Research

The Thinking Behind Our Work

We analyse discursive terrains, actual and virtual, to identity what is being said, by whom, and in what context. This enables stakeholders to engage meaningfully in conversations that matter to communicate authentically and build trust with populations.

We help organisations understand how primary and secondary conversations are evolving globally. How they are moulding the way publics think, where they will come to place their trust, and what people hold to be authentic and legitimate in their politics and daily lives. Without this understanding, stakeholders risk missing opportunities to direct discourses to their benefit in the competitive and contested global information environment.

Driven by Ideas. United by Purpose.

Sympodium’s vision centres on adaptability and growth. Beyond its core postgraduate programme we provide confidential counsel and research to leaders that explain the fast-moving, multidimensional, geopolitical, and socio-cultural developments. Consequently, they are more equipped to anticipate change and respond in alliance with established norms and values. This positions organisations for long-term success.

Our approach, from ideation, curation, and delivery, is shaped by our mission to connect Strategic Communications professionals and cultivate a global network rooted in shared liberal democratic values.

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Articles

Thinking in Practice

Read the latest from Sympodium’s network.

Dr Neville Bolt & Ms Elina Lange-Ionatamishvili

The NextGen Information Environment

The NATO StratCom COE’s NextGen Information Environment report was launched at this year’s Munich Security Conference on the 13th February.

The report was the culmination of a year of in-depth research meetings conducted with many of the world’s leading technology thinkers. It was written by Dr Neville Bolt and Elina Lange Ionatamišvili in an association between NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence and Sympodium Institute for Strategic Communications. Janis Sarts (Director of the COE) and Dr Neville Bolt (Founder & Director of Sympodium) presented a picture of a rapidly changing technology landscape with dramatic implications for democratic states, governments, and their citizens.

Among those attending the session were Edgars Rinkēvičs, President of Latvia; Alexander Stubb, President of Finland; and senior leaders from transnational corporations Goldman Sachs, Bayer AG, IBM, as well as international technology companies and think tanks.

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Dr Neville Bolt

The Future Is More Than What Happens Next: Strategic Communications and the Twenty-First Century

Dr Neville Bolt explores how Strategic Communications in the twenty-first century must evolve beyond reactive messaging to proactively shape enduring narratives that influence global perceptions and values.

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Andrew Cheatham

State of Disrepair: Technological Ambition, Global Fragmentation, and the End of the Postwar Order

Andrew Cheatham examines how accelerating technological ambition and increasing global fragmentation are driving the decline of the postwar international order, threatening long-standing institutions and norms.

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Maria Golubeva

Germany’s Democracy between ‘Battlesome’ and Embattled

Dr Maria Golubeva explores how Germany’s democratic system, while still robust and marked by lively political contestation, is increasingly strained by rising populism, extremist narratives, and the erosion of consensus around democratic values. She argues that strategic communication is essential to reinforcing democratic resilience in the face of these internal and external pressures.

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Paul Bell

The Tyranny of Hope

In this article, Paul Bell explores how Western Strategic Communication is hindered by a persistent reliance on overly optimistic narratives, what he terms the “tyranny of hope”, which distorts reality, erodes credibility, and impairs the effectiveness of influence campaigns.

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Dr Vera Michlin-Shapir

The Long Decade of Disinformation

Dr. Michlin-Shapir argues that to effectively confront today’s information threats, we must move beyond traditional understandings that focus narrowly on falsehoods or propaganda. Instead, she calls for a broader perspective that recognizes information manipulation as a tool of influence, often exploiting truthful content and existing social divisions to undermine and subvert democratic cohesion.

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