#108 Celinda Lake

Think about this: messaging campaigns about complex issues, from climate change to drug pricing, have 280 characters in a tweet (up from 140) and less then 20 seconds of audio, to inform and persuade. Celinda Lake, renowned pollster and political strategist, helps labor unions, nonprofit advocates and political hopefuls to craft messages based on feedback from focus groups, surveys and message testing. Celinda says that Lake Research Partners approaches its work with two core values, the importance of government and the imperative of inclusivity to advance progressive social change. When issues are reframed based on these values, the resulting messages change how issues, organizations and politicians are perceived. It turns out that empathy, not fear, motivates people to respond with an open mind. Celinda speaks to the potential of increasing community engagement during a global pandemic, from early voting in the 2020 elections to a more robust online response to Census 2020. Celinda Lake is an invaluable leader in her field.