Through the window of the Ruder Finn Washington, D.C., offi ces on K Street there is an American fl ag refl ected in the mirrored panel of the building across the street. Th e weather is changeable today, and Old Glory alternates between rippling robust majesty as it is buoyed by the wind to dejected and limp when the gusts die down. Th is is not unlike the bipolar mood in Washington— alternating between political exhilaration and economic despair. Long thought of as a recession-proof company town with Uncle Sam as the CEO, Washington is not immune from the pain of the current economic crisis.

In additional to the economic insecurity, there is the quotidian annoyance that it is also almost impossible to get to the offi ce. We are presently surrounded by the Obama family cordon. As they await their new digs at the White House (at the time of this writing), the family is staying a block away from our offi ce at the Hay Adams Hotel. I have to remind myself to send a note over to the Obamas to discourage them from ordering the duck confi t at the Hay Adams—very chewy. As the Obama girls shuffl e off to school, movies, and restaurants in a vain attempt keep things “normal,” they have created a gridlock worthy of a Hieronymus Bosch triptych.

Along Constitution Avenue the reviewing stands and scaff olding have taken over the sidewalks. Every day the predicted number of visitors for Inauguration Day rises—we are up to 5 million. Th e District has extended the legal hours for serving alcohol until 5 a.m. Great idea—alcohol is always a welcome addition to a throng of millions! We are told there will be frozen zones from which we won’t be able to move for 48 hours; sounds intriguing—like a big game of freeze tag, except with guns. Lest this sound bleak, there are, however, opportunities: one of our team here has swapped houses during inaugural week for a slope-side condo in Park City, Utah.

Change is imminent. For many months, we have listened to the candidates, embraced or rejected the rhetoric and all universally tired of references to Joe the Plumber. Now that the election is over, we all anxiously await what Change will mean. Some of the policies can be anticipated, but ultimately Change is a category that must be defi ned and fi lled. The category remains callow, but promising. What will the Change bring?

There are real change opportunities. Organizations, institutions and companies who have a stake in the Change era must emerge early to fi nd their voices to inform the dialogue. Th ere will be new power centers, diff erent individuals, shifts in infl uencers and mindshare and new listeners and audiences. Navigating these emergent shifts will be critical but potentially quite rewarding. There are a number of areas where there is something quite real at stake—where we really should be poised for meaningful Change. It is a time for busting old paradigms and for changing normative notions of how things get done and who does them. Innovation, ideas and action must come not only from government, but from industry, academic institutions, individuals and the multiplicity of organizations that collectively all have so much at stake. Big problems require even bigger answers.

It is a time to re-examine fundamental questions: from how we get from one place to another, heat and cool our homes, and decide what we eat to how we care for the health of ourselves and our families. Organizations and institutions that haven’t had much of a voice in the past decade have renewed opportunities for getting their messages out and contributing to meaningful Change. Everything is in play.

As we communicate in this dynamic, shifting marketplace of ideas, the traditional media voices will be important, as will the broader, more democratic voices that social media have empowered. Th e Change era will be ripe with opportunity, but to infl uence real political outcomes, it will be important to make communication meaningful and relevant. Here are a few things to remember:

• Take advantage of the opportunity to move or broaden the debate. Issues that have heretofore been off the table, taboo, or politically unthinkable are now possible.

• Educate the media and key stakeholders on the issues. Make linkages and arguments that make complex problems and technical solutions easy to comprehend and relevant.

• Move from slogans to substance.

• Keep it simple, but keep it real.

• Make connections among key issues and tie into current trends.

• Find partners and forge alliances to make your position stronger and your voice more powerful.

Positive Energy

One of the most promising Change areas will be in energy policy. President Obama’s appointment for Energy Secretary harkens real Change in this sector. Dr. Steven Chu is a scientist—a scientist who believes in the power of research, is an advocate for renewable energy and already has accepted our collective role in climate change. Th is particular Change category will open the door for new technologies to emerge as viable. It will also allow the United States to assume a leadership role as the world continues to address emissions issues and climate change.

Updating the Grid

Meaningful change will also require rethinking our nation’s energy infrastructure. We can hope for and expect policies that support renewable energy through incentives and Research and Development tax credits. Th e Obama campaign promised to require ten percent of electricity to come from clean, sustainable energy sources—including solar, wind and geothermal—by the year 2012. We can hope that government investment and visible leadership in this area will encourage the private sector to make the needed investments in renewable energy.

Achieving energy efficiency will require signifi cant innovation in the way we transmit electricity and monitor its use. The new administration has promised to make meaningful investments in our national utility grid using smart metering, distributed storage and other technology. Such an investment will begin to move toward “Grid 2.0,” which can accommodate growing energy requirements while at the same time improving electric grid reliability and security and facilitating renewable energy generation.

