Veteran Republican pollster Micah Roberts, partner at Public Opinion Strategies, takes listeners inside the high-stakes world of public opinion polling. He explains how pollsters turn relatively small samples into meaningful insights, how the industry has evolved from landline calls to voter files and text-based surveys, and why reaching a representative audience is now more difficult and expensive.

Roberts also explores how social media can rapidly reshape public opinion, how researchers detect bots and unreliable respondents, and what listeners should examine before trusting a headline-making statistic. Looking ahead to the U.S. midterm elections, the conversation considers declining institutional trust, economic concerns, ideological shifts, and what polling must do to remain credible in an era of AI, misinformation, and political division.

AI is transforming how public affairs professionals research issues, analyze audiences, create content, and respond to events. But as the technology becomes faster and more accessible, human judgment matters more than ever.

In this special solo episode, host Neil Hughes revisits insights from recent conversations with Jordan Lieberman, Matt Kenney, Curt Mercadante, and Jonathan Grella. He explores why AI should remain the assistant rather than the architect, how smaller organizations can access increasingly sophisticated capabilities, why owning your audience matters, and how speed must be balanced with trust, authenticity, and restraint.

Because when everyone can produce more content and target audiences more precisely, the real advantage is knowing what to say, who needs to hear it, and when saying less will be more persuasive.

Jonathan Grella joins the show to discuss why public affairs is fundamentally a business of persuasion rather than just communication. He explains how pattern recognition and 30 years of cross-industry experience inform his strategy, and why he's embracing AI as an 'influence multiplier' to scale impact without sacrificing authenticity.

What happens when public affairs organizations have more data, more technology and more intelligence than ever before, but still struggle to turn that information into better decisions?

In the August edition of the Public Affairs Trends First Friday Briefing, Neil Hughes looks at five stories shaping government relations, advocacy, strategic communications and the wider business of influence.

Jordan Lieberman of Powers Interactive argues that organizations are not suffering from a shortage of data, but a shortage of decision-making capability. With government affairs teams now tracking legislation, polling, stakeholder engagement and media coverage in real time, the advantage increasingly comes from turning information into action rather than simply collecting more of it.

The episode also examines why Campaign Trend believes political campaigns need clear policies around prediction markets before their use becomes widespread, raising broader questions about how organizations should govern emerging technologies before reputational or ethical problems arise.

Elsewhere, Washington public affairs firm Adfero is closing after 17 years, while DCI Group continues investing in senior communications and policy talent with several new hires. Neil also looks beyond Washington as Echo Canyon Consulting expands its government affairs practice with former Congressman Matt Salmon joining as Managing Director of Government Affairs.

Across these stories, a common theme emerges. Public affairs is becoming more disciplined, with greater emphasis on governance, experienced counsel, integrated communications and the ability to translate technology and information into sound judgment.

As AI, prediction markets and advanced analytics become more common across the profession, will the organizations that establish their rules and processes early gain an advantage over those that wait for problems to appear?

Listen to the August 7, 2026 First Friday Briefing and share your thoughts on where public affairs is heading next.

• Jordan Lieberman, Vendor Trap: "Data Supply, Meet Demand"

• Campaign Trend: "Your Campaign Needs a Prediction Market Policy"

• O'Dwyer's: "Washington PA Firm Adfero Closes After 17 Years"

• DC Newsline: "Former CNN Correspondent Kate Bennett Joins Washington Public Affairs Firm DCI Group"

• DC Newsline: "DCI Group Expands Team with Two Senior Hires"

• Echo Canyon Consulting: "Former Congressman Matt Salmon Joins ECC as Managing Director of Government Affairs"

In this episode, host delves into the world of consulting with Joe Pici, an expert in helping individuals and companies convert their knowledge into income. Pici offers practical advice on leveraging LinkedIn intentionally to build genuine relationships and developing repeatable processes for lead generation.

The conversation also explores the impact of AI on business and the importance of authentic communication and human connection in an increasingly digital world. Pici shares insights on overcoming imposter syndrome, monetizing intellectual property, and tailoring LinkedIn profiles to client needs rather than self-promotion. He also extends a generous offer for listeners to receive a free webinar or a complimentary consultation.

In this episode, we explore how AI is transforming the public affairs landscape, not by replacing human professionals, but by empowering them with powerful tools. Curt Mercadante, co-founder of Pipeline Media Agency, joins us to discuss the essential role of humans as "architects" while AI serves as a capable assistant.

We delve into the practical applications of AI for tasks like research, content creation, and targeted audience outreach, highlighting how these technologies free up public affairs professionals to focus on relationship-building and strategic thinking. Additionally, we examine the implications of declining content creation costs and the resulting increased importance of effective content distribution and ownership.

How is technology changing the way political campaigns, advocacy groups, and public affairs professionals reach and influence people?

In this episode of Public Affairs Trends, Matt Kenney, founding partner of Echo Canyon Consulting, shares his perspective on the changing world of political campaigns, grassroots advocacy, and public engagement.

Drawing on a career that has taken him from military service and law school into political consulting, Matt explains the differences between running candidate campaigns and building support around issues and causes. He also discusses how artificial intelligence and other technologies are influencing voter outreach, communications, and the way campaigns connect with communities.

The conversation also looks at the human side of public affairs. Matt shares his experience of building Echo Canyon Consulting, why relationships and trust continue to matter in an increasingly technology-driven environment, and what values-driven leadership means when reputations and public opinion are at stake.

As AI gives campaigns and advocacy groups new ways to reach people at scale, can technology make public engagement more effective without losing the authenticity and trust that meaningful relationships depend on?

Listen to the conversation and share your thoughts.

In this episode, Jordan Lieberman, CEO of Powers Interactive, discusses how AI, data, and programmatic advertising are transforming political campaigns and offers valuable insights for businesses. He emphasizes that while technology is rapidly evolving, human qualities like trust, sound judgment, and attention to detail remain paramount for success.

Lieberman shares his perspective on the impact of Moore's Law, the challenges of misinformation, the importance of early digital engagement, and the unique urgency and detail orientation found in political work that can benefit commercial brands. The conversation highlights the increasing polarization in politics and America, underscoring the need for a discerning approach to information in the digital age.