Strategic Strikes: Mastering Your Communications in the Cage Match of Public Opinion

Strategic Strikes is not for the faint-hearted communicator. Patrick Riccards—a veteran strategist with decades in political warfare, crisis PR, and nonprofit leadership—offers a blunt, battle-tested guide to mastering communications when the stakes are high and the plan’s gone to hell. Drawing parallels between strategic communications and mixed martial arts, Riccards shows that survival isn’t about polish—it’s about instinct, precision, and pressure-tested strategy. From corporate disasters to campaign collapses, his stories reveal what really works when you’re backed into a corner and the cameras are rolling. You’ll learn how to: Spot and counteract bias in media and public perception Strike first with messaging that hits—and sticks Read your audience like a fighter reads an opponent No buzzwords. No fluff. Just the hard truths about how to lead communications under pressure, drawn from real-world experience. If you’re tired of stale PR tactics and ready to dominate the narrative, this is your book. Public opinion is a cage match. Stop dancing. Start striking.