By Lillian Brown
What could be worse than running for office and not appearing to be a candidate? There is a specific combination required of every person seeking office that can make them a winner – appearance, message, body language, speech. If you don't have them, forget it – save your time, energy and money.
Once you have decided you are going to be a candidate for public office, you are faced with some critical decisions.
First, you have to create an image of yourself. Visualize yourself as already occupying the office to which you aspire. Recognize the fact that the voting public needs to know what you look like, what you stand for and what you will do once you are elected. Before you announce your candidacy, some advance planning will give you the confidence and authority that will serve you well.
You must work on your appearance, your message and the media skills necessary to getting elected. When you are the person on the platform and all eyes are upon you, in the first few seconds your audience will judge you, even before you say a word. So carefully plan your appearance. I believe in investment dressing. Select a wardrobe that will travel well, fit different occasions and take you from morning till night.
A couple of well fitting, good quality suits – plain – dark in color can be accessorized. For women, several different blouses, scarves, good jewelry – all in the same color scheme – are a good choice. Avoid dangling earrings or bracelets that jingle. Pant suits are OK.
If you are sitting on a platform in a skirt, make sure it comes below your knees. Select dark hose and shoes with heels as low as you can tolerate for walking. No high heels that force you to mince across the stage.
For men, several quiet ties that do not shimmer on camera and a variety of shirts – open collared for picnics, to pale blue or grey for camera., to formal white with a bow tie for formal dinners. Consider a classic blue blazer with gold buttons for informal occasions. Include long black socks for sitting on a platform,/.
Ladies, keep your makeup natural and simple. Emphasize your good features and minimize problem areas. Try to look the same on and off camera. Adopt a hairstyle that you can take care of on the road…let it frame your face. Keep it shoulder length so it will not break up when you turn your head. Avoid hanks of hair that obscure the eyes, cheek bones and chin line, or that have to be constantly tucked behind the ears.
Select lipstick the color of the inside of the mouth – no scarlet slash with black liner. Avoid fancy glasses that detract from your eye contact. Consider rimless ones with non-glare lenses.
Once you are happy with your appearance, forget about it, and concentrate on your audience and your message.
Your message is the most important part of your campaign. Prepare, prepare, prepare for every presentation. What do your listeners expect to hear from you? What do you want them to remember when they go to the voting booth? Seek advice from consultants and experts and then make your message your own.
Never read a manuscript verbatim that someone else has written for you. Speak from your heart and your own unique convictions. Make a note of the town you are in, and the group to which you are speaking.
Tailor your remarks to their individual interests. Keep a briefing book. Jot down helpful statistics, facts, anecdotes, main points and useful information that can come to your rescue when you reach to an answer.
For your speeches, use the “open, body, close” rule. In other words, tell them what you are going to say, say it and then tell them what you just said, Compose a rough draft of your speech, highlighting the points you want to make.
Then, transfer the elements to a five by seven card to keep you on track, and to jog your memory. Brevity is critical, since the average attention span is about nineteen minutes. Your audience is eager to hear you – that's why they came.
Welcome questions from your listeners, and give honest, straight-forward, truthful answers. Know what you will NOT say, as you can never reach out and bring a careless statement beak again.
If you expect hostile questions, think of your answers in advance. You can be diplomatic and let the guards handle the protesters. If you do not know the answer to a question, it is quite alright to say so. You can always stall for a little time, by saying “That is a very interesting question”,
If you have a handout containing factual materials, tell your listeners they will receive it at the end of your remarks. Keep a dictionary handy to look up the pronunciation of troublesome words. If you intend to use teleprompter, be sure to practice in advance – mark up the copy – underlining buzz words and using slashes to tell you when to breathe.
Your body language at a lecture tells much about you. Do not grab it with white knuckles or lean on it. It is not there to hold you up – it is a place to lay your notes and stash a glass of water to keep your vocal instrument moist.
Adjust the microphone to your own height. Usually a fixed mike is analogue and mono-directional, and should be placed about four inches from your chin, and an inch below your mouth so your audience can see as well as hear you. If you have a tiny digital mike, it is multi-directional and you can move around with it and be heard. Always keep your eye on the last row to be sure everyone can hear you.
Speak to be clearly understood, pronouncing every consonant, vowel and syllable in the words. Do not speak too fast as English is spoken slower than French or Spanish. Some of your audience may have English as a second language. Maintain eye contact with everyone in your audience,.
If you suffer from stage fright, push your heels into the floor, lift your breastbone and breathe deeply to send oxygen to your brain. Use the lowest pitch that is natural for you.
Some speakers carry saline nasal spray to clear the nasal passages or throat lozenges to clear a cough. Do whatever works for you. Most of all, save your voice for when you need it – don't talk above the room tone at cocktail parties and never strain those precious vocal chords.
The press needs you – and you need the press. Reporters want to make news and need material to send back to their paper, radio or television state. Cultivate your local newspaper and consider inviting reporters to lunch. Put them on your mailing list for releases.
To prepare for appearances on radio or television, record your remarks on a tape recorder and, as you listen, be your own severest critic. If you have access to a video camera, record a speech and study your performance as a learning experience. You can also request audio and video tapes from the radio and television stations after your appearance.
Phone interviews are wonderful because you can do them at home. Stand up and use the telephone as your microphone.
All in all, to look like a candidate, there are five important factors for you to consider: your appearance, message, body language, vocal skills and handling the media.
Lillian Brown has been named one of the most influential PR
people of the Century. She has worked with Presidents
Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Carter and Clinton and has been
a Media Consultant to members of the US Senate and Congress.
