Strategic Communications for Advocacy

Catalog description

Organizational storytelling both effectively communicates an organization’s mission and builds empathy for its cause. A story is more than an exposition, climax, and resolution. Effective storytelling weaves a narrative that tells a systemic story about the social justice movement. The course will offer an overview on how to strategically use values-based communications, helping students understand how to move persuadable audiences to garner support for social justice issues. This course teaches students how to communicate with the public and work with the media. The concepts and skills prepare students to generate public support for their organization's mission, strategic initiatives, and fund-raising activities. Students learn to position organizations in the public eye and translate complex concepts into clear and concise messages for public consumption. They develop skills in written and oral communication, critical thinking, and problem solving. Students learn about a range of communications vehicles and discuss ways to use those vehicles to get their messages out.