Nathan Smolensky
516.962.3216
Modern politics and media have drained us of our ability to disagree constructively, to understand differing perspectives, or to engage effectively with wider audiences. Whatever it is you have to say, you deserve to feel heard, and I can provide the tools and the mindset to help you break through.
About Nathan
As a political strategist and messaging expert, I’ve worked with candidates for local, state, and federal office, helping them find the words and the tone to engage effectively and constructively with a wide audience. But it’s not just office-seekers who could use these tools.
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In today’s age of social media-driven alienation, too many of us have lost the ability to understand disagreement on difficult subjects, to appreciate all that we can learn from others’ perspectives, to overcome our divides - be they ideological, generational, or otherwise. We’re left to yell and fight, frustrated when we fail to get through to others, but told repeatedly that being louder and angrier is our only recourse. It’s not.
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I became aware early on of our widening political divisions, raised in deep-blue Massachusetts in a family of Soviet immigrants for whom Big Government was the ultimate evil. I got to see first-hand as members of these camps severed relationships and friendships, yelling that their opponents were crazy. And as much as I was inclined initially to agree, I came to see over time the good that they were all trying to do deep down, and just how pointless the escalating conflict was.
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Since then, I’ve gone on to work with a number of bridge-building and political innovation efforts, serving as Director of the Florida Forward Party from 2022 to 2024, and publishing Common Ground from the Ground Up earlier this year. In all of my work, I strive to empower my clients, my readers, and my audiences with the intellectual curiosity, dynamic frameworks, and conversational techniques to engage in constructive dialogue with anyone, and to allow their own voices to shine through in the process.
Nathan's Talks
Breaking Through the Bubble: How You Can Engage Constructively with (Almost) Anyone
Politics, in its current form, is miserable. We yell and we fight, we sever friendships and relationships, we do whatever we can to make our points heard. And yet, the needle so rarely moves, and we find ourselves stuck in our bubbles, unable to effectively reach beyond them.
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What if it didn’t have to be that way?
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In this talk, I share the tools, frameworks, and mindset needed to engage in constructive dialogue with any audience, exploring how rethinking discourse can empower us as communicators and advocates, help us to heal valuable relationships, and even lay the foundation for a more vibrant democracy.
Finding Your Voice in the Conversation: Why Politics is More Fun When You’re Not Afraid to Disagree
When it comes to politics, we’re often told these days to pick a side, to fall in line and fight the other. It’s constant conflict, stressful and demoralizing, and it robs us of the joy of discovering our unique voices and ideas, and what they can add to the discourse.
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In this talk, I explore how engaging constructively with others, and embracing the big picture of an ideologically diverse conversation, can help us feel empowered, making our voices the very best they can be.
Wherever you are on any political spectrum, whether you’re outspoken or you’ve barely spoken, you can gain valuable confidence and make your interactions fulfilling, productive, and positive.
Moving Toward Collaborative Problem-Solving: Embracing Disagreement to Improve Engagement and Results
It’s not just our political communication that’s suffering in the social media age. For all too many, disagreement in general has become difficult to deal with, gaps in sensibilities and perspectives are a struggle to overcome, and problem-solving in a team setting seems daunting.
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In this talk, I explore the tools and frameworks we can use to overcome conflict mentality and competitive tendencies and embrace a collaborative problem-solving process without fear of constructive criticism or disagreement.
I also look at how we can incorporate constructive dialogue into employee-manager work relationships and interactions, and how we can empower teams by highlighting the fruits of wider engagement.
Testimonials
“Smolensky gives us a fresh, hopeful option to guide the future of political communications, at a time when the old industry wisdom has brought us to a dead end of cultural division and distrust.”
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Kerry Healey, Lt. Governor of Massachusetts (2003-2007), Exec. Chair, Forward Party
