I’ve been teaching and training people in persuasion, negotiation and politics for longer than I care to admit. The habit of assuming is the primary enemy of all three. It’s largely responsible for Democratic election losses and the reason why so many people were shocked to the core after the last presidential election – they’d assumed some things about the world we live in and what really matters to voters. They were wrong. They assumed the battle was over and won while it was still being waged in small town churches in places of assumed insignificance. Right now, false assumptions about the extent to which power can be abused with impunity are putting Republican leaders in a tailspin. And their assumption that Democrats are powerless because they’re in total disarray has brought about some recent rude awakenings. But the other side looking bad isn’t enough to win the hearts and minds of voters. Assuming they’re self-destructing isn’t enough either, because they probably aren’t. It takes persuasion -- suspending assumptions, learning how “the other side thinks,” how your side thinks, the similarities and differences, deciding what you have to offer and articulating that effectively to the people who can decide your fate.
That’s why I wrote a blog about learning how the other side thinks. To be persuasive you can’t just be right. You have to know your side of the issues and the other side’s views as well. And you have to present yours more effectively and be ready to counter theirs. Otherwise, you’re a sitting duck. Rather than continue to pound our heads against the wall demanding that the leaders of the Democratic party say what they’re about, to help things along I’ve put together a working draft of questions they should be asking themselves. Feel free to add or delete.
What assumptions are we making that are getting us into trouble?
What do we stand for and what are we against?
What do we value?
What are we afraid of and why?
What do people want and expect from us?
What can we deliver well?
How do we differ from our opponents? What do we bring to the table that they can’t or won’t?
What are our primary goals, secondary ones? Are they the right ones?
Where are we most vulnerable and how do we fix that?
Who are our best and most creative thinkers?
What does desperate look like and how do we avoid it this time?
What is leadership, and where can we find or nurture it among our ranks?
How do we keep our messages simple, even creatively repetitive for a while, so that what we stand for is clear?
Who among us is persuasive? Who’s better off in the back room helping get the message out in other ways?
What’s our political compass? How far is too far when the game gets rough?
It’s a start – the kind anyone embarking on a persuasive endeavor needs to consider taking. Politics is a lot like playing golf. If you start thinking you’re awfully good, you’re going to spend a lot of time in the brush looking for the ball while your opponent wins. If you go back to basics now and then, ask some important questions, tweak or reinvent, the outcome can be refreshingly positive. It’s worth a try.