Briefing Book

Click here to view/download the 2026 Leaders Summit Briefing Book.

By The Communications Network

On April 8–9, 2026, 65 Circles and LOCAL leaders gathered in New York City for The Communications Network's first-ever Leaders Summit.

Hearing from experts at Unify America, IDEO.org, and the Rockefeller Foundation's Connected Leaders Platform, the lessons that came out centered around why most of what we call communications isn't working, the four ingredients of community, the tension between stewarding a community and distributing ownership of it, why an event is a communications strategy, how to get better at listening, and the case for starting with a goal, not a problem.

Six insights worth chewing on, five low-lift experiments to try before your next gathering, and three questions the room didn't resolve — and probably shouldn't.

We're proud to make these lessons available to all.