What Does Our Name, “Basic Premise,” Mean?
Welcome!
People often ask, what does the name “Basic Premise” mean?
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A basic premise is how you assume the world works, without even thinking about it. For instance, we all just assume that gravity will keep us grounded—it’s a basic premise of our lives.
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Successful companies regularly ask themselves, “What business are we really in?” In doing so, they’re checking their basic premise. In the nonprofit sector, today’s survivors — and tomorrow’s successes — will be those who periodically make sure their basic premises are both sound and operational (which aren’t the same thing).
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Here are examples of “basic premises” that have informed past work I’ve done, and which is showcased on this Web site.
- For democratic public policy change, citizens must understand the terms of the debate.
- Activism and engagement can be contagious.
- Large, powerful public institutions, whether government or NGOs, should be accountable to the public whose good they exist to serve.
- Public fear can be channeled into productive community activity.
- High quality content is always important.
Having a sound basic premise is no guarantee of success. On the other hand, working on the basis of deeply flawed assumptions — for instance, that there’s a good chance of winning the lottery— will, eventually, lead to failure.
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And so, working with our clients, we like to start from the basics. Clarity, we’ve discovered, makes for powerful PR campaigns that stay on message.
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We’d love to hear about your organization, and schedule a brainstorming session about your campaign or special project needs.
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Sincerely,
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Ellen Freudenheim, MA, MPH
President & Founder
basic • premise communications, LLC
Brooklyn, N.Y.
bpcinfo@basicpremise.com
(718) 923 – 0006
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Testimonial
Ellen consistently produced high quality content for our baby-booomer oriented website. She understood our market, and was brimming with good ideas and useful contacts. ~ Gail Ross, Phd, Co-founder, Boomster.com
