Organization

Campaign Headquarters

Coverage areas

2026-10-09
Beyond the Old Playbook: Why Human Conversations Win in Public Affairs
with Nicole Schlinger
In the podcast episode "Beyond the Old Playbook: Why Human Conversations Win in Public Affairs," Nicole Schlinger, president of Campaign HQ, discusses the shortcomings of traditional public affairs strategies in an era of heightened polarization and declining trust. Schlinger emphasizes the importance of grassroots engagement through live calls and direct conversations to effectively identify and persuade audiences before public sentiment hardens. She advocates for authentic communication that addresses community concerns, particularly in contentious issues like data center development.

“Citizens have less trust and less faith in their leaders, and so things that used to work just simply have less impact upon people.”
“The sooner you can get a baseline on where people start before the good information and the misinformation start flying, the better off you're going to be.”
“People are hungry for real human interaction... Having a human interaction with another person in real time simply resonates with people.”
“It's not a conversation if you're just throwing words at someone and not waiting to hear them and responding in kind.”
“The most vocal side will tend to have community support crystallize around it, and so if you're on the side that is having a harder time telling its story, going right to the people one by one is crucial.”
“I think the time we should worry is when the arguing stops, because until then, it means people truly care.”