignments in Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Japan and South America.

Hennes Communications serves an average of 200 individual clients annually in the following sectors:

• Public and private corporations
• Law firms
• Other professional service firms
• Government agencies
• Educational institutions (public, private, parochial and independent schools pre-K through grade 12)
• Higher education (public and private universities and colleges)
• Non-profits
• Arts organizations
• Nursing homes, senior living communities and hospice providers
• Hospitals, dental groups and physician practices
• Trade and professional associations

A list of representative clients can be found at https://www.crisiscommunications.com/about-us/clients/ Please note that this list is limited by the need for confidentiality and clients who have asked them not to publicly post their organization’s name, even though they do not disclose details of engagements without permission.

As well, they are often retained by attorneys and their law firms. Since the law firm is actually the client, those clients do not appear on their posted client list.

Hennes Communications has been Crisis Agency-of-Record for the past eight years for Avery Dennison, the international label company, a Fortune 500 company doing more than $8 billion a year in sales. Another one of their Fortune 500 clients is the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Hennes Communications is also on-call by ThyssenKrupp, the German chemical and manufacturing conglomerate, ThyssenKrupp Elevator and Evonik, the multi-billion-dollar German chemical manufacturer.

The firm is also notable for its partnership with the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA), serving as the "Essential Services Provider and Legacy Partner for Crisis Communications" for COSSBA's 25 state affiliates representing over 7,000 public school districts across the United States.

Services Offered

Hennes Communications is a tightly focused boutique consultancy with a singular purpose: to assist clients with some of the most strategically important communications they will ever need to convey to stakeholders and the media. The firm’s work falls into the following key categories:

Crisis Response & Issues Management

Many clients first engage Hennes Communications when confronted with an unexpected crisis or when an emerging issue demands experienced guidance. Where time allows, the team collaborates with the client to develop a written strategic response tailored to the event or issue. This plan serves as a roadmap through the critical hours and days ahead—longer, when necessary. The firm’s approach typically includes:

• Conducting an in-depth briefing on the situation, ensuring all perspectives are considered
• Developing a comprehensive situation analysis
• Identifying target audiences—internal, external and media
• Crafting key messages aligned with the situation, securing team approval
• Determining effective communications tactics and processes
• Assigning responsibilities for each activity
• Establishing an actionable timetable

Many of the case studies presented in the firm’s portfolio follow this crisis response protocol.

Crisis Preparedness

Hennes Communications develops bespoke crisis management plans based on a process refined over more than two decades. Each engagement begins with a vulnerability audit—ideally involving a cross-functional team from the client organisation—to identify issues most likely to escalate into a reputational crisis. The resulting plan typically includes:

• Context and purpose, integrated with operational plans
• Crisis team roles and responsibilities
• Activation procedures and initial communication guidelines
• Pre-drafted statements, messages and social media posts based on identified threats
• Media relations guidance
• Stakeholder outreach protocols
• Social media engagement strategies
• Background materials for media engagement
• Supporting documents, forms and checklists
• Post-event evaluation processes

Media Training & Executive Presentation Skills

Hennes Communications’ media training is rigorous, practical and tailored to each client’s specific business scenarios. Unlike generalised trainers, the firm focuses on:

• Simulated interviews based on client-relevant scenarios
• On-camera practice delivering key messages and handling difficult questions
• Multiple interview rounds with personalised feedback
• Exposure to both print and broadcast interview techniques

All trainers at Hennes Communications have extensive experience in both media performance and message development, with many having served as senior journalists or news directors in major markets.

This training is frequently adapted to enhance client performance in high-stakes public engagements, including employee meetings, community forums and shareholder presentations.

Strategic Social Media Support During Crisis

Social media platforms often amplify the complexity of crisis communications. Even clients well-versed in digital engagement may require a different, often counterintuitive, approach during a crisis. Hennes Communications provides expert guidance in:

• Monitoring the tone and scope of online conversations
• Producing actionable reports with metrics and insights
• Tracking the momentum of the issue online
• Evaluating the influence and reach of participants
• Advising on engagement strategies and timing
• Integrating social media responses with broader crisis communications
• Advising on when to resume proactive social media activity

Communications in Support of Legal Strategy

Approximately 60% of the firm’s engagements arise from long-standing relationships with legal professionals, referrals from attorneys, or connections established through continuing legal education (CLE) seminars. Hennes Communications works seamlessly with legal counsel, understanding the value of strategic communications in parallel with legal strategy—particularly in managing reputation within the Court of Public Opinion. The firm’s litigation communications experience includes:

• Class actions
• White-collar crime
• Sexual misconduct and harassment
• Abuse and neglect
• Medical malpractice claims
• Personal injury
• Product liability
• Ownership and partnership disputes
• Patent infringement
• Fraud and deceptive trade practices
• Employment discrimination

Issues Management

Not all threats erupt suddenly. Many develop gradually and can be mitigated through proactive, well-targeted communications. The firm helps clients manage such issues strategically to reduce the risk of escalation. Typical situations include:

• Combatting organised misinformation from competitors or activist groups
• Addressing social media traction among key influencers
• Simplifying complex issues for stakeholder understanding and support
• Leveraging third-party endorsements
• Coordinating with industry peers when appropriate
• Anticipating regulatory responses
• Communicating effectively around leadership, workforce or product changes
• Supporting internal cross-functional discussions with targeted communications input

Strategic Change Communications

The firm is often retained to provide high-level, confidential communications support for non-crisis but strategically significant events, such as:

• Mergers and acquisitions
• Leadership transitions
• Succession planning
• Executive terminations
• New strategic initiatives
• Organisational restructures

In these matters, Hennes Communications works closely with boards and chief executives, typically under strict confidentiality, and is often engaged well in advance of the client’s internal communications team.