How can you balance authenticity with staying on message when engaging voters?

1 Know your audience

The first step to balancing authenticity with staying on message is to know your audience. Who are you talking to, and what are their needs, interests, and concerns? What are their values, beliefs, and expectations? What are their pain points, hopes, and fears? Knowing your audience will help you tailor your message to their specific context, preferences, and emotions. It will also help you avoid using language, tone, or examples that might alienate, offend, or confuse them. You can use various tools and methods to research your audience, such as surveys, polls, interviews, focus groups, social media analytics, or voter profiles.

3 Express your personality

The third step to balancing authenticity with staying on message is to express your personality. How can you show your audience who you are, what you stand for, and why you care? How can you convey your passion, enthusiasm, and sincerity for your cause? How can you inject some humor, emotion, or creativity into your communication? Expressing your personality will help you connect with your audience on a human level, and build trust, rapport, and loyalty. It will also help you differentiate yourself from your competitors, and showcase your unique strengths, values, and perspectives. You can use various tools and methods to express your personality, such as anecdotes, stories, metaphors, jokes, or visuals.

4 Adapt to the situation

The fourth step to balancing authenticity with staying on message is to adapt to the situation. How can you adjust your communication to suit the different channels, formats, and scenarios that you encounter? How can you respond to the feedback, questions, or objections that you receive from your audience? How can you handle the unexpected, the controversial, or the crisis situations that might arise? Adapting to the situation will help you optimize your communication for the best impact, engagement, and results. It will also help you demonstrate your flexibility, agility, and resilience in the face of change, challenge, or uncertainty. You can use various tools and methods to adapt to the situation, such as media training, Q&A preparation, crisis communication planning, or improvisation techniques.

5 Seek feedback and improvement

The fifth step to balancing authenticity with staying on message is to seek feedback and improvement. How can you measure the effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of your communication? How can you learn from your successes, failures, and mistakes? How can you solicit and incorporate the input, suggestions, and opinions of your audience, team, or experts? Seeking feedback and improvement will help you evaluate and refine your communication skills, strategies, and outcomes. It will also help you show your humility, curiosity, and openness to learning and growth. You can use various tools and methods to seek feedback and improvement, such as surveys, polls, interviews, focus groups, analytics, or coaching.

6 Enjoy the process

The sixth and final step to balancing authenticity with staying on message is to enjoy the process. How can you have fun, relax, and be yourself when engaging voters? How can you appreciate the opportunities, challenges, and rewards that come with your communication? How can you celebrate your achievements, acknowledge your efforts, and reward your progress? Enjoying the process will help you reduce your stress, anxiety, and fear of communication. It will also help you boost your confidence, motivation, and satisfaction with your communication. You can use various tools and methods to enjoy the process, such as affirmations, visualization, meditation, or self-care.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?