Curriculum
We offer a variety of training sessions on voter psychology and political persuasion, from a 30-minute overview to a full day of in-depth coverage.
The full day covers topics such as:
- Our Messaging Problem
- Why Republicans Win, Even When They Shouldn't
- Our Self-Defeating Habits
- Different Audiences, Different Approaches
- Messaging vs. Branding
- Broadcasting vs. Interacting
- Facts, Fact Checking, and the Backfire Effect
- How We Know What We Know about Messaging
- The Science of Messaging
- Key Findings
- Ethics: Influence vs. Manipulation
- Personality Traits and Other Psychological Factors
- The "Big 5" Traits
- Progressive Brains vs. Conservative Brains
- Motivated Reasoning and Other Cognitive Biases
- Honesty vs. Trustworthiness
- Loss Aversion
- Storytelling
- Compelling Narratives
- "3V" Stories
- Framing, Metaphors, and Language Usage
- Metaphorical Thinking
- Framing and Motivated Cognition
- Reframing
- Cognitive Models
- Lakoff's "Nation as Family" Metaphor
- Cultural Cognition Theory
- Moral Foundation Theory
- Values vs. Principles vs. Policy Positions
- Authoritarianism
- Messaging Guidelines
Upcoming Presentations
Call or write the DLI to schedule a presentation.
Past Presentations
Topic:
Effective Political Persuasion
Audience:
Cuyahoga County Democratic Party
Where:
Teamsters Local 436, 6051 Carey Drive, Cleveland, OH 44125
When:
Saturday, 25 January 2020 from 10 am to 5 pm
Topic:
Effective Political Persuasion: What Every Democrat Should Know
Audience:
Summit County Democratic Party
Where:
Bevan & Associates, 6555 Dean Memorial Highway, Boston Heights, OH 44236
When:
Saturday, 11 January 2020 from 10 am to 4 pm
Topic:
What Every Democrat Should Know About Voter Psychology
Audience:
Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association (ODCCA) Region 3
Where:
UAW Local 128, 1230 South Market Street, Troy, OH 45373
When:
Saturday, 1 June 2019 from 10 am to 4:30 pm
Topic:
Effective Political Persuasion for Progressives
Audience:
Mobilize 88 Summit, sponsored by the Ohio Progressive Alliance
Where:
Deer Creek State Park Lodge and Conference Center, 22300 State Park Road 20, Mt. Sterling, OH 43143
When:
Saturday, 22 July 2017 from 9:15 am to 11:15 am
Topic:
Effective Political Persuasion for Progressives
Audience:
Indivisible Springfield
Where:
former Highlands United Church of Christ, 1910 St Paris Pike, Springfield, OH 45504
When: Saturday, 15 July 2017 from 10 am to 4:30 pm
Topic:
Democratic Messaging Fundamentals
Audience:
Indivisible Springfield
Where:
former Highlands United Church of Christ, 1910 St Paris Pike, Springfield, OH 45504
When:
Wednesday, 7 June 2017 from 7:30 pm to 8:45 pm
Topic:
Democratic Values and Messaging
Audience:
Miami Valley Progressive Caucus
Where:
721 Springfield Street, Dayton, OH 45403
When: Saturday, 13 May 2017 from 10 am to 4 pm
Topic:
Democratic Messaging Fundamentals
Audience:
Montgomery County Democratic Party
Communications Team
Where:
Montgomery County Democratic Party, 313 South Jefferson Street, Suite 102, Dayton, OH 45402
When:
Wednesday, 26 April 2017 from 7:30 pm to 8 pm
Topic:
Democratic Messaging Fundamentals
Audience:
Miami Valley Progressive Caucus
Where:
721 Springfield Street, Dayton, OH 45403
When:
Wednesday, 5 April 2017 from 7:15 pm to 8:45 pm
Topic:
Democratic Values and Messaging
Audience:
Montgomery County Democratic Party
Communications Team
Where:
Montgomery County Democratic Party, 313 South Jefferson Street, Suite 102, Dayton, OH 45402
When:
Saturday, 4 February 2017 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Saturday, 11 February 2017 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Saturday, 18 February 2017 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Sunday, 5 March 2017 from 10:30 am to 2 pm
Topic:
Democratic Values and Messaging
Audience:
Brainstorming for a Blue Ohio
Where:
Wright Memorial Public Library, 1776 Far Hills Avenue, Dayton, OH 45419
When:
Saturday, 7 January 2017 from 10:15 am to 11:45 am
Topic:
Democratic Values and Messaging
Audience:
Clark County Democratic Party
Where:
UAW Local 402, 3671 Urbana Road, Springfield, OH 45502
When:
Saturday, 13 February 2017 from 10 am to 2 pm