This week Dan Schnur, an instructor at University of Southern California (USC) and University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) joined us for a presentation about political communication and how to effectively get your message to the audience. In the world of politics, there are three important words that every communication leader should always be aware of. That is “People don’t care”. Professor Schnur further expanded this phrase as, people do not care as much as you do. As a communication leader, your job is just to ensure people care more than they already do about the issues that you care about. In this concept, Schnur presents three most important concepts when conveying a message to a group of audience. The first important concept is our window of opportunities. The second most important thing in any conversation is what I want, and the third most important part of conveying a message is yourself.
Professor Dan Schnur lecturing during a CLA Session.
The window of opportunities is one of the most important parts to conveying a message because it is what determines your audience’s level of attention. Not all individuals have the same length of window of opportunities when you are trying to get your message through. When communicators have a bigger window of opportunities, it is more likely that the message will get to the audience. However, most windows of opportunities tend to be very small. For example, communicators may only have less than 30 seconds to communicate their message in a Youtube Ad. For this, the length of the window of opportunities has to become bigger. In order to expand your window of opportunities, your message must be short and easy to understand, interesting and familiar, and relevant. In messages that are easier to connect with individuals, there is a higher chance to expand your window of opportunities.
In all types of conversation, the most important factor is “What I want”. A successful leader is not considered as the greatest speaker; however, they are considered as one of the greatest listeners. This is because a leader knows what is in the best interest of the people and has a better opportunity to frame their own message with the knowledge of the people’s interest.
Yourself is one of the last most important parts in your own message. The personal, academic, professional, and political experience that you encounter is what shaped your message. Your experience is such a crucial factor in your message because it proves your credibility, your identity, and the trust, respect, and connections.
CLA Interns on a tour of Little Tokyo.
This relates to my life experiences as I encounter life situations. For example, when applying for a particular job or internship, it is normal for jobs to have requirements. And, in order to apply for a certain position, you must acquire all of the requirements before applying. During job interviews, your message and experiences are how you expand your employer’s window of opportunities. Also, putting the interest of the employer is what will get you hired for the position. This has taught me that political communication does not only apply politically, but it can be applied everywhere.
The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not reflect the views or positions of CAUSE or the CAUSE network.
Written by Pa Houa Lee, Leadership Academy 2023 Intern.
The CAUSE Leadership Academy (CLA) for students is a nine-week, paid, internship program that prepares college undergraduates to lead and advocate for the Asian Pacific Islander community on their campuses and beyond.