Everyone wants to make America and the world better and safer; the differences that exist are over how. In laying out your differences with others, you will appeal to the widest possible audience when you use reasonable, rational language. Coming across as very emotional, defensive, or partisan could undermine your credibility with listeners who are tired of the bickering and blaming that goes on among experts and politicians.

It's possible to be critical and still use a rational and reasonable tone. Avoid falling into the "politics-as-usual" whiner trap by prefacing critiques with optimistic messages (e.g., "Americans have proven time and again that we have the know-how and the can-do spirit to ...") and by offering your own constructive or positive proposals to accompany your criticisms. Incorporate facts, not just rhetoric, framed in the context of your big ideas.

Your arguments about what defines smart policy -- and your critiques of alternatives -- will be strengthened if you can root them in arguments about effectiveness and ineffectiveness as well as notions of right and wrong.

For instance, while most Americans intuitively understand the need for friends and strong alliances in the world, their support deepens when they understand how we have benefited from them in the past and what happens without them. Though most Americans express discomfort with go-it-alone strategies, their discomfort is exacerbated when they understand the costs of acting alone. Arguments grounded in facts and results, not just in concepts or theories, will resonate the most.

Stop doing those with whom you disagree the favor of repeating their arguments or big ideas. Doing so only helps them carry out recommendations 1, 10, and 11 above by reinvigorating the images and notions they are working hard to put into listeners' heads. Once you've done so, you'll face an uphill battle to make your big ideas and messages stick.

Say, for instance, that you are on television with a counterpart who has just attacked all United Nations bodies as bureaucratic, wasteful talk shops. To demonstrate that you are a pragmatic realist who recognizes the need for reform, your instinct might be to agree with part of the critic's comment before challenging it -- for example, "Sure, we know that the UN system is seriously flawed, and we should encourage reforms like X, Y and Z. ... But UN program X is working well and we should invest more in it." Or you might try to rebut the criticism -- for example, "The UN is not a talk shop that wastes taxpayer dollars ... it actually is a place where we get a big return on our investment." With either response, though, you've made your life more difficult by reminding listeners of the criticism and invigorating a "system broken, beyond repair" mindset.

A better strategy for responding to a bad question or criticism is to bridge quickly back to your big ideas and your frames. For instance, if someone asks "Isn't the UN just an ineffective waste of taxpayer dollars," start your answer with your definition of what the UN is, as opposed to what it isn't (e.g., "Actually, the UN is ... a place where we get a big return on our investment ... [give an example]. ... Like any institution, it periodically needs updating and retooling to work well ..." Similarly, resist being drawn into discussions of issues or positions that you are uncomfortable addressing; they can't report what you don't say.

And whatever you do, don't reinforce other people's arguments and big ideas when they aren't even present by saying things like: "This isn't about [what they say] ... it's really about Y." or "Some experts argue X. I disagree." "The question is not [what they say], it's really ..." "I know most people assume [a myth or misunderstanding] ... but the reality is that ..." If you want to set up a contrast, at least reverse the order (e.g., "this is about Y, not about X"). Tune into an interview show or read a speech and notice how many times experts violate this very basic rule of effective communication. It will make you laugh -- and serve as a good reminder to stop doing it yourself.

Effective bridging allows you to answer a question honestly, not evade it -- but to do it on your terms. Play with the sample texts in "Common Critiques and Effective Responses" to come up with effective bridging strategies that work for you.