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STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR POLICY CHANGE: PRACTICAL STRATEGIES FOR INFLUENCING A BETTER WORLD

Class Description:

Policy experts – including government officials, civil servants, lobbyists, think tank scholars, and NGO leaders and advocates – must be skilled at more than policy development. They have the power to be accelerants on the fire of change.

Effective leaders must be skilled communicators and translators of technical information to non-technical public audiences that ultimately decide the fate of policy reform. This class will introduce you to the field of Policy and Advocacy Communications (also known as Public Interest Communications). It will cover a wide range of strategies and tactics that have demonstrably moved policy in areas as diverse as anti-poverty reforms, health, education, climate change, and social justice – in the United States and around the world.

The emphasis on this class is on communications-driven policy solutions to specific important problems in people’s lives, individually and collectively. We will learn strategies for increasing public awareness, but will keep our eyes on the prize: impact as measured by policy change. In fact, the core class project will be the development of a comprehensive communications plan in support of a policy objective important to you.

In this course, you will experience common situations that will test your skills at being an effective communicator to media and policy audiences. Also, you will meet and interact with highly successful policy and communications experts who will offer insights into how effective communications contributed to positive policy outcomes.

You will be asked to adjust from a policy-focused to a communications-focused state of mind during this course, and will learn through doing, which means active participation in discussions and exercises. You will emerge empowered with skills related to communications planning, messaging, storytelling, media relations, persuasive abilities, and creative approaches for promoting social change policies in seemingly mundane forums like meetings and symposia. This class will take place in the context of an ever-evolving communications landscape that now includes “fake news” and increasingly unvetted, but democratic news platforms.

Class Objectives:

1. You will better understand the role of communications as a driver of positive social change. 2. You will better understand the strategic communications planning process. 3. You will be better equipped to translate complex information in ways that are more accessible

to the publics you seek to influence for policy change. 4. You will be empowered with a sense of (evidence-based) hope about changing the world, even

on a micro scale.

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5. You will become more confident in your skills to be a successful change-agent in support of policies most important to you.

Required Reading:

Virtually all reading assignments will be accessible online. You are encouraged to purchase: • Lehane, C, Fabiani, M, & Gutentag, B. (2014). Masters of disaster: The ten commandments of

damage control. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press. • Luntz, F. (2007) Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear. New York, NY:

Hachette Books. • O’Connell, J. (2015). Stories from the shadows: Reflections of a street doctor. Boston, MA:

BHCHP Press.

Communicating with me:

The best way to reach me on an urgent matter is by phone at 301-280-5717. For routine communications, please use my e-mail: andy_burness@hks.harvard.edu. I will try to respond to email the same day. Also, I will generally be available two hours before class and, can be available by appointment.

Office Hours:

You are strongly encouraged to take advantage of office hours and those of the course assistant to receive guidance on their Communications Strategy Adventure and other topics that arise during the semester. Office hours will generally be:

• Tuesdays 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. • Wednesdays 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

(These hours will hold most weeks. You will be notified in advance if there will be any changes to office hours.)

Attendance Policy:

The class only meets 13 times. You are expected to attend all classes. If you need to miss a class for health or personal reasons, please e-mail me prior to class. Given the interactive nature of this class, attendance is particularly critical. Receiving notes from friends in lieu of attending class is not a substitute.

Technology in Class:

You should leave your computers at home for this class. My expectation is that most learning will take place in class conversation, not through extensive note taking. Power points will be shared as requested. You might want to bring a piece of paper to jot some notes in the course of the class, but computer use will generally compromise the quality of the conversation

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Academic Honesty:

Any test, paper or report submitted by you and that bears your name is presumed to be your own original work that has not previously been submitted for credit in another course unless you obtain prior written approval to do so from your instructor. In all of your assignments, including your homework or drafts of papers, you may use words or ideas written by other individuals in publications, web sites, or other sources, but only with proper attribution.

Completing Assignments:

Assignments are due in advance of the deadlines that will be announced in class and online. Apart from a health matter (as evidenced by a note from a health care provider), it is assumed that all assignments will be submitted on time. Failure to do so will result in the loss of grade points for that assignment.

