Winning Edge

The Mini Golf Story: Garnet Carter created first Tom Thumb Golf course as temporary solution for delayed full golf course Added obstacles: logs, rocks, things to shoot around More popular than full-size course when it opened Franchised thousands of courses across the country Success: simple, affordable, easy to replicate Why Mini Golf Worked: Took something big and intimidating (golf) and made it...

The Rock City Story: 1936: Garnet Carter needed to advertise his tourist attraction on Lookout Mountain During the Depression, couldn't afford traditional advertising Hired painter Clark Byer to paint "See Rock City" on 900 barns across 19 states Offered free barn painting in exchange for advertising space Win-win: farmers got painted barns, tickets, and branded items Rock City stay...

"Being Popular Doesn't Balance the Budget": The Challenge: Governor Josh Shapiro positions himself as moderate but governs as liberal Most popular politician in PA due to political talent and millions spent on public persona Voters don't like his policies, especially the budget Largest proposed budget in PA history: over $50 billion with $5 billion deficit The Three-Step Approa...

Historical Context: 1965: Darrell Huff testified before U.S. Senate about misleading statistics Author of "How to Lie with Statistics" - best-selling statistics book ever Secret: Tobacco industry paid him to discredit smoking-cancer studies Was working on unpublished book: "How to Lie with Smoking Statistics" Three Quick Tests to Spot Misleading Stats: 1. The Zoom Test Ask: How...

The Scale of Growth: Pennsylvania's population: grown only 10% in 50 years State government budget: increased over 40% in just 5 years Governor Shapiro's budget: crosses $50 billion mark for first time in history The Challenge: Big budget numbers are hard for voters to understand Few people grasp the difference between millions and billions Need to make numbers relatable and memorable Th...

9 Insights from the Latest PA Polling: Governor Shapiro's Standing: 58% favorable, 24% unfavorable rating personally But voters don't like his budget 9 Key Poll Insights: 1. Cautious Optimism About PA's Direction 47% say state is on right track 39% say wrong track 2. Don't Touch the Rainy-Day Fund 66% call it fiscally irresponsible to drain fund for budget balancing Only 22% th...

Historical Context: 1996: President Bill Clinton signed welfare reform despite internal opposition Signed due to political reality that the public wanted reform Current Poll Results (Communication Concepts, May 31-June 3, 2025): Over 620 Pennsylvanians surveyed Strong support for welfare reform measures Key Poll Numbers: Put in the Work: 78% support welfare work requirements for able-bodied adults...

The Peter Marsh Story - British Rail (1977): Ad executive faced challenge of marketing failing British Rail system Trains didn't run on time, ridership falling, public hated experience Marsh staged a powerful demonstration for British Rail executives Created filthy lobby experience to show them what customers felt Won the account by making them experience the problem firsthand Led to "Ag...

The Power of the Second Story: Jimmy Breslin's famous 1963 article about Clifton Pollard , the man who dug President Kennedy's grave Breslin focused on a different perspective instead of covering the main story This approach creates more memorable, impactful pieces Examples of Second Stories for Memorial Day: The Last Local Soldier Story of Lance Cpl. Steven A. Rickerson, last Warren Cou...

School Choice Messaging: One Statistic, One Story, One Solution Tailoring School Choice Messages to Different Regions: Key Statistic: Pennsylvania spends nearly $22,000 per student (top 10 nationally) Despite high spending, test scores continue to decline Regional Messaging Approaches: Suburban Areas: Emphasize that students are unique One-size-fits-all system doesn't work for every family Hi...

The Hand Framework for Persuasive Speeches: Thumb - The Goal What you want your audience to dd, and why they aren't doing it already? Shapes every part of your talk Index Finger - The Hook Start strong to grab attention Options: Personal story (builds trust) Problem story (sets up challenge) Curiosity story (opens a loop) One surprising statistic One thought-provoking question Middle Finger -...

Applying "One Statistic, One Story, One Solution" to Education Reform: One Strong Statistic: $22,000 in funding per student in Pennsylvania Supporting number: Nearly $7 billion in school district reserves One Compelling Story: Pennsylvania's education system story arc: More funding, more teachers, more programs Yet outcomes keep getting worse Enrollment down, spending up Test scores...

