Empathic Stories Are the Key to Answering Unpleasant Political Questions
The following is adapted from The Candidate’s 7 Deadly Sins by Dr. Peter A. Wish.
Candidates often find themselves faced with unpleasant questions, either about issues outside their current knowledge, gaps in their experience, or foibles from their past dug up through opposition research. It can be difficult to be cheerful in those moments. You can easily feel defensive and let anxiety or anger leak out. So, when under pressure, how do you maintain optimism?
In those moments of pressure, I always advise candidates to answer the question they wanted asked, not the one they were asked. Some candidates do this clumsily, and their dodge is obvious. Some politicians, like former presidents Richard Nixon and Barack Obama, were masters at it. Telling a story can help you do this well.
Let’s say the moderator asks, “What have you done or will do in your position as governor, commissioner, or mayor to address the shortage of affordable housing?” Maybe you don’t like the question you’ve been given. Let’s say you haven’t done much to address affordable housing. However, you have made some efforts to help improve business in your state, and you’d prefer to talk about that.
Gracefully shift the focus by telling a story that resonates with voters and ends optimistically. The story will pull your listeners’ attention towards what you want them to focus on and can establish you as a likable candidate.
Former Florida governor and now US Senator Rick Scott became terrific at using the technique of answering the question he wanted asked. You can learn to use the same skill. When Scott lacked enough facts to answer a question about an issue, he wouldn’t bluff an answer. Instead, he’d pivot and begin talking about his personal life story. He related how he grew up in public housing in the Midwest with an adoptive father who was a truck driver and a mother that was a store clerk. He was a latchkey kid from an early age.
As Scott spoke, you could see listeners were paying attention. The crowd soon forgot the original question. He would then use his story to make an important point: he understood their frustration and fears about putting a roof over their head and food on the table, educating their children, and having enough money in retirement. He then told them what he could do to help: create jobs!
Beginning with a story such as the one Senator Scott told captures your audience’s attention and shows you understand the challenge of living with less — you understand them. As voters listen to your story, their brains start producing oxytocin, which will bond them to you. If you don’t have an empathic story from your own background, reference a story of someone you know and care about.
Start your answer by “feeling the pain” of the people who are represented by the moderator’s question. When asked a question about the challenge of creating affordable housing, tell an empathic story like this: “I remember watching my mom sit at our kitchen table when I was a kid, staring at her checkbook. She usually had receipts piled around her. I remember once asking her if I could get a bike for Christmas, and she told me, ‘Honey, I don’t even know how I’m going to pay rent. I don’t know how we’re going to get you a bike.’ So I get it. I’ve been there.”
Whether you have held previous office or been an executive or worker with no prior political experience, you then need to shift from the empathic story towards optimism and hope. “It’s incredibly important to me that we help the middle class. People like my mom and dad drive our economy. They shouldn’t need to worry about being able to make a rent payment. That’s why I have worked to…” At that point, mention what programs you have put in place to raise workers’ take-home pay and increase their living standards.
By the time you’ve told an empathic story and ended with a message of hope, voters will likely have forgotten the original question. Their main takeaway: you care for people like them and have a vision for how to improve their lives. And by answering the question that you wanted to all along, you’ll be able to maintain your enthusiasm rather than appear disingenuous or react negatively to a difficult question.
For more advice on positive messaging, you can find The Candidate’s 7 Deadly Sins on Amazon.
DR. PETER A. WISH wrote “The Family Experience” syndicated UPI column for the Boston Globe, hosted Psychologically Speaking on CBS radio, and was a guest consulting psychologist on The Good Day Show at WCVB-TV Boston. Wish has appeared on Nightline, Good Morning America, and The Today Show. He won the prestigious National Media Award from the American Psychological Foundation and was awarded the Public Communications Award by the Massachusetts Psychological Association. Dr. Wish coaches politicians and candidates at drpwish@political-coach.com. He lives in Sarasota, Florida.