Syllabus Modification:

The syllabus may change to accommodate discussion of emerging topics or the need for additional attention to a class theme. Also, the schedules of guest speakers may require some shifting of the agenda. I will make every effort to provide as much advance notice as possible for any alterations, but assume that the syllabus as written accurately reflects what you can expect week-to week in class.

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Class Assignments:

Assignment Due Date Percentage Description Engagement and Constructive Participation

Every class

10%

A portion of the participation grade will be attributed for leading one class discussion with your study team. Each study team will be required to prepare and lead a discussion once during the semester. The second component is class participation. It is a given that you are expected to attend every class, but you will be acknowledged for more than participation or “showing up.” Genuine interest, engagement and insights based on class participation and prior reading are valued, as is participation with classmates on team exercises that will take place throughout the semester.

Blog posts on course readings

Saturday by 6 pm before class

20%

Blog posts of 500 words max posted to Canvas by one member for each study team. (Responses that exceed the word limit are discouraged.) The blogs will respond to prompts based on the assigned reading for each week and will be visible to the whole class for comments and discussion. Each study team will meet with either me or the course assistant the week before the class discussion that they lead to prepare to make the best use of class time. Classes will generally begin with student-led group discussion about the blog content.

Message deck for Communications Strategy Adventure

October 2

10%

Prepare a message deck in support of your Communications Strategy Adventure. It should hue to the template of Problem/Context-Solution-Ask-Hope-Urgency, and include sub-messages as well. Preparation of key opposition messages are part of this assignment. You will have an opportunity to improve on this draft over the subsequent week before receiving a final grade.

Full draft of op-ed for Communications Strategy Adventure

November 13

10%

Produce a high-quality, publishable, 700-800 word op-ed to support the advocacy effort for your Communications Strategy Adventure. You will have an opportunity to improve on this draft over the subsequent week before receiving a final grade.

Communications Strategy Adventure

December 14 at noon

25%

Develop a communications plan in the form of a 10 page memo to advise the strategy and tactics for a policy change you care deeply about. The plan should be explicitly informed by learnings over the course of the semester and must hue to the theory of change: Research Translation Media Attention Story-based Advocacy Impact. Components should include at least: audience identification; messaging for each audience; a plan for anticipating, responding to or engaging with potential opposition, thoughts for outreach to media, policy influencers and potential collaborators; one or more stories that humanize your issue; a timeline; and your approach to evaluation.

Final Exam December 11 25%

This will be based on a scenario given to you in class. The exam will have questions directly linked to class content and readings from the class assignments.

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Overview -- Strategic Communications for Policy Change: Practical Strategies for Influencing a Better World

W1: Sept 11: Introduction to the field of Policy and Advocacy Communications, the emerging “science” in support of strategies for successful advocacy, communications strategy and planning, and review of plans for the semester ahead. W2: September 18: Messaging, Part 1 Introduction to the science behind messaging, what a message is, effective and ineffective examples of messages, and first practice opportunity to write and voice messages. Practice on synthesizing technical information for lay audiences W3: September 25: Messaging, Part 2: Focus on Message Discipline and Message Delivery, with emphasis on controlling the moment, as opposed to being a passive, reactive discussant with media and policy makers. Exploration of the most effective messengers to deliver messages. W4: October 2: Translation: Technical information comes alive for policy advocacy through graphics, video and interactive technologies. (Social change graphic artist will likely join the class.) W5: October 9: Storytelling, Part 1 (Learning): storytelling in public interest communications and examples of effective storytelling for advancing policy goals. W6: October 16: Community Voice: Strategies for Engagement, highlighting cases where local community members have successfully organized, spoken out and made an impact. (Community-focused social change communicator will likely join the class.) W7: October 23: Storytelling, Part 2 (Doing): Exercises in which students become storytellers. W8: October 30: Workshop on communications planning: preparation for Communications Strategy Adventure, with multiple examples of excellent communications plans. Also, an introduction to social media as policy influencer, with a digitally-focused policy advocate. W9: November 6: Op-ed and Blog Writing: Introduction to op-eds and examples of their impact. W10: November 13: The News Process & Information Disorder —Part I (Learning): Panel discussion with several highly-respected journalists working on multiple platforms in print, broadcast, and online. W11: November 20: The News Process—Part II (Doing): opportunity to pitch Communications Strategy Adventure news directly to journalists. Media training will be offered in class with experts. W12: November 27: Crisis: Averting and managing potential crises, drawing on audience identification and messaging skills. In-class exercise related to a crisis. W13: December 4: The Search for Common Ground: Discussion will focus on successful campaigns that overcame partisanship. Also, Ordinary meeting, extraordinary opportunity: An exploration of how regular, seemingly mundane gatherings can be communications opportunities for advancing an agenda. Final thoughts: Advice for Change Makers.

