Strategic communications is the most valuable skill in today’s attention economy. And no matter how media and tech change, the fundamentals of public persuasion and message stickiness stay the same. “Art of Messaging and Media” is a pack of flexible advising sessions ranging from 3 to 5 hours, depending on your goals. The purpose of the interactive briefing is to provide a reusable model to ace messaging and media work on the civic stage. Learn the not-so-secret ingredients used by Zohran Mamdani, Donald Trump (as a candidate), Barack Obama, Stacey Abrams, and Pete Buttigieg in their public messaging.
Walk away with:
A simple model to develop your narrative and supporting messages
Ways to use AIs to help you become a stronger communicator
Feedback on your delivery in a judgement-free zone
Avoid the pitfalls other leaders make, like leading with data or identity
A path to becoming less risk-averse, more disciplined, and more confident
Kevin Nix and guest speakers lead the one-on-one sessions. Flexible scheduling.
Agenda
Which parts of this agenda we hit depend on your level of skill and need.
I. Introductions and Your Goals
Communications as a “hard skill” — a must-have, not a nice-to-have
II. Identify Best Practices and Top Communicators
Successful communicators—in politics, business, and national nonprofits-tend to have a shared recipe for success
III. Message Strategy
Your North Star
Your audience
Your optics and tone
Building a brand message and story using data, AI, and the zeitgeist
Responding to prickly political questions, opposition claims, and misinformation
IV. Refine Your Delivery
Media and tech are always changing, but the core story you deliver stays the same. The packaging is different depending on the media platform.
Simulations of message delivery in various media venues (a speech, news interview, social media video, an essay).
Scheduling
This workshop is a total of 4–6+ hours over a two-week period. Each session is usually an hour, but you can schedule sessions at your convenience. An investment in public communications pays noticeable dividends over a short amount of time. With practice, it stays with you.
