Name: WonkComms Breakfast Club: Polling for Impact — Why Think Tanks Should Do It
Start: 2026-02-18T09:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-03-03T10:30:00+01:00
Location: Publix

$WonkComms Breakfast Club: Polling for Impact \u2014 Why Think Tanks Should Do It$

Network with fellow think tank comms professionals over coffee and croissants while discussing practical issues of mutual interest.
About this Event

WonkComms by Soapbox, The Think Tank Lab and More in Common cordially invite you to an in-person event:

WonkComms Breakfast Club: Polling for impact — why think tanks should do it, and how to do it well

When: Wednesday, February 18th, 2026, 9:00–10:00

Where: PublixHermannstr. 9012051 Berlin, Germany

An optional 30-minute networking session will immediately follow.

Please register for the session by 13th February .

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Polling can be one of the most powerful tools in a think tank communicator’s toolkit — but it can also be expensive, complex and high-risk if the story gets lost (or worse, gets twisted).

So when and how should think tanks conduct polling? And what does it take to turn data into communication that actually lands with journalists, decision-makers and the public?

Our conversation will be kickstarted by contributions from More in Common and the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), drawing on many years of polling experience and lessons learned from doing this work in real time.

We’ll cover:

Why polling can strengthen advocacy and communications for think tanks
How to design and run a polling project (from goals and questionnaires to fieldwork and data digestion)
How to spot the story in the data — and avoid drowning audiences
Data visualization that clarifies, not overwhelms
Media strategy: outreach, timing and creating a “hook” that travels
Localising polling data so it resonates with cross-market audiences
Communicating responsibly across different audiences — and handling misinterpretation

Coffee, croissants and comms — what could be a better start to your morning?

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Speakers:

Andreas Bock: Head of Communications, European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)

Ana Lob: Policy & Communications Associate, More in Common

Moderated by Wiebke Ewering: Senior Communications Associate More In Common

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Please forward this invitation to any friends and colleagues who you think might be interested. As spaces are limited, registrations will be considered on a first come, first serve basis. So, if you can’t come for any reason, please let us know asap so that we can offer the space to someone else.

If you cannot join us for this session, don’t worry — there will be further WonkComms Breakfast Clubs hosted in Berlin in the coming months. Please follow Soapbox and Think Tank Lab on LinkedIn for announcements, and feel free to get in touch with suggestions for future topics and speakers.

For any questions, please contact John Schwartz ([email protected]) or the Think Tank Lab team ([email protected]).

We look forward to seeing you soon!

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About WonkComms Breakfast Clubs: WonkComms is a global network of think tank communications professionals who share ideas and best practices. Launched in the UK in 2013, the community now stretches across the USA, Latin America and Germany. Our Breakfast Clubs are informal events on issues that matter to comms professionals like you —always practical, always useful and always with coffee. The WonkComms Breakfast Club Berlin is organized by Soapbox and the Think Tank Lab.