Strategic and Communication Skills for the Political Arena

The change you want won’t get adopted merely because it’s a ‘good idea.’  A good idea is not enough. For every proposed change in public policy there is a set of stakeholders – groups or individuals who will be affected by the proposed change.  Some of these stakeholders may support your proposed change.  But others will oppose it, either because of their own self-interests or because it violates their values or ideology.  The arena in which these stakeholders fight out their differences over public policy is called “politics.”  This course will help prepare you for the fight.

You’ll learn:

• How an effective political campaign is structured, whether it’s a campaign supporting or opposing:  a candidate for public office, a ballot question, a proposed change in law by the legislature, a proposed action by the chief executive, or an information/persuasion campaign intended to create a more hospitable political environment.   
• How to influence governmental decision makers.
• How voters make political decisions and adopt policy preferences.
• How to create persuasive messages that work.
• How to think like a political strategist.
• How campaign leaders use tools, tactics and strategies to recruit support, mitigate opposition, win elections, and get decision makers to do what they want them to do.

This course is taught by a political and public policy practitioner who has spent 25 years fighting battles in the political arena as a campaign manager, political consultant and gubernatorial chief of staff.