Communicating Across the Great Divide

It’s no secret that our divisive politics of the past several years have muted conversations, fueled conflict, and presented thorny communication challenges.

These days, world views are often shaped by which media outlets people rely on regularly to get their news.

And many of those media outlets seem to exist on two different planets.

This reality adds even more complexity to presenting information in a nonpartisan way. Yet that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.

We’ve recently received a crash course on this topic, while partnering to create a soon-to-be-released 10-year anniversary report for RepresentUs, a nonprofit with a mission to save our democracy by combatting gerrymandering while advocating for election reforms and anti-corruption laws.

Since its inception, RepresentUs has been hyper-focused on taking a nonpartisan approach to securing our democracy. Here are five ways they make it happen.

Focus on the problem, not the politics around it: RepresentUs did this masterfully with a video featuring Jennifer Lawrence that systematically broke down what has led to our broken political system. The video avoids assigning blame to any one party and instead targets the systemic issues that have led to corruption, mistrust, apathy and division.

Enlist ‘unlikely allies’: RepresentUs has launched initiatives such as Count Every Hero which unites retired four-star generals and admirals with a range of political affiliations behind a shared message focused on defending democracy and fighting political corruption. By engaging these “trusted voices” RepresentUs increases its potential to connect with audiences that otherwise might be unreachable.

Promote bipartisan collaboration: In North Dakota, a group of women with varying political affiliation who met regularly for morning coffee found they had one thing in common: fear that our democracy was in dire danger. The group became known as the “Badass Grandmas” and, with RepresentUs’ guidance, they led a historic campaign that resulted in the state’s voters passing meaningful anti-corruption and election reforms.

Accept that some people may be unreachable: Strategic nonpartisan communications can help broaden your audience regardless of their political leanings. Still there will always be a percentage of the population on the fringes who may be too far gone. For instance, those Americans who have fully embraced the Big Lie likely won’t be swayed by RepresentUs with even the most carefully crafted messaging.

Never give up: The folks at RepresentUs acknowledge that maintaining a nonpartisan approach has become increasingly challenging, particularly in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection and ongoing efforts to restrict voting ease and access. Yet they remain committed to finding new ways to connect with people from across the political spectrum. While change often moves at a glacial pace, attitudes can shift over time. You simply can’t predict if and when an individual may become more open to thinking outside their own bubble.

And if you don’t try, you’ll never know.