News

  • The Traveler’s Guide to Meaningful Communication.

    The Traveler’s Guide to Meaningful Communication.

    Yael Avnaim

    When I spent years researching tourism, one pattern kept catching my eye: the checklist traveler. They arrive in Paris with a list: Eiffel Tower, check. Louvre, check. Best Croissant in Paris, check. The trip becomes a sequence of boxes to tick. Efficient? Yes. Memorable? Not always. By racing through the list, many travelers miss the

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  • A New Face at BandOne, A Stronger Voice for You

    A New Face at BandOne, A Stronger Voice for You

    Gary Susswein

    Yael Avnaim has joined BandOne as our first-ever Director of Strategic Communications. Yael brings a deep background in media, public relations, higher education, and public service, with experience in both Israel and the U.S. Yael earned her Ph.D. in Communication this year from Texas A&M University, where she taught classes in social media strategy and

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  • U.S. Strikes and Organizational Voice: What I Heard During a Global Crisis

    U.S. Strikes and Organizational Voice: What I Heard During a Global Crisis

    Gary Susswein

    Within minutes of President Trump announcing the U.S. missile attack on Iran this June, my inbox, WhatsApp chats, and text threads lit up. Colleagues and clients across sectors were debating whether they should weigh in on the monumental news and what to say.  For some, it was a gut check to confirm there was no

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  • Who Speaks for the Institution? Getting Board and Leadership Messaging Right

    Who Speaks for the Institution? Getting Board and Leadership Messaging Right

    Gary Susswein

    The first time I worked with a university president, I thought the constant tension between him and the Board of Regents was both historic and unprecedented. I’ve since learned it’s par for the course. That governing board versus executive leadership dynamic has been reinforced by my service on nonprofit boards, where a natural—sometimes productive—tension often exists

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  • Campus Antisemitism and Leadership: An Open Letter to College Presidents

    Campus Antisemitism and Leadership: An Open Letter to College Presidents

    Gary Susswein

    Dear College President, On campuses across the nation, presidents like you are navigating some of the most difficult decisions of their careers just as the semester winds down and they prepare for summer. The pressing need to combat intolerable episodes of antisemitism has evolved into a polarizing conversation about government funding and academic freedom. It’s

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  • Three Crisis Communication Truths Every Leader Should Know

    Three Crisis Communication Truths Every Leader Should Know

    Gary Susswein

    High stakes moments don’t come with a warning.  You just never know when your day will bring some out-of-the-blue disruption, unforced error, or shift in public sentiment that your organization must address. But when that happens, your message becomes just as important as the issue itself. Here are three truths that can help you communicate

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  • 5 Questions to Ask Before Making a Public Statement

    5 Questions to Ask Before Making a Public Statement

    Gary Susswein

    Between presidential executive orders, natural and man-made disasters, and global crises, thebarrage of news in the first weeks of 2025 has rekindled a tough question for many organizations: Should we weigh in on these events — or stay silent? Higher education has been confronting this question over the past 18 months, and there is alsoa robust

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  • Preparing for Crises From a Place of Confidence

    Preparing for Crises From a Place of Confidence

    Gary Susswein

    I was speaking recently with the founder of a successful medium-sized business shortly after we had worked together to navigate a reputational crisis which, at the moment, looked as if it could threaten the business’s future. In addressing the issue, the company leaders overcame the urge to panic. Instead, they called me, and we methodically

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