The Art and Science of Public Affairs Communications

What you walk away with

• An architecture for message and story development and how it fits into a larger public affairs program that includes media, lobbying, fundraising, and public sentiment

• What works and doesn’t work in strategic communications and issue advocacy—based on five case studies

• Practice crafting and delivering a message and measuring effectiveness

Agenda

This week-long Zoom course focuses on work in the civic (non-partisan) and political (partisan) arenas. Topics of leadership discussion include:

• Mindset: A strategic vs. activist mindset, knowing your power, emotional intelligence, patience, goal setting in a civic context, meeting people where they are. Public service strategy versus self-service strategy.

• Strategy: Choosing levers of power aligned with your North Star and staying focus on that North Star. What it takes to play the long game on offense and defense.

• Research and Messaging. The essential role of survey research, both qualitative and quantitative in knowing your audience. Find a winning message while navigating today’s chaos and disinformation. How to use AI for select pieces of the communications operation.

• Investing in the attention economy and media. The megaphone problem is real. There are no cheap answers but everybody needs a visible media campaign to stay relevant and top of mind.

Details

The course is tentatively scheduled for the week of January 19, 2026. It meets Monday-Thursday for an hour. Times TBD. The cost is $550.

This is the first time I’m offering it outside of a traditional classroom. Drop your name on the waitlist and choose the best chunks of time for your schedule. Once we have a cohort of five people, the course is a go. You will receive a confirmation email of your registration, dates and times by January 12.