I've been writing a lot around these parts about the messaging game that is going on in regards to the selling of ideas and legislature. It may be my marketing background and the way that I see the worst ideas get traction despite the idea that they really don't hold any water.
While it isn't something new to say that the GOP does a much better job of messaging than the Democrats, it also isn't a tough sell to say that we need to find a way to communicate more effectively and that we also need to push our politicians to communicate more effectively.
Or, the Dems will continue to get taken to the woodshed and the country will be much worse off.
Last week I wrote about Seth Godin and his idea of a good PowerPoint presentation in the comments of someone's post, which I can't find now. But, last night I was reading Time and I found this Michele Bachmann
In the article, the writer talks about Bachmann's slides and how they don't sell small things, or bullet points, her slides sell easily understand concepts that can be manipulated in a way that will allow her to connect on a visceral level.
I don't want to belabor the point...its just going over the same territory again and again.
What I do want to do is point out 3 simple things we can do when we are having conversations within the community, not just here, but when we are talking to friends or families about the problems we face and where solutions may be found.
1. Paint Bold Images:
In the Time piece, Michele Bachmann uses numbers that are easy to understand at that are readily conveyable to her followers. To advance our ideas and ideals, lets use that same trick. Talk about someone you know that has a master's degree that can't get a job at Starbucks even, while we are supposed to be listening to the idea that tax cuts to the rich will 'trickle down' even though large corporations are sitting on record amounts of capital that they haven't invested.
2. Make it personal:
In my life, I know that my cousin and I were fortunate enough to have gotten great public school educations, scholarships and Pell Grants that were offered by the government, and other benefits from having been schooled in a well thought out, well funded education environment. In my discussions, I talk to people about the fact that if I go back to the small town in Georgia where I am from, the teachers point to my cousin and I as successes. We took our lessons and have gone out into the world to make a better world. So when you are talking about something like this, paint it personal. Talk about all the missed opportunities that kids are missing out on because they aren't getting rigorous educational opportunities, or teachers aren't being put into a position to succeed. Or, extrapolate that out across any argument, just put meat on the bones and show a real person or two people or groups.
3. Make the message accessible:
On one hand I am very pragmatic. On the other hand, I also realize that if we don't go at things with big ideas, we won't get anywhere. I think that sometimes getting involved in the process or pushing for change seems like too large of a task. But, if you can make it easy for someone to get involved or to make a difference, you have a much better idea of succeeding. Instead of saying, "Look, if you only commit to working for President Obama's campaign for the next 2 years, I am sure we will be able to put things back together and start getting everything turned around." You can say, "Hey, we are going to the School Board meeting on Thursday night, I know you were saying you are worried about the education your son is getting. Would you like to join us?"
I know that this is a little preaching to the choir, but I think the messaging thing is huge. And, I also know how easy it is to get off message. Or, it may even seem like a lot to begin with. But hopefully these three things will make your conversations a little easier.