The 10 Call Rule: How 1 Hour a Week Transforms Fundraising Zig Ziglar's principle: "You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great" Persistence matters more than perfection in fundraising Problems with delaying fundraising until election years: Skills get rusty Missed opportunities to build a war chest The 10 Call Rule: Block one hour each week specifica...

The Noun Exercise - Finding the Right Story: Challenge: Identifying compelling stories that illustrate policy impacts Solution: Use the "Noun Exercise" from Kindra Hall's book " Stories That Stick " Three-Step Process: Identify the People List individuals affected by the policy (e.g., fracking workers, small business owners) Look for specific individuals who come to mind I...

Regional Approach - Tailoring the Message: Consider regional perspectives (Bucks County vs. Westmoreland County) Simplify complex issues like RGGI (Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative) One Strong Statistic: "Pennsylvania's CO2 emissions dropped 10.8% from 2022 to 2023" Bucks County (Moderate/Suburban) Framing: Acknowledge environmental concerns Highlight clean electricity progress Em...

One Strong Statistic: State spending has grown 40% in five years to $50 billion Create contrast: Government grew 40% while average paychecks barely changed Focus on memorability over precision One Relatable Story: Compare personal income growth since 2020 to government spending Make numbers personal: "Do you make 40% more than in 2020?" Show impact on working families One Clear Solution...

Florence Nightingale's persuasive approach to reforming military hospitals: One Statistic Need clear, memorable number Help people realize seriousness of problem Example: 2,800 preventable deaths in one month One Story Brain wired to remember stories Combine with striking statistic for power Allows listeners to update their thinking One Solution Focus on clear, specific action Make it achieva...

Franklin's "Join, or Die" snake cartoon became America's first political cartoon Simple image of snake cut into parts representing colonies Became 18th-century version of viral meme Franklin's visual persuasion principles: Keep it Simple Create visuals understood in under 5 seconds Avoid complex charts or detailed graphs Use What's There Look for powerful visuals in y...

The Scrooge Story Strategy Dickens' insight: People are moved by stories, not statistics A Christmas Carol changed public opinion and led to real policy changes The Scrooge Story Strategy - Three-Part Framework: Look Back Show where we've been Create nostalgia and hope Demonstrate change is possible Look Down Highlight current challenges Create a sense of urgency Show what's being l...

The election is over and here's what to do next.  For Candidates Who Didn't Win: Keep the Network Maintain connections with supporters and donors Send handwritten thank-you notes Give Yourself Time Process the results Appreciate skills gained and lessons learned Conduct a Post-mortem Document what worked and what didn't Record details while fresh Take the Longview View this as one c...

Scott Sagan's quote: "Things that have never happened before happen all the time" Amanda Ripley's Survival Arc: Denial Deliberation Decisive Action OODA Loop for rapid decision-making: Observe the situation Orient yourself to think about changes Decide on a course of action Act on your decision Strategies for unexpected campaign situations: Tough Question: Use two points or sto...

The Feel, Felt, Found technique is a classic sales approach for connecting with people It involves three steps: Feel: Acknowledge someone's concern Felt: Explain that you and others have felt the same Found: Share how to solve or fix the issue Example on rising crime: Feel: Understand their concern about safety Felt: Many families share the same frustration Found: Propose solutions like locki...

Eisenhower's 1952 "I will go to Korea" speech provides a template for addressing undecided voters Key elements of Eisenhower's approach: Respect and honor past sacrifices Show what's changed and offer a plan Provide a path forward free from blame Undecided voters want to feel they're making the "right" decision Strategy to help undecided voters feel confiden...

Close elections happen frequently, with some decided by just 1 or 2 votes Door-to-door campaigning is a secret weapon for reaching undecided voters Personal follow-up with a handwritten postcard can leave a lasting impression Postcard Strategy: Order postcards with campaign logo/picture on one side Write three lines: Friendly reminder Personal connection or issue focus Clear ask for their vote Pos...

Importance of listening to voters' actual words: Voters often use specific phrases to describe election issues These phrases can be powerful for campaign messaging Examples: "Figure out the election" - used by non-voters to explain why they didn't vote "Shady" - used to describe a casino developer, which became a central campaign theme "Voice of the Voter" c...