DC Climate Week

“You either shape policy or it shapes you.”

This insight from DC Climate Week hit different — and stuck with me.

I can't stop thinking about how it applies far beyond environmental advocacy and holds equal relevance to regulatory frameworks, public-private partnerships, government/public affairs, investment strategies…the list goes on.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡: Effective advocacy builds genuine solidarity, not crisis-driven charity. The most impactful leaders realize this requires commitment to both systemic change and individual action, while giving affected communities decision-making power on solutions that will have the greatest impact.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡: Organizations across sectors mobilizing to protect $550B+ in IRA clean energy investments as H.R. 1 advances toward a Senate vote. I'll be watching for how these coalitions leverage data and storytelling in opposition to this bill; if it passes as is, interested to see how organizations generate alternative funding and members of Congress (especially in red districts) justify job losses and economic impact to their constituents.

𝐓𝐨𝐩 3 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬-𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐲, 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠:

👀 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰, 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥: The most powerful stories are lived, not lectured. When we embody our values authentically, we invite others to see the benefits firsthand and draw their own conclusions.

Whether building stakeholder support or influencing policy, let people experience value which is far more persuasive than simply telling them how to think/feel.

🎯 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭: Connect insights to what your audience cares about most — typically most effective when framed through the lens of public health, community and economic impact.

Same data, different entry points. Make complex issues tangible and relatable.

🤝 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: One speaker became a "resilience hub" for Republican neighbors during power outages, organically promoting clean energy, reliability and cost benefits without ever mentioning climate.

Effective leaders prioritize outcomes over ideology, especially in this political environment.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧: Successful communicators blend human centered storytelling, data visualization, audience appropriate messaging and strategic distribution across platforms — tailoring messages to audience priorities and communication preferences to mobilize coalitions and achieve goals.

𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞: Whether you're scaling a startup, shaping policy or building communications strategy, the question isn't "do you have enough data?" it's "are you framing insights around audience priorities to drive meaningful action?"

How has audience-specific messaging advanced your objectives? What are you watching in this space?

Join the conversation here.