In the last few weeks, we have seen politicians grappling to find messages that will stick – the ones that will influence attitudes and crucially, votes.
In the Brexit referendum, the controversial “£350 million a week sent to Brussels” claim had a dramatic impact on voters. The former boss of the Vote Leave campaign, Dominic Cummings, believes that Remain would have won without the advert. Trump’s building a “big, beautiful wall” campaign in the 2016 election, was a visual image that struck a chord with many Americans.
In the run-up to July 4th, each party hammers home carefully honed messages on taxes, defence, the environment etc. They hope that at least one will seep through the white noise, maybe making an emotional connection with individual voters. Messages will vary. In some constituencies the emphasis will be on schools, in others, the cost of living, defence or help for first-time buyers.
Political strategists know voters, for the most part, will not be gorging themselves on the 80 plus pages of each manifesto, so key points have to be short, clear and memorable.
While we (definitely) do not suggest our media training delegates talk and act like politicians, the ability to identify key messages that will resonate with an audience, is crucial. It involves careful thought and preparation.
In an ideal world, if you want to be more than tomorrow’s proverbial fish and chip paper – you need the audience to remember something positive about your interview. Work out in advance what you would like this to be.
Also, vary your message according to the audience. If, for instance, you are talking to a regional news programme, the messages and the information need to resonate with this local audience. If the interview is to a professional journal, then the messages will be entirely different.
Using examples and story-telling can make these messages memorable. Plan these in advance and check and double-check your facts.
And finally, remember less is often more. You are not going to land a manifesto-size number of points. Aim for three but actually, one point that sticks, is a result.