How do you create momentum for an issue as complex and multifaceted as overhauling the electrical grid? Th e communications challenge is to build awareness and relevance—to take this extraordinarily complicated issue and distill it into something that resonates and is meaningful to individuals. For many audiences, there is the pressing issue of climate change. For those who remain unconvinced, linking this Change to energy independence and national security as America moves away from relying on foreign oil will be a compelling part of the story. At the same time, this shift can bring jobs to the wounded U.S. economy, which is another important piece of this narrative. Th is will also result in customer choice and energy aff ordability. Now there’s something everyone wants—cheaper prices! Th ose who have a big stake in updating the grid must act swiftly to be part of driving this eff ort, which will require a baseline shift in thinking akin to that which took place during the Eisenhower Administration, when the interstate highway system was built.

People have become aware of the food supply chain and the handling of origin and standards for food in this country, and they have made decisions to buy locally or organically. So too can individuals become more aware of how their energy is generated. Perhaps given the knowledge, people will demand more access to renewable energy sources, just as they have demanded more organic local food. If people are eager and willing to “cowpool”—the neologism for the innovative trend of sharing of the meat of a locally raised cow—then what might they think of for energy?

Rethinking Infrastructure Another Change opportunity area will be in infrastructure. Taking a page from FDR’s Public Works Administration playbook, Obama has promised to invest in America’s infrastructure. Th rough this investment he hopes not only to create jobs, but to make much-needed improvements to roads, bridges, schools and hospitals.

The federal gasoline tax has funded our nation’s transportation infrastructure for decades. Th is has proven an inherently flawed policy; as vehicles become more fuel efficient, they will need fewer gallons of gas—same tax, so less money for our nation’s aging infrastructure. Think too of the failed policy of Corporate Average Fuel Effi ciency (CAFE) Standards. The policy failure, or loophole, to raise those standards for light trucks resulted in the emergence and boom of the SUV. Instead of moving toward smaller, more effi cient cars, for years, Americans bought bigger and bigger vehicles whose fuel effi ciency barely made it into the two digits. Some companies have chosen to pay the fi nes for not meeting these standards, rather than to actually innovate and make the required improvements to their products. We can only hope that Change will mean that we in the United States can soon buy here those slick new cars that you can only buy in Europe that get fi fty miles to the gallon. And we hope that change will mean policies that encourage innovation, cleaner cars and better ways to fund this country’s infrastructure.

The Chicago area’s Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation and Effi ciency Program (CREATE) may serve as an example of Obama’s thinking. This is a $.5 B of public private partnerships whose mission is to improve rail and reduce congestion. Obama’s home state of Illinois has been the leader in the U.S. on public private partnerships, with groundbreaking deals such as the Chicago Skyway, the Illinois toll road, and, more recently, the privatization of Midway Airport and the Chicago Parking meters—all bringing needed cash to government, while at the same time creating great opportunities for investors in the infrastructure space. Privatization of infrastructure has its opponents, however. People in this country expect that the government will take care of roads, bridges and highways. Nice work if you can get it, but anyone who has driven on the perfectly maintained, traffic-free Dulles Greenway will attest that if privatization means no congestion and more effi cient use of our time, we’re all for it.

So the Change category on infrastructure is intended to create jobs and to rebuild, and, one hopes, rethink how we move from one place to another. As a denizen of our National Capitol Region, daily commutes can be anywhere from 90 minutes to 4 hours. And it’s not just in big cities in the East. Places like Honolulu are asking for rail as hotel workers there often have to sleep in their cars rather than fight the traffic to and from the city.

Last year, the New York State legislature killed the congestion pricing initiative the city was considering before any real proposals could be debated. This despite the fact that cities throughout the world have used similar policies to reduce traffic, ease congestion and decrease pollution. So whether it is transit, private toll lanes, cordon or congestion pricing, Change is coming, and for those of us trying to get to work every day in a major metropolitan area, rethinking and revitalizing our nation’s infrastructure is long overdue.

So for communication in the Change era, privatization of infrastructure must be linked to shorter commute times, more time with family, better services, safer roads and more job opportunities. Leave the details of the long-term leases and the complex consortia of bidders to the technocrats.

These are just some of the areas that will feel the impact of Change. Most of us are stakeholders in one way or another.

At the moment, the Change cup is half full. Th ere are many ways to fi ll it to the brim with the kinds of action that will make our country and our planet a better place. The way we communicate our support for such Change is critical. By being relevant, connected, substantive and informed, we can raise our voices and amplify our messages. The distribution channels are many. Media, the Internet, social networking, advertising, thought leadership, and relationships are all parts of the way to eff ect Change. We must all work to bring about the clean, safe, healthy and effi cient America we all want to live in. That brings to mind the other word of this campaign—Hope.