In the largest sense, what is the issue ABOUT to you? Seizing an opportunity? Being a smart and effective problem solver? Leading in a way that inspires followers? Living up to our values? Leaving a better world to future generations? And so on ... What are the "chapter headings" of the big story you're trying to tell? Which "frames" (see "Core Concepts and Terms,") will you use to give meaning to your facts and figures?

If you don't have answers to these questions before you speak, and if your language doesn't consistently reflect your answers, listeners will come up with their own big story. Your opponents, too, will happily fill the void. The result may be that familiar chains of reasoning are triggered in your audience that keep your arguments and facts from getting a fair hearing. But if you've figured out your big story and made good framing choices that you've grounded in research, you can encourage listeners to think differently, see your arguments and facts in a new light, and remember your most important points.

You can evoke big ideas in multiple ways. For instance, if you wanted to set up your detailed arguments about global environmental problems with the big idea of safeguarding the planet for future generations, you could do so literally by saying, "This is about the kind of legacy we leave for future generations ..." or indirectly by saying, "My dad took me fishing each week, and now I take my son fishing. I'm working on saving our oceans because I want my son to be able to share the same joys with his children ..."

This guide recommends big concepts and frames that research suggests will help you to put across your facts and arguments more effectively. It deliberately highlights particular frames in sample arguments and responses to common critiques. In recommendations 2, 3, and 4, we describe three key categories of big ideas that appear frequently in the guide: interconnected world, doing what's smart, and doing what's right.

When you prompt Americans to consider how we're linked to the rest of the world, you create a more supportive context for the rest of your arguments. From the perspective of "interdependence," isolationism and withdrawal from the world become unrealistic. Teamwork seems more a requirement than an option. The golden rule takes on new meaning. Thinking long term is smart leadership. Tackling complex problems with comprehensive solutions is a necessity. Realism acquires a new definition. And so on. Conversely, wording choices that push Americans toward an "us-versus-them" way of thinking -- or that reinforce the idea that the world "out there" is a scary place where only bad things happen -- can have the opposite effect. Having the respect and trust of other nations might matter less. Blaming others can become routine. Hatred can be fueled. Issues can seem more cut-and-dried. Power and force can seem to be the only things others will understand. And so on.

You can encourage interdependent thinking by emphasizing the values, aspirations, challenges, and outcomes we share with others around the world (e.g., in an interconnected world, we succeed or fail together ... the global environment affects everyone on the planet ... a healthy global economy benefits us all ... we all want the same thing for our kids, etc.). This guide suggests different ways of invoking the idea of interconnectedness; also see the "interdependence" entry in the Wonk-Speak Translator.

Americans are a pragmatic, results-oriented, can-do people. We want our policy choices and behavior around the world to reflect common sense and to get the job done. The box to the left lists some of the widely shared "big ideas" about smart U.S. policy and behavior in an interconnected world that emerged from conversations with scores of experts consulted in the U.S. in the World process. These big ideas also resonate with nonexpert Americans, who understand what smart decision making and effective leadership look like from their own life experiences.

Like all big ideas, these concepts can be evoked by speakers in countless ways, both literally ("smart policymaking connects the dots on complex issues") and indirectly ("the old saying about how 'a stitch in time saves nine' holds true here"). Depending on your audience, you might emphasize different concepts and choose different words to evoke them. As we note in recommendation 2 above, giving your audience a perspective of interdependence will help them see why your definitions of what is pragmatic and realistic make sense.

In addition to wanting pragmatic problem solving, Americans want this nation to be a force for good in the world, to try to do the right thing. We want our policy choices and behavior to reflect common decency and the common good as well as common sense. The box on the previous page also includes some of the big ideas about values that the U.S. in the World process revealed as important to experts and citizens when they think about principled, responsible U.S. engagement.

Arguments about pragmatism and decency in an interdependent world can overlap; that's why the boxed list isn't divided into two separate sections. Big ideas about decent behavior -- like the importance of the golden rule or practicing what we preach -- can also be invoked to make pragmatic arguments (e.g., we live in an interconnected world, and we know what goes around comes around, so we should be concerned about the implications for America of how we treat others). Similarly, pragmatic arguments (e.g., about the need for teamwork to address shared problems) can be linked to values (e.g., respecting others and taking their concerns into account are both aspects of how we'd like to be in the world and a foundation for effective teamwork). By showing how your ideas and proposals are both smart/effective/pragmatic and the right thing to do, you're likely to appeal to more of your audience. But the concepts you choose to emphasize may vary, depending on your audience.