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W14: December 11: In-class exam: A memo to a policy maker: advice regarding a communications strategy based on one or more scenarios. You will be incorporating what you have learned over the semester.

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Week-by-week course plan:

W1: September 11: Introduction to the field of Policy and Advocacy Communications, the emerging “science” in support of strategies for successful advocacy, communications strategy and planning, and review of plans for the semester ahead.

Class content: Consideration of a theory of evidence-based change, grounded in paradigm of Research Translation Media Attention Story-Based Advocacy Impact, with this class focusing on skills to execute translation, media attention and advocacy; and the messaging approach of Problem Solution Ask Urgency Hope. Consideration of the difference between awareness vs. impact, and the role of each. And, consideration of the power of microchanges and how communications can realistically affect them, as opposed to strategy for driving society-wide or global movements.

Also, introduction to communications planning, including attention to audiences (public, private, institutional, nonprofit), messaging, message discipline, and message delivery. Examples and case studies throughout the class will be local, national and global.

Readings: • Christiano, A., & Neimand, A. (2017). “Stop Raising Awareness Already.” Stanford Social

Innovation Review. Retrieved from https://ssir.org/articles/entry/stop_raising_awareness_already.

• Feulner, E. J. (1986). “Waging And Winning The War Of Ideas.” Heritage Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.heritage.org/node/10289/print-display

• Gawande, A. (2013). “Slow Ideas.” The New Yorker. Retrieved from: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/07/29/slow-ideas

• Hussein, T., & Plummer, M. (2017). “Selling Social Change.” Stanford Social Innovation Review. Retrieved from https://ssir.org/articles/entry/selling_social_change.

• Kendall-Taylor, N. & Gibbons, S. (2018). “Framing For Social Change.” Stanford Social Innovation Review. Retrieved from https://ssir.org/articles/entry/framing_for_social_change

• Kolbert, E. (2017). “Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds.” The New Yorker. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/02/27/why-facts-dont-change-our-minds

• Neimand, A. (2018) “How to Tell Stories About Complex Issues”. Stanford Social Innovation Review.

• Six Imperatives Resource Guide. Center for Public Interest Communications: University of Florida.

W2: September 18: Messaging, Part 1 Introduction to the science behind messaging, what a message is, effective and ineffective examples of messages, and first practice opportunity to write and voice messages. Practice on synthesizing technical information for lay audiences

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Class content: You will learn conceptual thinking behind messaging and how to craft effective messages targeted to specific audiences, as well as how language and narratives matter when seeking to influence policy change

Readings: • Baumgartner, F. R., Linn, S., & Boydstun, A. E. (2010). “The Decline Of The Death Penalty: How

Media Framing Changed Capital Punishment In America.” Winning with words: The origins and impact of political framing (pp. 2-5, 16-34).

• Goodman, A. (2000, February). "Don’t Mess with Texas.” The Goodman Center. Retrieved from http://www.thegoodmancenter.com/resources/newsletters/dont-mess-with-texas/

• Goodman, A. (2001, June). "When Speaking Your Audience’s Language Is a Matter of Life and Death.” The Goodman Center. Retrieved from http://www.thegoodmancenter.com/resources/newsletters/when-speaking-your-audiences-language-is-a-matter-of-life-and-death/

• Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2010). Introduction from Made to Stick: why some ideas take hold and others come unstuck (pp. 3-24). New York: Random House Books.

