Communicating effectively about government in your writing

It's critically important that we affirm the important role government plays in our lives, rather than playing into the negative views of government many in our community may have.

The following is a list of guidelines we can keep in mind as we write our letters to the editor:

1. Stay positive and build confidence. Start by highlighting what we can accomplish together through government, not what we are not doing.

2. Begin communication with big ideas that connect people to shared values and frame the context for your discussion.

3. Define the problem in terms of systems -- not individuals -- to keep people focused on changing the structure, not fixing the person.

4. Develop understandable metaphors to help people see the issue clearly and simply (e.g. the heart is a "pump" or the wetlands act as a "filter").

5. Don't use negative images (e.g. "tax burden") that reinforce anti-government stereotypes.

6. Use social math so numbers have more meaning. For example, "If the override passes, the average homeowner would pay $365 more a year -- the cost of a cup of coffee a day."

7.Discussions should emphasize problem-solving. Shrill attacks trigger listeners' knee-jerk political loyalty responses.

8. Connect with people as fellow citizens solving public challenges, not as consumers or caretakers of other people's needs.

9. Research shows that using the term "public structures" helps people move past stereotypes of politicians and huge bureacracies to a more practical vew of governmetn systems such as transportation, public safety or public schools.

10. Always include solutions and the role citizens can play in making change.

Here are examples of positive messaging: