How do you communicate through values in a world that rewards outrage?
This is a question we are asked time and time again by clients working on some of the most polarising issues of our time. Whether they’re talking about democracy, migration, human rights, workers’ rights, housing or climate change, they know they’re competing for attention in a communications environment that is all too often dominated by the voices of fear, anger and conflict.
If outrage grabs attention, shouldn’t we be using more of it? Should we encourage our own culture war? Should we polarise an issue because taking sides builds a stronger sense of community?
It is understandable for people to ask these questions. In an age of social media algorithms, anger, fear and blame can appear to be the fastest route to engagement. But attention isn’t the same as persuasion, and provoking a reaction isn’t the same as changing hearts and minds.
The most powerful communication doesn’t just amplify emotion; it gives that emotion meaning. It starts by recognising how people feel about an issue, connects those feelings to shared values and then offers a credible vision for moving forward.
At Agenda, we believe that some of the most persuasive communications don't begin with what you want to say – they begin with what your audience needs to hear. That's why we've developed the HEART Framework, a practical model for creating values-led communications that connect with people before asking them to support a solution.
A key principle of our framework is meeting people where they are, even when you don't share their views. Most people share the same underlying aspirations – to be safe, healthy and able to build a good life for themselves and those they care about. These shared needs underpin many of the attitudes and behaviours we see, even when people reach very different conclusions about how best to achieve them.
Andy Burnham's recent speech in Manchester is a useful example of what that looks like in practice. Rather than opening with his policy agenda, he begins with a reality that many people already recognise:
“After 10 years of turbulence since Brexit, and 20 years since decline in living standards since the 2008 financial crash, Westminster hasn’t been working for people… In fact, it is broken.”
On the surface, this is a political critique, an unequivocal, potentially polarising, message: "Westminster... is broken." But its real purpose is emotional. Rather than telling people what to think, Burnham validates a feeling many already share: that Westminster is disconnected from ordinary lives. By recognising his audience's lived experience and frustrations before offering solutions, he builds trust and makes his message feel relatable.
However, emotional cues alone are not enough. Frustration without direction becomes cynicism. Hope without substance feels hollow. So, the next step is to bring shared values to the surface.
Values help people make sense of their emotions. They help people understand why something feels wrong and what a better future looks like.
Burnham achieved this when he said: “I am going to give Britain the circuit breaker it needs. By building a more collaborative politics in Westminster. By taking power out of the centre and putting it in the hands of the people and places who can use it best. And in so doing creating a new sense of agency, possibility and hope flowing around the country. We will make politics work for you and the place where you live.”
This isn’t just about policy. This is about appealing to deeper values of fairness, who holds power and who best understands the needs of local communities. His message shifts from "the system doesn't work" to "the system isn't fair, and together we can put it right”. His version of devolution isn't framed as constitutional reform; it's presented as a way of giving communities more control over their own futures. The policy is communicated via values, rather than in technical detail.
By communicating values in this way, people can begin to make the mental steps needed to understand why a policy is the right thing to do. This can be far more effective than opening with policy and hoping people will infer the values behind it. If your communications begin with facts, reports or technical detail, you're asking people to think their way into agreement. If you begin with shared emotions and values, you're helping people recognise themselves in your message before asking them to act.
Values-led communication isn't about sprinkling words like "fairness" or "community" into your copy. It's about ensuring that every message considers what your audience already feels, the values you share with them and how your policy or product brings those values to life.
So, the next time you're writing a speech, member recruitment campaign or fundraising appeal, ask yourself three questions:
What is my audience already feeling about this and related issues?
What values do we share?
How does my solution bring those values to life?
And from here you can start to shape a values-led narrative that builds the story of shared experiences, shared hopes and hopefully shared change.
If you'd like to know more about Agenda's values-led communications framework, drop us a line.