• (2013). “Don’t Always Stay on Message: Using Strategic Framing to Move the Public Discourse on Immigration.” Frameworks Institute. Retrieved from http://www.frameworksinstitute.org/assets/files/Immigration/dont_always_stay_on_message_2.pdf

• (2018). “Picture This: How We Frame Issues Matters for Social Change [multiple articles].” Stanford Social Innovation Review, The Communication Network, and FrameWorks Institute. Retrieved from: https://ssir.org/picture_this_how_we_frame_issues_matters_for_social_change

W3: September 25: Messaging, Part 2: Focus on Message Discipline and Message Delivery, with emphasis on controlling the moment, as opposed to being a passive, reactive discussant with media and policy makers. Exploration of the most effective messengers to deliver messages.

Class Content: Development of a message deck of top-line messages and opposition messages for the same scenario. Interactive work on message discipline.

Assignment Due: Blog contribution #1. Note on blog discussion: Discussions will be student-led, with 3-4 students guiding each class discussion. You will meet with me or the course assistant before to plan the discussion. The goal is a thoughtfully planned class interaction, encouraging ideas, based on all student contributions to the blog. I will offer takeaways from the reading for each set of class reading.

Readings:

• LaPierre, W. (2017). “Standing Guard | NRA Members Take A Stand For This Country And What It Represents.” America’s 1st Freedom. Retrieved from https://www.americas1stfreedom.org/articles/2017/12/26/standing-guard-nra-members-take-a-stand-for-this-country-and-what-it-represents/

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• Luntz, F. (2007). Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear. New York, NY: Hachette Books. Pp 1-34, 164-178, 205-228.

• Sweetland, J. (2018). “What’s In A Frame? A Need To Know For Nonprofits.” Nonprofit Quarterly. Retrieved from https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2018/02/27/whats-frame-heres-nonprofit-advocates-need-know/

• “About the Race Card Project.” The Race Card Project. Retrieved from https://theracecardproject.com/

• Winsten, J. (2017). “Developing Media Messages That Save Lives.” Stanford Social Innovation Review. Retrieved from https://ssir.org/articles/entry/developing_media_messages_that_save_lives

W4: October 2: Translation: Technical information comes alive for policy advocacy through graphics, video and interactive technologies. (Social change graphic artist will likely join the class.)

Class content: Words or data alone are insufficient for providing information or telling stories that move policy makers to act. From power points to infographics to data visualization to video, the policy practitioner must at least understand how best to utilize these assets as part of an advocacy toolkit.

Recognizing that students are not graphic experts, we will try our hand at translating complicated information into digestible language and graphics for what may be the most creative and entertaining class of the semester. We will benefit from the wisdom of a social change graphic artist who uses art and design to inform audiences in pursuit of policy change.

Assignments Due: Blog contribution #2

Readings: • (2017). Online Interactive Map. County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. Retrieved from

http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/ • Goodman, A. (2016). “Stories Where Photos Do Most of the Telling.” The Goodman Center.

Retrieved from http://www.thegoodmancenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/freerange_2016_12.pdf

• Goodman, A. (2014, February). “A Tale Of Two Videos: The Difference Between Making A Video And Making An Impact.” The Goodman Center. Retrieved from http://www.thegoodmancenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Freerange_14_02.pdf

• Rosling, H. (Presenter). (2010, June). “Global Population Growth, Box By Box [Video].” TED. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_on_global_population_growth

• Rosling, H. (Presenter). (2009, February). “Insights On HIV, In Stunning Data Visuals [Video].” TED. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_the_truth_about_hiv

• Simmons, R. (2006). “What Story Can Do That Facts Cant.” The Story Factor. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books Group. (pp.49-82).

• Woolf, S. (2016). “8 Years in Washington, D.C.” VCU Center on Society and Health. Retrieved from http://www.societyhealth.vcu.edu/work/the-projects/mapswashingtondc.html

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W5: October 9: Storytelling, Part 1 (Learning): storytelling in public interest communications and examples of effective storytelling for advancing policy goals

Class content: Data and evidence are only so useful as communications tools – they are necessary, though rarely sufficient. We must humanize social problems to connect with public audiences. Communicators must get to the listeners’ hearts as well as their minds. Working together, this class explores rudiments of effective story telling. We will be hearing from Dr. Jim O’Connell, Director of Boston Health Care for the Homeless and author of Stories from the Shadows: Reflections of a Street Doctor.

