Winning Edge

Since 2020, local news organizations have increasingly conducted interviews via Zoom.  To improve your look on Zoom, focus on:   1. Lighting      - Use three-point lighting: two adjustable LED lights on either side of the camera and one background light      - Fine-tune brightness with dimmable lights   2. Camera      - Position camera slightly above eye level (3-6 inches)      - Use a laptop came...

TV interviews come in two forms: in-studio and field interviews Ask if the interview is live or pre-recorded and how long it will be For in-studio interviews: Wear solid colors, avoid noisy jewelry, and expect to be mic'd up Determine your one main point and 4-5 talking points (20-30 seconds each) Practice answers, watch other candidates' interviews, and stay focused on the conversation...

Candidates will encounter two main types of radio interviews: Talk Radio and News Radio For Talk Radio interviews (5-8 minutes, live): Plan: Know your audience, have one main point, prepare stories, and decide on the emotion to convey Practice: Tell stories quickly and engagingly, and rehearse answers to potential questions Personality: Compliment the host and amp up your personality by 10-15% For...

Answering unscripted questions is like using a microwave: you have to respond spontaneously in seconds To make a spontaneous answer great, use structure and time constraints Two tactics for concise and effective unscripted answers: 2-Point Tactic Listen closely to the question and pause to gather thoughts Say, "That's a good question. It comes down to two things." State your first p...

Five tactics to handle challenging questions:  Bridging: Acknowledge the question, then pivot to your key message  Reframing: Clarify your stance and move the conversation to favorable ground  Three R's (Regret, Reason, Remedy): Show humility, provide context, and offer a solution  Flagging: Verbally highlight your most important points  Personalizing: Use short stories to relate and resonate...

Link to Flowchart and onepager Link to Episode 18 with the 4 Steps to Start Your Fundraising (this has a sample pitch to use) Introduction Frank and Lillian Gilbreth's pioneering work in efficiency and flow charts Applying their principles to create a fundraising flow chart for political campaigns Estimating the minimum number of donors needed to win Formula: Campaign's estimated cost di...

For the handout that accompanies this episode click here Richard Oglesby crafted a powerful character story for Abraham Lincoln in 1860 that resonated with voters and helped launch Lincoln to the presidency. Oglesby portrayed Lincoln as a "railsplitter" - a self-made man who had done hard manual labor and could relate to working-class voters, despite now being an accomplished speaker and...

Knickerbocker Ice Company was once the largest ice vendor, but was disrupted by technology and innovation from companies like York Manufacturing Company To survive, businesses need to identify fundamentals that don't change while adapting to changing technologies For campaigns, the fundamental is that the most effective way to win votes is talking with individual voters, but time is limited C...

Winning Edge gives you the tools you need to lead and influence in the political and policy arenas. Every other week, Winning Edge releases short (approximately 5-minute) spots—or “snacks”—focused on one of four areas: fundraising, media, policy, or persuasion. Winning Edge gives you the tools you need to lead and influence in the political and policy arenas. Every other week, Winning Edge release...

Fundraising can be daunting, but remember you're finding donor partners who want to see change happen Four steps to jump-start your campaign fundraising: 1. Calculate the minimum number of donors needed to win Estimate total funds needed and divide by max donation amount (e.g., $2,000-$3,000) 2. Make a list of 35 potential donors Include previous donors, friends and family, and known politica...

The Four Insights Assessment is a quick, efficient way to evaluate your fundraising operation The four questions to ask: 1. What Works? - Identify successful strategies, effective tools, and good team dynamics 2. What's Broken? - List everything that's not working in your fundraising 3. What's Confused? - Identify areas causing confusion, such as muddled strategies or unclear commun...

Exposure-based therapy relies on repeated, controlled exposure to a fear to diminish its impact Fundraising can be intimidating, but the ladder technique can help overcome fears and raise money The Fundraising Ladder Technique: 1. Set a consistent time dedicated to fundraising activities (e.g., 20 minutes daily) 2. Set a process-based goal that's easily attainable (e.g., make one donor phone...

