Scholarship & Publications

Stories are the most powerful tool we have for increasing understanding and building engagement with complex issues. Telling them well can drive belief and behavior change. Published: Stanford Social Innovation… Continue Reading How to Tell Stories About Complex Issues

Advocates and organizers need to think strategically about how to ensure that women are supported as they continue to report sexual violence, and that their perpetrators are held accountable. To… Continue Reading Can #MeToo Have Lasting Influence?

Communications strategy should be flexible, scrappy, and accessible to everyone on your team. This four-question framework, rooted in social science, can help organizations craft an effective strategy that drives real… Continue Reading The Back-of-the-Envelope Guide to Communications Strategy

People on both sides of the gun control issue agree the threat from violence is real, but support different responses to that threat – either regulate the sale of guns… Continue Reading Most Americans believe we should have gun regulation. Here is why those who don’t are winning the debate.

This article describes the history and goals of the Frank Karel Chair in Public Interest Communications at the University of Florida and discusses the need for institutionalizing public interest communications… Continue Reading Building the Field of Public Interest Communications

What should strategic communication in the public and social change sectors look like in a time marked by extreme political polarization and false information? Science suggests the key may be… Continue Reading To Win Against False Information, We Must Play Offense

Too many organizations concentrate on raising awareness about an issue—such as the danger of eating disorders or loss of natural habitat—without knowing how to translate that awareness into action, by… Continue Reading Stop Raising Awareness Already

To make progress on ideologically or politically sticky issues, social sector organizations must reshape their messaging to do more than cite facts; they must use smart storytelling and craft solutions… Continue Reading Persuasion in a “Post-Truth” World

To some liberals, Donald Trump’s inauguration portends doom for the republic; to many conservatives, it’s a crowning moment for the nation that will usher in an era of growth and… Continue Reading Why each side of the partisan divide thinks the other is living in an alternate reality