Assignment Due: Blog contribution #3; Message deck for Communications Strategy Adventure

Readings:

• Cheney, C. (2018). “How To Tell Your Story Better.” Devex. Retrieved from https://www.devex.com/news/how-to-tell-your-story-better-91469

• Goodman, A. (2016). “A Tale of Two Fundraisers.” The Goodman Center. Retrieved from http://www.thegoodmancenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/freerange_2016_04.pdf

• Kristof, N. (2009). “Nicholas Kristof's Advice for Saving the World.” Outside. Retrieved from https://www.outsideonline.com/1909636/nicholas-kristofs-advice-saving-world

• O'Connell, J. J. (2015). “Foreword”. Stories From The Shadows: Reflections Of A Street Doctor (pp. 1-7). Boston, MA: BHCHP Press.

• O'Connell, J. J. (2015). “Morning Clinic, Boston City Hospital”. Stories From The Shadows: Reflections Of A Street Doctor (pp. 32-40). Boston, MA: BHCHP Press.

• O'Connell, J. J. (2015). “Poverty’s Prism” Stories From The Shadows: Reflections Of A Street Doctor (pp. 170-180). Boston, MA: BHCHP Press.

• UF College of Journalism and Communications. “Science of Story Building: What Research and Scholarship Tell Us About Good Stories.” Medium. Retrieved from https://medium.com/science-of-story-building

• VanDeCarr, P. (2015). “3 Tips for Telling Stories That Move People to Action.” Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved from https://www.philanthropy.com/article/3-Tips-for-Telling-Stories/228559

W6: October 16: Community Voice: Strategies for Engagement, highlighting cases where local community members have successfully organized, spoken out and made an impact. (Community-focused social change communicator will likely join the class.)

Class content: This class will focus on the power of community activism to affect social change. We will highlight cases where local community members were successfully able to advocate and make an impact locally, regionally, nationally, and even internationally. We will be hearing from Wanda Bautista, staff to the Ford Foundation’s initiative to support the land rights and climate protecting efforts of indigenous peoples in the world’s forests.

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Assignment Due: Blog contribution #4

Readings: • Bautista, W. (2014). “In Wake of Leaders’ Murders, Fighting for Land Title – and Justice – for

Indigenous Asheninka in Peru.” Burness. Retrieved from http://www.burness.com/our-work/battling-for-land-rights-the-peruvian-amazon/

• Cottle, M. (2018). “How Parkland Students Changed the Gun Debate.” The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/02/parkland-students-power/554399/

• Godoy, M. (2016, March 10). “Florida Tomato Pickers Become Part Of Democratic Debate.” NPR. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/03/10/469960576/florida-tomato-pickers-become-part-of-democratic-debate

• Greenhouse, S. (2014). “In Florida Tomato Fields, a Penny Buys Progress.” The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/25/business/in-florida-tomato-fields-a-penny-buys-progress.html?_r=1

• (2016, September 14). “2016 Culture of Health Prize Winner: Columbia Gorge Region: Connecting Dots to Create a Picture of Health.” Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.rwjf.org/en/library/features/culture-of-health-prize/2016-winner-oregon-washington.html

• Sheehan, B. (Speaker). (2016, March 1). “Behind the Scenes: When Ireland said ‘Yes’.” Frank. https://vimeo.com/156633823

• (2016). DC Greens - Our Work [Advertisement]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a63XqwrBud4#t=02m25s

W7: October 23: Storytelling, Part 2 (Doing): Exercises in which students become storytellers.

Class content: This class will feature students as storyteller-advocates through a set of exercises.

