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Winning Edge · February 18 · 4 min

#69 Breaking a Wave

In 1950, two French engineers faced a problem they couldn’t solve the old way. They didn’t have the resources to build bigger seawalls, so instead of trying to stop the wave, they asked how to break it apart. The result was the tetrapod, a simple design that disperses force from any direction. It doesn’t fight the wave head-on. It absorbs and breaks it. Campaigns face storms, too. Negative ads Outside money Sagging turnout Tough interviews A fight for voter attention When pressure hits, many candidates default to what they are most comfortable with. They knock more doors. They attend more events. They try to outwork the storm in one area. But resilience in a campaign comes from strength across four areas. Build Your Campaign Tetrapod: A clear stump speech that explains why you are running. Learn more with the links to other episodes below #68- The Gas Station Pitch #57 - Say It Until It Sticks #48 - 5-Part Persuasive Speech #31 - The Lego Man Stump Speech Answering tough questions with confidence #24 - Answering Tough Questions #25 - Mastering Unscripted Answers A consistent, disciplined fundraising system #20 - Overcoming Fundraising Fear #66 - Create a Fundraising System, Not a Goal #46 - 10 Call Rule #18 - Start Your Campaign Fundraising Short, memorable stories voters repeat to others #64 - Start a Story People Want to Hear #50 - Tell the Second Story #22 - Creating Your Character Story You don’t need to improve all four at once. Just pick one arm this week. Because when the next wave hits, preparation is what breaks its force. Click here for a one-pager handout. Winning Edge gives you the tools you need to lead and influence in the political and policy arenas. Every other week, Winning Edge releases short (approximately 5-minute) spots—or “snacks”—focused on one of four areas: fundraising, media, policy, or persuasion. For more, visit our website: www.thecommonwealthpartners.com.

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show notes

In 1950, two French engineers faced a problem they couldn’t solve the old way. They didn’t have the resources to build bigger seawalls, so instead of trying to stop the wave, they asked how to break it apart.

The result was the tetrapod, a simple design that disperses force from any direction. It doesn’t fight the wave head-on. It absorbs and breaks it.

Campaigns face storms, too.

  • Negative ads
  • Outside money
  • Sagging turnout
  • Tough interviews
  • A fight for voter attention

When pressure hits, many candidates default to what they are most comfortable with. They knock more doors. They attend more events. They try to outwork the storm in one area.

But resilience in a campaign comes from strength across four areas.

Build Your Campaign Tetrapod:

You don’t need to improve all four at once.

Just pick one arm this week.

Because when the next wave hits, preparation is what breaks its force.

Click here for a one-pager handout. 

Winning Edge gives you the tools you need to lead and influence in the political and policy arenas. Every other week, Winning Edge releases short (approximately 5-minute) spots—or “snacks”—focused on one of four areas: fundraising, media, policy, or persuasion.

For more, visit our website: www.thecommonwealthpartners.com.

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