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New Strategies for Political Engagement in a

Post-Wisconsin World

Session 1 – Strategic Communications & The Role of Your Association

You can do this!

* Lifetime Guarantee Included *

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Dan Cohen, PrincipalFull Court Press Communicationsdan@fcpcommunications.com@DCSTPAUL & @FullCourtPress510-271-0640

Josh CookCook Government Affairs

Josh@Joshcook.com916-233-5553

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We can all do this! Take one step…

In the next 5-7 days:1.Think about where you stand today

2.Think about who are your friends & opponents

3.Start working on a game plan & ask for help

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Exercise #1:Find out who your friends are

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What is success? How do you get there?

• Planning now means success later

• Do a few things really well – prioritize

• Stay focused on your goals

• Use the media & other dissemination strategies to achieve them.

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Make a Plan to Communicate

• Make communications an organizational priority

• Think “Dissemination” not “Media Relations”– Go beyond the media– Own your target audiences

• Utilize proven resources/Ask for help– Smart Chart– Communications Trainings– Ask your team – we are living

in a communications culture

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So…You’re New To This?

• Your skills apply.– You can think.– You can write.– You can use a telephone.

• All of your daily work skills are transferable. – Persuasion– Cajoling– Consensus building

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YOU are the network

• You know the field and have the “rolodex”

• You have the network & are doing the networking

• You are visible to communities that matter

• You are the frontline of communications

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Public Speaking Fundamentals

• Be Prepared• Do your homework• Is it better to be right?

Or effective?– Being right means you

need to be confrontational– Being effective means you

actually make headway• Connect – dry facts won’t

do it• Always come home to your

key messages– Regardless of the question

asked, know the top issues you want to discuss and always come back to them.

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Where Is Your Audience?

Start where they are• 55% of Americans watch

TV news every day• 41% read newspapers• 41% listen to radio news• 16% consume online news• 80% getting daily news from

these mainstream sources(Source:Pew Center for People

in the Press 2004)

Slide courtesy of SPIN Project Media Training

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Where Is Your Audience?

Pew 2007

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Where Is Your Audience?

Pew 2010

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Where Is Your Audience?

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BEYOND the Mainstream Media

Think beyond the Mainstream Media• Where is your target audience?• Who do they rely on for information? • How do they make decisions?

Strategies for Broader Dissemination• Ethnic Media• Internet Communications – blogs, social

networking, user-created content• Specialty Publications• Direct communications – FIND THEM

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What is the role of my Association?

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Know your strengths

"As you know, you go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time."

 —Defense Secretary Donald

Rumsfeld

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Associations & Concerns

Two priorities: 

• Pay & Benefits

• Working conditions 

You will win when you come to consensus and get buy-in on these priorities & the balance between them

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Determine what “Winning” looks like

• Avoid division – among ideas & people

• Develop a core group of “doers” & hold them accountable

• Fix your house first – focus at first on “internal” communications

There are lots of ways that “evil doers” infiltrate and use the divide and conquer tactic on officer associations