Gardner, H. E. (2011). The leaders’ stories. In Leading minds: An anatomy of leadership (2nd ed., pp. 39–48). Basic Books.
This chapter argues that language and narrative are some of the most important levers to mobilize people and shape public perception. They are powerful because they engage both reason and emotion, helping individuals understand what they should believe or do. Leaders can draw on these narratives to communicate ideas, build authority, and connect with audiences. The chapter also explores how people develop and interpret stories across their lifespan, with simple “good versus evil” schemas in childhood evolving into more complex understandings in adolescence and adulthood. The author believes that effective leaders should tailor their messages to these different cognitive frames, sometimes simplifying issues and other times integrating multiple perspectives. While more sophisticated, nuanced narratives can be successful, messaging is often more effective if it conveys simpler and emotionally resonant stories.
Covello, V. T. (2022). An overview of risk communication. In Communicating in risk, crisis, and high stress situations: Evidence-based strategies and practice (pp. 39, 48–49). Wiley.
This excerpt gives short, simple advice on how to effectively communicate with others, especially in high stress situations. Although much of the chapter from which these excerpts are taken discusses communicating about risk during high-risk situations (e.g., how to avoid contagion during the COVID-19 pandemic), the lessons can be applied to other communication efforts, particularly when the recipients of the communication may be experiencing stress from whatever source. The first table profiles what makes a strong communicator by organizing their skills into three categories: interpersonal skills, knowledge or expertise, and credibility or trustworthiness. The second table offers advice on how to communicate to a broad audience via the media. This excerpt also describes eight ways the human brain processes information differently in times of stress or uncertainty. We shared this excerpt because knowing these tips and facts may be helpful as we consider how to communicate with others about public education in the current environment.
Pérez, R., & Simon, A. (2017). Heartwired: Human behavior, strategic opinion research, and the audacious pursuit of social change: A strategy guide for change-makers. Wonder: Strategies for Good; Goodwin Simon Strategic Research.
This reading offers a framework for changing people’s hearts and minds by attending to the whole human. The introductory chapter walks through key questions you may consider when engaging with people, such as what specific change you would like to see in the world and under what context you are seeking that change, and defines the five factors that enable a person to change their perspective (emotions, identity, experience, values, and beliefs). Chapter 1 uses the example of same-sex marriage legalization to illustrate how advocates capitalized on these questions/factors to rapidly change public sentiment. Our hope is that this framework and example are helpful as we unpack what it might take to change public sentiment about education during our meeting.