This is a free in-depth guide to creating communications that is clear and persuasive. Everything from strategy to messaging to framing.
Voters deserve better
Here’s some advice politicians and their staff would do well to take: stop giving voters the impression you don’t care.
Three things Democrats must do to win
It was another bruising election cycle for Democrats. There are three things Democrats must fix before 2016 or it will be more of the same.
Three notes you must hit when making a political TV ad
Can you guess which of these political ads works? The major political parties are off and running in New Zealand’s federal election.
The Political Mind — George Lakoff
If Don’t Think of an Elephant! has been checked off your list, the next stop for persuasive language is George Lakoff’s The Political Mind.
Words that Work by Frank Luntz
Frank Luntz’s Words that Work is a valuable part of the toolkit for communicators. It’s full of great lessons in creating language that works.
Why you should limit facts and figures
Speakers who rely on facts and figures risk losing their audience. Aristotle’s third mode of persuasion, logos, should be used sparingly.
A language case study: ‘inequality’ and ‘opportunity’
President Obama’s “opportunity agenda” is a reminder that to get to the right solutions, you first need the right language. Framing matters.
Don’t Think of an Elephant! by George Lakoff
Conservatives have dominated most debates since Nixon. George Lakoff tells us how this has happened and how progressives should respond.