Imagine being a Republican elected to Congress in 1978 during Jimmy Carter's presidency The Republican caucus was full of well-intentioned but beaten-down members who had been in the minority too long Newt Gingrich faced repeated setbacks in trying to gain a majority in Congress Despite election losses in 1980, 1982, and 1984, Gingrich and his allies chose a path of cheerful persistence Gingr...

Failing to thank donors is one of the worst things that can happen in fundraising Create a redundant system, where if one thing goes wrong, there is a backup Example: The A-10 Warthog aircraft's design is built on redundant systems, ensuring functionality even when taking enemy fire Apply the lesson of redundancy to ensure donors get thanked for their campaign donations Use a 3-part thank you...

Fundraising is a learnable skill, not a mystical talent The first challenge is having the right mindset: think of yourself as a partner with donors The second challenge is creating a fundraising plan by figuring out two numbers: 1. How much you need to raise 2. The minimum number of donors needed to win Determine the amount by asking people who have won similar seats and using a rough average Calc...

Persuading swing voters to support your cause involves convincing them to keep or reject the status quo To convince voters to reject the status quo, you need a two-part message: 1. Discuss the problems with the status quo 2. Show you have a plan and why they should trust your solution When discussing the status quo's problems, help voters update their opinion without feeling wrong: Pick a fai...

The last three questions to answer for a persuasive one-pager: 4. What's the Data? - Present clear data to arm decision-makers with facts Decide on the emotion you want to create and how to present the data 5. What's the Story? - Add a memorable story that reinforces the appropriate emotional response Choose a story type (case study, testimonial, etc.) that evokes emotion 6. What's...

Here’s the secret to meetings no one ever tells you: "The person with a piece of paper usually wins" in meetings Six questions to create a persuasive one-pager: 1. What's the Bottom Line? - Clearly state the action you want decision-makers to take 2. What's the Problem? - Define the problem from the decision-makers' perspective 3. What's the Solution? - Communicate th...

Sherwood Schwartz, the creator of Gilligan's Island, used the show's opening theme song to provide context and clarity for the audience Framing matters in persuasive speaking because "the confused are not persuaded" Three persuasive frames for a speech, according to copywriter Will Green: 1. The Expert: Persuades with an appeal to logic, facts, and expertise Tone and pacing are...

In May 1940, Winston Churchill became Prime Minister after a silent pause changed the course of a meeting Churchill knew that sometimes the best persuasion is to pause and let the silence do the work Three types of pauses to use when speaking: 1. Long Pause (4-5 seconds): Focuses or refocuses the audience's attention 2. Medium Pause (2-3 seconds): Gives words room to work, allowing the audien...

George Creel faced the challenge of boosting public support for World War I in 1917 Donald Ryerson proposed the 4 Minute Men program: Grassroots network of local speakers delivering speeches during film reel changes Focused on a single issue and action for the audience Recruited and trained over 75,000 speakers, delivering nearly a million speeches The program's success relied on a persuasive...

This episode focuses on showing rather than just talking about a graph First, ask if the chosen graph type (line, bar, stacked bar, etc.) is the best fit Decide on the emotion you want to evoke in your target audience (surprise, outrage, curiosity, etc.) For this example, the goal is to create curiosity and encourage the decision-maker to ask questions To simplify and clean up a graph, remember LL...

Data can be boring, but turning it into a mystery can make it interesting and memorable To persuade effectively, remember: One Person and One Point One Person: Imagine a single listener and their context One Point: Decide the main point you want them to remember a week later To create mystery numbers: 1. Start with intrigue about a number 2. Reveal part of the answer 3. Reveal a little more 4. Sum...

Data is subjective and a snapshot of the past Use intuitive tools from phone photography to judge if you're being persuaded by bad data Five tests to evaluate data: 1. Selfie Test: Is the data self-reported or from an objective 3rd party? 2. Zoom Test: Would zooming in or out change the interpretation? 3. Crop Test: What context is missing or excluded? 4. Video Test: Would a data series provi...

Persuasion requires both an emotional response and supporting logic and facts Too many facts can cause people to lose interest Three key ways to persuade with numbers: 1. Have a Translation Sentence Provide context for numbers, like translating a foreign language Example: Explain the state budget deficit in relatable terms 2. Round and Make Concrete Be memorable and directionally accurate rather t...