Session 2: Toward More Constructive Conversations About Government, the Economy and Taxes

1. Oregon Advocates College II Dec. 8, 2011 Session 2: Toward More Constructive Conversations About Government, the Economy and Taxes Liana Winett, Dr.P.H., M.C.H.E.S - lwinett@comcast.net Patrick Bresette - patrick@publicworks.org www.publicworkspartners.net

2. The Message Box • A tool to keep you “on message” • Helps distill your key arguments to the ones you need to repeat over and over. • Keeps you focused on Level One Values and Solutions • Gives you the “cheat sheet” for interviews and debates. • The place you bridge and pivot back to from hard questions and damaging frames.

3. Vision Problem Solution Values

4. Your vision for the community, state, society. A sense of the purpose and goal that drives you to seek the change you are working for. Your aspiration and inspiration. A clear statement of the problem you are trying to address in a way that everyone can see their stake in addressing the issue. The solution you are proposing and the principles or outcomes it is designed to achieve. Vision Problem Solution Values The Level One Values that underpin the challenge and your proposed solution. The answer to the “why does it matter” question.

5. The decisions we make today will shape our state for years to come. If we want an Oregon that offers opportunity for all its citizens we must be come together to create that future now. There is no simple answer to the budget crisis we face. Everything must be on the table. We need to look hard at both how we spend money and how we raise it. We all have a stake and we all must be part of the solution. The Great Recession has left too many of our families, communities and businesses struggling at the same time that it has decimated all of our state revenue sources. Vision Problem Solution Values Protection, Future, Shared Well-Being, Opportunity In the coming legislative session we must deal with the state budget in a way that protects our future, builds jobs and opportunities and protects those hardest hit by the economic downturn. These are the principles that will help us uphold Oregon values

6. Bridging and Pivoting One of the important uses of the message box is to help you stay off of the opponents turf and keep you from repeating damaging frames in the questions you receive. A technique to help you do this is called bridging, or pivoting; as in bridging from one side of the argument to another. Useful bridging and pivoting phrases: • “Actually . . .” • “That’s a good question. (pause) Here’s how I think about this issue . . .” • “The real question is . . .”