John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States, in the midst of tense times, saw the men and women behind the badge as being people he could respect and should defend.
In 1962, America’s youngest President had wisdom beyond his years when he spoke up and chose to make:
When this effort started, I was no where near being born. From what I can tell through research, living in the 60’s was a hotbed of tension and unrest.
0 Comments
NOTE: Do you live in Michigan? If you do, here are some important dates below. If you don't, use them as a sort of example to explore in your state! These dates matter! Welcome to a HUGE year in Politics in Michigan! Here are some dates you should know. April 1, 2024 - Deadline for County Parties to submit counts for Precinct Delegates April 16, 2024 - General Election for Special Election (2 state house seats) in Michigan April 23, 2024, 4:00 PM - Filing Deadline to run for office May 7, 2024 - Deadline to file for Precinct Delegate May 7, 2024 - Election May 12 - 18, 2024 - Police Week End of June - Absentee ballots released for August election (aka people will start voting) July 15-18, 2024 - Republican Convention, Milwaukee Wisconsin August 6, 2024 - Primary Election August 2024 - State Convention August 19-22, 2024 - Democrat Convention, Chicago End of September - Absentee ballots released for November election (aka people will start voting) November 5, 2024 - General Election I will work to keep you updated!
Email me with questions amy@generationstrategies.com Democrats seize any and every opportunity to elevate their message, keep themselves in the media, and generate wins for their agenda.
Republicans have not yet figured out what “Public Relations” is. Yes, I am a Republican and this all hurts badly when your side just “doesn’t get it.” NOTE: For my Republican friends reading this - don’t be mad at me for saying the following. You know me. Please see the insight I’m shining a light on so that we can ALL benefit for our cause and our campaigns Communication is way easier than you think. Stop avoiding it. Communication is just talking.
Communication is having a conversation, responding to questions, smiling, offering a speck of hope, and listening. I was at an event on Tuesday’s Election Night (big election day in Michigan this week!) and got to hear “the conversation” from the new Republican Party Chair of Michigan, Pete Hoekstra. What I heard from him was:
I walked away with an extra speck of hope. We must all learn TO communicate. We must stop hiding from it. And it’s time to stop assuming someone else is doing it. Talk with purpose and intentionality. Communicate with joy, interest, and a heart of service and watch how things get better. It can make all the difference. Silence and hiding from communication is no longer an option. It’s time to lean in and start to communicate. Thank you Chairman Hoekstra for encouraging me: there is hope on the horizon. Communication matters. And if we ever want to win again as conservatives, as leaders, as peers - we need to embrace it. Lean into some of these resources to start to take yourself to the next level! You are created to communicate and communicate well. It was never meant to be “easy” or convenient or to always make you feel good. But it has been overlooked.
If good communication can make things better - and it can - isn't it worth the effort to improve your skills? Better communication can only help. We have to know what we are doing wrong if we ever want to see right results. Conservatives lose when:
Attending rallies and protests no longer enough to bring real change NOTE: I dedicate this piece to all my friends, all the warriors, all the servants of this movement who have given their life, breath, and endless energy to this movement. I hope this post - and this hour in our culture - will rally more support to their side, like never before. You are my heroes. I have to say what few have said. I must also say what will be uncomfortable to many. But someone has to peel back the bandaid and say truth.
If your idea of bringing change to society is to do protests, pickets, boycotts, and rallies - FOR ANY TOPIC - that is not enough. It will not bring the sustainable change that is needed. It is, in fact, the lazy way out if that is your only call to action. To bring the change needed in our state, our nation, our communities we need 3 things:
We have to get out and serve our communities. The secret is out: I was homeschooled for 12 glorious years and it was well worth it. Here is the message I gave to homeschool families gathered at the State Capitol a few days ago. Watch it and let me know what you think!
Yes, I was homeschooled. Some of you will say “ah hah! Now we know what is wrong with her! She was homeschooled!!!” You’re funny. Believe me, I’ve heard it all. Everything from, “Wait, are you Amish?? Were you the Valedictorian of your class? How big was your basketball team? Did you have any friends?? Who was your favorite teacher!!” All jesting aside, I get the jokes: homeschooling is an anomaly and in a world that focuses on individuals desperate to fit in, it feels like a very strange road to choose to stand out. Oh but what a beautiful road it is for those who are called to take it. Many of our current elected leaders are doing good things, taking a stand, and getting creative. However, if those on the outside don’t hear it, see it, or read it, they won’t know it. Communication happens whether we want it to or not. WHY IT MATTERS Communication is not something you can assume someone else is doing. Well, not if you want to be a good leader, to bring change and to hold a team together. When conservatives and Republicans don’t communicate, someone or something else fills the void. Either, the Progressives (the opposition) or those who only have part truths (the conspiracy news sources for example) will flood the space with their message and their agenda. This perplexes me because as Conservatives we are the ones who advocate for solutions, hope, health, and independence. Is it that Conservatives don’t know how to message their topics? Or they are afraid of doing the work? The longer the communication void exists, the greater the silence, the more the distrust and agitation grows on the part of the concerned base. So what’s a solution? Communicate. HOW TO DO IT There are 6 easy steps to start making it a priority:
You have to be:
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT Is communicating inconvenient? Sure. Anything excellent is not easy. But is it worth it? Well, ask yourself if you enjoy tension and misery from your voting block, your target market, and how excited they will be when it comes to re-election?
Newsflash: never treat the voting block as “all the same.” There are soem incredible people out living life who are hungry to be part of what you are doing and to hear how they can help. Yes, communications is worth the trouble. It’s something Republicans and conservatives can no longer compromise. We must make communications a priority.
