Achieve Great Things

This week we speak with Sean Gibbons, CEO of the The Communications Network, an organization that connects leaders seeking to elevate and advance communications for good. As 2017 comes into focus, foundations and nonprofits are trying to find their way in a crowded communications landscape. We discuss the relationship between good communications and good strategy, ways to create a communicating or...

To get back on track, progressives must resist the urge to put all Trump supporters into one homogeneous group. This week, we talk with Joel Payne, a Vice President at Qorvis MSL Group, a strategic communications firm. Joel served as the Director of African American Paid Media for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign. We talk about lessons from the campaign, the demographic shift in the US, and how we...

To craft compelling messages, Democrats have to first take a step back and listen. In Episode 6, we speak with Anna Greenberg, Partner at Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, an opinion research and strategic consulting firm. We discuss the limitations of relying on public polling, the downside of using overheated rhetoric, and how the 2016 presidential election has brought women’s issues to the for...

In Episode 5, we speak with Michael Breen, President & CEO of the Truman Center and Truman National Security Project, about effective communications in national security. We discuss why progressives have to start taking security issues seriously (in their communications), build credibility by acknowledging people’s emotions, and “earn the right to be aspirational.”

In the new political landscape, communicators shouldn’t be afraid of showing their passion. In episode 4, we speak with Susan Markham, a veteran advocate for gender equity and current partner at Smash Strategies. How can communicators talk about policy details and nuances in ways that are both thoughtful and relatable? And how can advocates reach people where they already are to build support for...

In episode 3, we talk with Patrick Hickey of West Virginia University. He is a professor of political science and studies the presidency. Of course, he has a lot of thoughts already on the election of Donald Trump. We also talk about the role of technology in communications, and opportunities to more effectively engage people in the political process.

In episode 2, we interview Jim Williams of Public Policy Polling. We talk about fake news, the Trump phenomenon, the role of humor in politics, and how we can focus on clear and simple messages to communicate more effectively. We also talk about engaging with people on the ground and the effectiveness of that approach for getting voters to support a candidate.

Thanks for tuning in to Achieve Great Things. This project from Hattaway Communications aims to give communicators insights and ideas you can use right away. We want to help create more impact through communications, on all the issues we work on. We kick off the podcast with a conversation with Doug Hattaway, President of Hattaway Communications. We talk about the big idea of “narrative change,” a...