What influence plays are being run against us? How do they work? And how are they countered or co-opted? During this episode, Alan Kelly discusses strategic communications and how his Taxonomy of Influence Strategies may be used to see past the messaging and into the motives of competitors. His recently published co-authored piece, "Decoding Crimea," contains a compelling case study that taps his taxonomy to expose the moves and methods of Vladimir Putin's IO playbook. Link to show notes and resources here.

Bio: Alan Kelly is a strategist, author, lecturer, political analyst, and award-winning Silicon Valley entrepreneur. He is Founder and Principal of Playmaker Systems, LLC, a Bethesda MD-based strategy and analytics firm. Kelly's work is driven by a simple idea: That influence – like chemistry, biology and even music – can be decoded and managed through a standard system of unique units. He holds a MA in Communication Research from Stanford and a BA in Public Relations from USC. Follow him on Twitter at the handle @playmakeralan.

IPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain.

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Or, you can connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell on LinkedIn.