EXTRA RESOURCES
I wrote this on a Sunday ... on a topic God is challenging me on. Drop your comments below to let me know what you think. ajh It feels so right we tell Ourselves boldly.
It sounds so good we whisper when doubt. It appears so delightful, tantalizing and free! Everyone else is doing it - I just want to be me! It lets us be first - always it seems. We can live by pure wants and human extremes. We can idolize, stoke, and please it with whims. We can go with our feelings again and again As a business you know your market, you have a good product, and you build relationships (for a lifetime) with the customers ... It is time that Republicans start to see our party as a business. We are not just a clearing house for those who want a stepping stone to become a big deal. We should stop with the game of “social club” or behaving like we are in 8th grade where the cool kids fight for popularity. The Republican Party of America should be seen as:
We should be seen as the happy warriors not the sad and bitter girlfriend who didn’t get her way. (Am I wrong?) We are the universe where conservatives should know to go for:
Like a business there is profit and loss, accountability, and a deep understanding of the market. Therefore, we should be:
A girl can dream can’t she? What would happen if we started treating our parties like a business? Instead of how they are currently running? It’s time we win as conservatives again. Let’s run this ship like a business. Thoughts? Originally posted on Substack. Read it here.
If we want to save America (and we do) and we want the conservative cause to win (and we should), we have to have a professional plan for victory which includes a marketing and communication approach.
Is your local party ready? It’s amusing to me how the progressives whine and complain about some particular element of society until they change it. Then they experience (even unconsciously) the impact of the absence of said thing. And they stumble around pondering “hmmm what could go wrong? Why is there a problem?” I want to scream at them, “you eliminated the very thing that helped hold things together! Of course things are going badly!”
WELL IT STOPS WITH US. It’s time we stand for truth, demonstrate the benefit of truth, and smile with joy as we explain the truth. And for one, I am excited to rally a nation to say “can we start to celebrate men again?!” Following is a poem I completed in 2016. May it encourage the men and inspire the women to see how much their role matters. How do we win as conservatives? We stop allowing lies to perpetuate and with that comes the celebration of women and men and the immense need of their unique gifts so we can know a healthy society. There is a lot Michigan Republicans should not be saying:
Let’s identify what Republicans should be talking about right now:
Conservatives have these unique and wonderful minds:
We need to get out of our heads and out of our little “Lansing bubble” where everyone assumes the rest of the world cares and knows about what they are doing and address these principles in all forms of communication:
You won’t reach everyone but you will reach a lot of people and those people will turn around and reach others for you. But if you do not communicate, they won’t know and in your absence, they will build a message that will reverberate and hurt you. If Republicans don’t start upping their game NOW they can expect:
“Amy we know how to do communications,” you may say. Okay, then do it. Because what is happening right now is not working. It hasn’t worked for the past 3 + years and it’s time for some world changing messaging champions to rise and equip leaders to know:
*New Note: and if you don't want to win, get out of the political arena because this is what it will take. Come on Republicans, we have the best message. We have amazing leaders. We have incredible facts on our side. We have a state and a nation to save. Your friend, Amy Hawkins If I was running the House or Senate Communications in a state, here is a starting point:
Assign to a staffer: 1. Have a master list of key people: plan to send them a brief run down every week of what is happening - good, bad, the highlights. All emails are bcc’d - it becomes a place that you can give a firm delivery of what is happening. They are encouraged to share the info with others. I.e. you are a form of media and you are delivering what you want out. 2. In your communications (noted in point 1) make it clear WHERE you are publishing info through-out the week: FB, website, etc. Repeat, repeat, repeat, who and where to follow so they know where to look and so they know it will be consistent and something they can count on. 3. Have a list of friendly media contacts and a comprehensive list of media contacts; at least one press release should be going out weekly … 4. Have a list of suggested talking points that go out to the team (legislators every week). 5. Have someone responsible for pitching top leaders on radio interviews weekly. 6. Schedule a weekly LIVE update from some member of the caucus … always smiling, always excited, always talking about what they are doing for Michigan citizens. 7. Publish updates on website, make sure things are up to date, consistently. 8. Identify key grassroots leaders who have massive email lists. Include them on item 1 - and make sure they know you are grateful for them would they share the info. Always have a call to action. 9. Highlight the legislators that ARE communicating. 10. Pretend like we ARE in the majority as far as media goes. YOU call the press conference. YOU run with the story … “This week we want to draw the media’s attention to …” or “This week, we have a list of questions we want the media to ask the democrats …” or “This week we are going to do a round table briefing on the front lawn of the capitol and highlight everything NOT being discussed by Governor Whitmer to us…” or “this week we are going to celebrate law enforcement …” or “this week we are going to do a tour of the state to highlight some of the economic successes going on…” And one bonus tip: Once a month there should be Op Eds that are being run and pitched to publish. I can hear conservatives say “we don’t have the media” … so then build relationships with the media so they WANT TO COME TO YOU … give them intriguing things to cover … build relationships with them. Never assume they hear what you hear or see what you see or know what you know. Communicate more - not less and let it be known that you are communicating. I can also hear legislators saying “we don’t have a big email list” - then make one. These are some of my initial suggestions. I will work to get more out soon. Please note I am still learning too; but I have been studying communications and working in the political arena for over 20 years. I have pitched info to media, been on media, and written content that has hit thousands of inboxes statewide. I have written Press Releases, Op Eds, and am currently studying how to be more effective with media. I want my side and our causes to win. Email me with your top "We want to see Leadership doing ____" suggestions. amy@generationstrategies.com. We have a nation to change! - Amy |
Amy HawkinsCategories
All
AuthorAmy J. Hawkins Archives
April 2024
|