Be emotional.
Effective and memorable political messages depend on inspiring emotional responses from voters that drive them to polls. Invigorate your material with emotion suggestive of deep engagement in the issue or situation. Most voters vote with their hearts first.
Draw a picture.
Reduce the issue or situation to a single image or pair of opposing images in which it is clear what is good and what is bad. A criminal walking through a revolving prison door, or a child holding a flower pointed at a soldier with a rifle are strong images. The direct connection between the images and the issue are less important than the positive or negative emotional reactions that they stir in support of your campaign or against your opponent’s campaign.
Use an analogy.
In circumstances where visuals cannot be readily used, describe the situation or issue in terms of a familiar, folksy saying in which it is obvious what is preferable, in a way that even the least sophisticated of voters can understand and appreciate. Associate your opponent with the negative aspect or outcome.
Remove all doubt.
Remove all shading, nuance, or equivocation from your statements about the issue. State that any acknowledgment of complication surrounding the issue by your opponent is a sign of weakness or being “soft” on the matter at hand.
Compare and contrast.
Paint the issue as a conflict in the broadest possible terms, between right and wrong, or good and evil.
Point out that your side is right and good, while the opposition is wrong and evil.
Be Aware
If simplifying a complicated message or stance does not sufficiently boost your stature with voters, shift attention to another issue upon which a firm position may yield clearer results, or prove to be a more significant or complicated liability for your opponent.
