Vanessa Wakeman

Communications to Advance Progress in Troubled Times: New Frameworks for Social Change Leaders

Recognized as one of 50 Game Changers of PR by PR News and a Champion of PR by PRWeek, Vanessa Wakeman is an accomplished communications leader with deep knowledge about the politics of social change. She is a trusted advisor to organizations around the globe and has been leading initiatives to drive social change through collaboration with nonprofits, foundations, and socially responsible companies since founding The Wakeman Agency in 2003.

Vanessa has created numerous communications frameworks, language and tools that fields reach for when conventional approaches are no longer effective, including Narrative Resilience, the Lexicon Project®, the Narrative Justice Project, and Thought Leadership for Social Change. 

Trusted for her insights on language and narrative she delivers timely insights on some of the most complex communications challenges organizations face today. She has a keen ability to analyze patterns that influence social change communications, bringing sensemaking and meaning making to complex signals, and evolving conditions. 

Vanessa’s insights have been shared on a host of stages including Institute of Public Relations, Public Relations Society of America, Hispanics in Philanthropy, Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, Utah Association of Nonprofits, and the Women’s Leadership Institute at Manhattanville College.

Sample Topics

As a communications strategist who has spent more than two decades interpreting how language and narrative are used to advance urgent social issues, Vanessa’s current topics include:

Narrative Resilience: In an era of contested truths and shifting public sentiment, narratives are under constant pressure. Narrative Resilience, a framework developed by Vanessa Wakeman, offers a new lens for understanding how mission-driven causes can sustain meaning, coherence and influence amid disruption. This concept extends beyond storytelling as a communications strategy. This talk examines the dynamics of Narrative Resilience as both an infrastructure opportunity and a practical tool for leaders and institutions navigating polarized environments that are vulnerable to narrative attack. This session gives philanthropy leaders a practical framework for understanding, evaluating, and funding narrative resilience across the fields they support, moving communications from an afterthought to a strategic investment.

The Language of War and Peace: This theme explores how language both reflects and shapes the social conditions in which it is used–shifting in meaning, tone, and intent during times of “normalcy” versus times of conflict. In periods of heightened political and social tension, words become even more provocative. Through an examination of how these linguistic frameworks operate, this session invites communicators, advocates, and leaders to become more intentional in order to engage audiences to advance social change in a variety of circumstances.

Strategic Communications in Polarizing Times: In a climate defined by polarization and harmful narratives, the role of strategic communications has never been more vital. Communications offers an essential pathway that can shape how organizations respond to conflict, engage across ideological divides, and uphold truth in the face of distortion. This talk examines how communications can serve as both a stabilizing force and a catalyst for progress.

Formats:

All sessions are available as:

• Keynote — 30 to 45 minutes.
• Workshop — 60 to 90 minutes, with structured small group application.
• Fireside chat or panel — adaptable to conference format and co-presenters.
• Podcast or media appearance — available for long-form conversation on narrative, democracy, and philanthropic communications strategy.

Accolades