Assignments due: Blog contribution #5

Readings:

• Gladwell, Malcolm. (1991, Sept 27). “AIDS patient urges house panel to require testing.” The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1991/09/27/aids-patient-urges-house-panel-to-require-testing/870b70ac-9273-484c-901f-e5682f79fffa/?utm_term=.db82848fba94

• Goodman, A. (2015, April). “The Black Box: Is Your Story Trapped Inside?” The Goodman Center. Retrieved from http://www.thegoodmancenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/freerange_15_04.pdf

• Goodman, A. (2015, November). “The Four-Letter Word Behind All Successful Stories.” The Goodman Center. Retrieved from http://www.thegoodmancenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/freerange_2015_11.pdf

• Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2010). Stories In Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Take Hold And Others Come Unstuck (pp. 231-235). New York: Random House Books.

• (2018). “Storytelling.” Communications Network. Retrieved from https://storytelling.comnetwork.org/

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• Widrich, L. (2012). “The science of storytelling: why telling a story is the most powerful way to activate our brains.” Life Hacker, 12th May, Retrieved from http://lifehacker.com/5965703/the-science-of-storytelling-why-telling-a-story-is-the-most-powerful-way-to-activate-our-brains

• Zax, D. (2015, October 21). “6 Rules For Great Storytelling, From A Moth-Approved Master Of The Form.” Fast Company. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/3052152/6-rules-for-great-storytelling-from-a-moth-approved-master-of-the-form

W8: October 30: Workshop on communications planning: preparation for Communications Strategy Adventure, with multiple examples of excellent communications plans. Also, an introduction to social media as policy influencer, with a digitally-focused policy advocate.

Class content: See above

Assignment Due: Blog contribution #6

Readings: TBD

• Gladwell, M. (2010). “Small Change: Why The Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted.” The New Yorker. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/10/04/small-change-malcolm-gladwell?currentPage=all

• Shirky, C. (2010). “The Political Power of Social Media.” Foreign Affairs. Retrieved from https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2010-12-20/political-power-social-media

• Shirky, C. & Gladwell, M. (2011). “From Innovation to Revolution.” Foreign Affairs. Retrieved from https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2011-01-19/innovation-revolution

• Social Media and the Planned Parenthood/Susan G. Komen for the Cure Controversy. Case number 1975.0. Harvard Kennedy School.

W9: November 6: Op-ed and Blog Writing: Introduction to op-eds and examples of their impact.

Class content: This class will feature refinement of the op-ed prepared for the class, linked to the Communications Strategy Adventure assigned in the first class.

Assignment Due: Blog contribution #7; prepare a lede for your op-ed and a brief outline of how the piece will flow, citing data to be cited, the story that will be told, and the conclusion.

Readings:

• Babbitt, B. (2015, August 7). “Francis of the Forest.” Project Syndicate. Retrieved from https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/pope-francis-protects-amazon-rainforest-by-bruce-babbitt-2015-08

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• Grumbly, T. (2018). “We Still Don’t Know The Cause Of 32-State E.Coli Outbreak – The Only Solution Is More Science”. The Hill. Retrieved from http://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/389490-we-still-dont-know-the-cause-of-32-state-ecoli-outbreak-the-only

• Ibrahim, H. O. (2015, November 5). “Global climate-change policy must recognize indigenous rights.” Quartz. Retrieved from https://qz.com/541700/global-climate-change-policy-must-recognize-indigenous-rights/

• Jarmul, D. “How to Write an Op-Ed Article.” Retrieved from https://www.umass.edu/pep/sites/default/files/how_to_write_an_oped-duke_2.pdf

• Matthews, S. (2017, November 15). “We Failed The Girls In Don Dale Long Before They Failed Us.” The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/comment/we-failed-the-girls-in-don-dale-long-before-they-failed-us-20171115-gzm0yn.html

• Obama, B. H. (2015, May 8). “The President Speaks to the Lake Area Tech Class of 2015.” Address presented at Commencement address at Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, South Dakota. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpWPl6yArFE

• Schmidt, B. (2014, February 17). “President Grant and Funding Research for Oral Cancer.” Roll Call. Retrieved from http://www.rollcall.com/news/president_grant_and_funding_research_for_oral_cancer_commentary-230902-1.html

