Ep. 47: Joshua Bandoch on Persuasion, Emotional Intelligence and Positive Politics

Lura Forcum and Lauren Hall host “We Made This Political,” a podcast about making politics more about flourishing than power, and interview Joshua Bandoch, author of How to Get What You Want and VP of Policy at the Illinois Policy Institute. Bandoch explains he wrote the book after seeing good ideas fail without effective communication, arguing persuasion requires emotional intelligence because people feel before they reason and emotions support reasoning. The discussion connects persuasion to curiosity, pluralism, and polarization, criticizing “logic tsunamis,” tribal signaling, and viewing opponents as “crazy, stupid, or evil.” Drawing on moral foundations theory, Bandoch urges understanding others’ values rather than trying to change them, and emphasizes positive, “for something” leadership as more persuasive than fear-based negativity. He also applies persuasion to parenting by offering children off-ramps and modeling calm emotional regulation. The book releases tomorrow and Bandoch can be found on LinkedIn and joshuabandoch.com.00:00 Meet the Hosts00:57 Introducing Josh and His Book01:38 Why Persuasion Matters02:45 Feelings Before Reason07:25 Positive Emotions Win People Over10:37 Curiosity Over Crusading12:40 Polarization and the Persuasive Mindset16:16 Moral Foundations and Wired Values18:18 Pluralism and Appealing to Values23:01 Tribalism, Power, and Losing Persuasion26:16 Fear Behind Being Right27:16 Practicing Being Wrong27:37 Fear Politics and Curiosity31:44 Negativity Bias in Media33:02 Why Positivity Persuades36:39 Pope Leo vs Trump Messaging39:23 Trump Empathy and Slogans42:59 Right vs Making Difference46:34 Off Ramps and Face Saving48:29 Why Americans Polarize51:44 Parenting as Persuasion53:46 Book Plug and Farewell This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wemadethispolitical.substack.com