Pete Seat

When you leave the room, you lose the argument. So why aren’t you in every room? In a keynote built to meet the moment, filled with memorable anecdotes from feisty live television debates and unexpected real-world interactions, former White House spokesman and regular CNN and Fox News guest commentator Pete Seat demonstrates why the fight for reality doesn’t happen in echo chambers and the real work of persuasion requires going into uncomfortable places where people don’t already agree with you.

Key Takeaways:

• The ‘Never Be Afraid To Play Away Games’ Playbook – Ready to break down siloes, crack algorithms and persuade people outside your comfort zone? Pete Seat will outline his personal playbook for excelling at, and even enjoying, away games: show up, do your homework, tell the truth, correct the record, and know some history from before you were born.

John F. Kennedy said, “The essence of decision making is opaque even to the decision maker.” This keynote aims to change that. Combining firsthand experience working inside the West Wing with lessons from his course on the American Presidency at the University of Arizona, former White House spokesman and adjunct professor Pete Seat takes audiences behind the scenes of presidential decision-making to reveal what every leader, in any field, and in any community, can learn from the people who have occupied the Oval Office. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Fact-Finding Missions – How to empower your team to collect the best information, both good and bad. 
• The Decision-Making Mindset – Understand how to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally to make consequential decisions under pressure. 
• The Option Always Available & Sometimes Preferable – There is Option A and Option B. But sometimes the smartest move is the one that doesn’t feel like a move at all. 
• You Can’t Control Everything – The path to finding peace of mind and strength amid the chaos of politics and life. 
• Yes, And… – Discover how to set and drive the agenda using the foundational principle of improvisational theater.

Every day in politics is a week, each week is a year, and a year is a lifetime. And yet, too many prognosticators are still reading yesterday’s playbook in search of today’s tea leaves. In a timely and candid keynote or private briefing tailored to your business, group or association, former White House spokesman and regular CNN and Fox News guest commentator Pete Seat brings the political conversation from the television studio to your stage with fresh, up-to-the-minute insights into the players, the pressures, and what might be on the horizon. 

Key Takeaways:

• The Incentive Structure – Understand who is doing what, why are they doing it, and which audiences they are trying to satisfy.
• The Coalition Shift – Alliances are shifting under our feet, with minor political earthquakes upsetting the political balance before we fully adjust to the latest status quo. Explore who’s in alliance with whom and how long it will last.
• The Narrative Battle – Messages often matter more than messengers. Learn how credible candidates, viable parties, and engaged voters can transcend the knee-jerk talking points to better understand and influence the process.
• The Pulse – Hear how the D.C. Disconnect misunderstands voters in the Heartland and what is on their hearts, minds, and policy wish list.

Hiding sounds smart. Retreat feels safe. But engagement remains the winning strategy for America. In this provocative and urgent keynote, Atlantic Council Millennium Fellow and international news commentator Pete Seat makes the case for re-embracing America’s emotionally exhausting burden as a global superpower, why that burden matters to everyday Americans, and how strategic involvement outside our borders strengthens the country inside our borders.

Key Takeaways: 

• The World Order’s Midlife Crisis – Facing a midlife crisis, the post-World War II liberal world order is confused, discouraged, and questioning its future. Consider how this is yet again a moment for America to bring clarity to chaos and chart the path forward for the whole world.
• The Perils of Isolationism and the Promise of Engagement – Isolationism is antithetical to America’s interests. Canada can go full on restraint. Mexico can retrench. Understand why America, unlike our neighbors, can’t isolate and why engagement is essential.
• The Eight Global Challenges – From a rising China to an increasingly belligerent Russia, explore how America and its closest allies are the only countries with the know-how and might to address the biggest challenges we face.
• The Moments of Crystallization – Hear how visits to the Turkish-Syrian border, the United Arab Emirates, Cuba, and several NATO summits shaped Pete Seat’s view of America’s role in the world.