• Seglin, J. L. (2012, August). “How to Write an Op-Ed or Column.” Shorenstein Center. Harvard Kennedy School. Retrieved from https://shorensteincenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/HO_NEW_HOW-TO-WRITE-AN-OPED-OR-COLUMN.pdf

• Sharp, O. A., & Leshner, A. (2016, January 4). “We Need a New Green Revolution.” The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/04/opinion/we-need-a-new-green-revolution.html

• Wyner, J. (2015, May 6). “My Voice: Ahead of Obama visit, Lake Area Tech 'sets a standard'.” The Argus Leader. Retrieved from http://www.argusleader.com/story/opinion/voices/2015/05/06/ahead-obama-visit-lake-area-tech-sets-standard/70880112/

• Wyner, J. (2017, August 16). “How colleges can reclaim the narrative (and the facts).” The Aspen Institute. Retrieved from https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/colleges-can-reclaim-narrative-facts/

• (2018). “We Want Your Visual Opinion Pieces.” The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/03/26/opinion/we-want-your-visual-op-eds.html

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W10: November 13: The News Process & Information Disorder—Part I (Learning): Panel discussion with several highly-respected journalists working on multiple platforms in print, broadcast, and online.

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Class content: There are more newsworthy stories – both news and features – than news platforms can handle. So, the skilled advocate is able to frame stories in compelling ways to attract journalists’ interest to consider reporting on these stories. Our stories must be persuasive, and we must be effective conversationalists and story pitchers. We will also explore strategies for combatting the phenomenon of “fake news” and “alternative facts” in a world where sound policy is based in science.

We will continue the discussion with several highly-respected journalists with US and global experience. Assignments Due: Full draft of op-ed identifying target media outlet and rationale.

Readings: • Excerpt from Bonk, K., Tynes, E., Griggs, H., & Sparks, P. (2008). “Earning Good Media Coverage.”

Strategic Communications For Nonprofits: A Step-By-Step Guide To Working With The Media (pp. 76-112). (Vol. 8). John Wiley & Sons.

• Klein, A. (2018). “An Alabama Man Walked Almost 20 Miles to His New Job. When His Boss Found Out, He Gave Him a Car.” The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2018/07/18/an-alabama-man-walked-almost-20-miles-to-his-new-job-when-his-boss-found-out-he-gave-him-a-car/

• Lazer D.M. et al. (2018). “The Science of Fake News”. Science. Retrieved from: http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6380/1094?panels_ajax_tab_trigger=tab-pdf&panels_ajax_tab_tab=jnl_sci_tab_pdf&_=1528833604385&sso=1&sso_redirect_count=1&oauth-code=8336e4b9-06f0-41f1-9199-cdb033f4123b

• Simon, C. (2017). “Fake news is giving reality a run for its money.” Harvard Gazette. Retrieved from http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/03/harvard-panelists-discuss-future-of-journalism-in-fake-news-world/

• Rosen, J. “Why Trump Is Winning and the Press Is Losing”. (2018) New York Review of Books. Retrieved from http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2018/04/25/why-trump-is-winning-and-the-press-is-losing/

• Kavanagh, J. & Rich, M.D. “Truth Decay.” Rand Corporation. • Wardle, C. & Derakshan, H. (2017) Information Disorder: Toward an interdisciplinary framework

for research and policy making (pp. 4-19, 77-90). Council of Europe. Retrieved from https://shorensteincenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/PREMS-162317-GBR-2018-Report-de%CC%81sinformation.pdf?x78124

W11: November 20: The News Process—Part II (Doing): opportunity to pitch Communications Strategy Adventure news directly to journalists. Media training will be offered in class with experts Class content: This class will offer you an opportunity to pitch the news stemming from their Communications Strategy Adventure directly to journalists.

Assignments Due: Blog contribution #8, incorporating readings from Nov 13 and 20; progress week for Communications Strategy Adventure.

