Public Trust Sprint
Get clear on what is putting public trust at risk.
A three-week sprint for organizations facing a high-stakes public moment. We identify where process, expectations, listening, or language are creating friction and give leadership a clear plan for what to fix.
The problem
People already have reasons to distrust institutions.
A weak message can make that worse, but the problem often starts earlier: decisions people do not understand, expectations that were never set, information that arrives late, or stakeholders who were never heard.
You may be dealing with:
- A major announcement, hearing, or policy change
- A service disruption or operational change
- Stakeholder resistance
- A controversy that is gaining attention
- A decision that affects people who were not part of making it
Our solution
We find the friction and build the response.
We review the issue, talk with key stakeholders, map where trust is breaking down, and help leadership decide what to say, what to change, and who owns the next move.
What you get
- Issue framing
- Up to 12 stakeholder interviews
- Message + process friction map
- Narrative architecture
- Response playbook
- Executive tabletop
- 30-day action brief
Who this is for
For organizations heading into a high-stakes public moment.
Public agencies, civic institutions, health systems, schools and universities, infrastructure organizations, foundations, nonprofits, and regulated organizations.
The Sprint works best when leadership already knows something feels off and needs a clear read before the situation gets harder to manage.
The process
We work in three steps.
Understand the issue
Leadership intake, document review, and up to 12 stakeholder interviews.
Find the friction
Identify where process, expectations, listening, ownership, or language are creating risk.
Build the response
Create the narrative, response playbook, executive tabletop, and 30-day action plan.
Time + cost
Three weeks. $25,000.
The standard Sprint covers one defined issue. If the timing truly cannot wait, a 10-business-day rapid-response Sprint is $35,000.
24/7 crisis support, litigation communications, polling, and full implementation are outside the Sprint. Implementation can be scoped separately.
Related work
See the work behind the offer.
- City of Dallas: public engagement and communications strategy for the zoning code rewrite →
- Cedar Hill EDC + Chamber: $780K distributed · 69 businesses funded · 35 became Chamber members →
- Dallas County Inland Port: strategic counsel and stakeholder communications across a complex regional initiative →
Next step
Have a high-stakes public moment coming?
Tell us what is happening and what feels risky. We will tell you quickly whether the Public Trust Sprint fits.