Briefly, from Austin, allow me to relay some of Mark’s thoughts on political messaging. His perspective is always refreshing and blunt (and, yes, it’s possible to pair the two).
And, do pay attention to this political messaging bit– because no matter what your position or predicament is in this current life, being an effective communicator can only help you personally and professionally.
Here we go:
Effective communication and political messaging
Most campaign staffs and candidates don’t understand messaging or what their political message should be (sadly). We’ve all endured enough ridiculous political cycles to understand this. So, what is a successful message all about? According to message-maker extraordinaire Mark McKinnon, when it comes to political messaging and effective communication here are three simple rules to bear in mind:
- Rationale matters. What’s the rationale for your candidacy? (Or, in my words, what’s the rationale behind your fight?) Wow, wouldn’t it be great if every candidate understood this… Hearken back to Nov. 4, 1979 when then-candidate Ted Kennedy was asked a simple question on 60 Minutes: “Why do you want to be President?” Kennedy had no answer, and guess what, Ronald Reagan ran away with the presidency. Knowing the rationale behind your reason matters.
- Emotion always trumps intellect. Recall the Daisy ad, which I blogged on a few weeks ago. The Johnson campaign was playing off of a fear of nuclear war. It was essentially ‘vote or die’ (as Mark so eloquently put it). Emotion matters.
- Relevance matters. Just as emotion matters, so too does relevance. The reason the Daisy ad was so successful is that the message was relevant to Americans at the time. Americans were in the midst of a long, Cold War and were petrified of the Soviet Union. The message hit home because it was relevant.
The Take Away
Whether you’re campaigning, selling a product, or communicating with your partner – bear in mind rationale, emotion and relevance and see if your success rate goes up.
In terms of the 2010 political cycle, I go back to Clinton’s 1992 political slogan, “it’s the economy stupid.” Americans would be well served if the candidates who are voted into office truly make the economy the No. 1 rationale behind their campaigns and overall agendas. Goodness knows the economy is relevant, and we are all running scared as a result of it.
Sarah Lenti is the blogger behind NMPolitics.net’s The Savvy. E-mail her at sarah@nmpolitics.net.