Readings:

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• Barthel, M. (2016). “5 key takeaways about the State of the News Media in 2016.” FactTank: News in the Numbers. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/06/15/state-of-the-news-media-2016-key-takeaways/

• Crestodina, A. (2016). “Got Press? 21 Things To Do After You Win Media Coverage.” Orbit Media Studios. Retrieved from https://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/press-coverage/

• Mitchell, A, Gottfried, J., Kiley, J., & Matsha K. E. (2014). “Political Polarization & Media Habits.” Pew Research Center for People & the Press. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.journalism.org/2014/10/21/political-polarization-media-habits/

W12: November 27: Crisis: Averting and managing potential crises, drawing on audience identification and messaging skills. In-class exercise related to a crisis

Class content: Some crises can be anticipated; others cannot. This class will explore how the communicator must prepare for crises, including predictable opposition to advocacy positions. You will practice staying “on message” in the face of generally predictable opposition.

Assignment Due: Blog contribution #9

Readings:

• Lehane, C, Fabiani, M, & Gutentag, B. (2014). Masters Of Disaster: The Ten Commandments Of Damage Control. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press. Prologue & chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 12 and 19.

• Bonk, K., Tynes, E., Griggs, H., & Sparks, P. (2008). “Responding to a Media Crisis and Managing Backlash.” Strategic Communications For Nonprofits: A Step-By-Step Guide To Working With The Media (pp. 113-127). (Vol. 8). John Wiley & Sons.

• Crisis Communications Preparation Toolkit. (2015). Bethesda: Burness. • ILRI tryps research project: Short generic key messages and Tough Questions (2013).

Communications Material. Bethesda: Burness. • Siegel, R & Horton, A. (2018). “Starbucks to close 8,000 stores for racial-bias education on May

29 after arrest of two black men.” The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2018/04/17/starbucks-to-close-8000-stores-for-racial-bias-education-on-may-29-after-arrest-of-two-black-men/?utm_term=.692e451492e8

W:13 December 4: The Search for Common Ground: Discussion will focus on successful campaigns that overcame partisanship. Also, Ordinary meeting, extraordinary opportunity: An exploration of how regular, seemingly mundane gatherings can be communications opportunities for advancing an agenda. Final thoughts: Advice for Change Makers

Class content: First, discussion will focus on successful campaigns that overcame partisanship in favor of compromise on common ground. Second, there is untapped power in “ordinary” meetings, conferences and academic commissions as platforms for promoting social change. For the most part, much of the work of social change is done away from the lights and media and intentional public platforms. This class

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will explore how seemingly mundane gatherings, small and large, can be opportunities for framing and disseminating messages to media and policy makers. We will explore successful examples related to gun violence, medical education, physician payment, and others.

Assignment Due: Blog contribution #10

Readings related to Common Ground:

• Bornstein, D. (2015). “The Art of Getting Opponents to ‘We.’” The New York Times. Retrieved from https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/the-art-of-getting-opponents-to-we/

• Burness, A. (Fall 2015). “Bipartisan Science.” Issues in Science and Technology, 32(1). Retrieved from http://issues.org/32-1/bipartisan-science/

• Leavell, A. (2017). “A Fresh Approach To Talking Climate Change.” The Daily Camera. Retrieved from http://www.dailycamera.com/guest-opinions/ci_31462819/ashby-leavell-fresh-approach-talking-climate-change

• Perfetti, T. (Speaker). (2017, March 17). “It’s We The People: Policy Change is Grass Roots.” Frank. https://vimeo.com/207126743

• Teles, S., & Schmitt, M. (Summer 2011). “The Elusive Craft of Evaluating Advocacy.” Stanford Social Innovation Review. Retrieved from https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_elusive_craft_of_evaluating_advocacy.

• Willer, R. (2017). Excerpt from The Art and Science of Political Persuasion. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Stanford University.

Readings related to Ordinary meeting, extraordinary opportunity:

• RWJF Related Readings. (2013-2014). • Sirica, C. M. & Bowles, L. T. (1994). “The Role of Emergency Medicine in the Future of American

Medical Care”. Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation. [Skim and be familiar with for the class] • Violence Prevention Resolution and CeaseFire related readings. (2012).

W14: December 11: In-Class Exam

Class content: In-class exam: A memo to a policy maker: advice regarding a communications strategy based on one or more scenarios. You will be incorporating what you have learned over the semester.