Political campaigns and need for civil language and effective persuasion (2)
By Goke Ilesanmi
Last week, we said we are now in the volatile period of political or electoral campaigns, beginning with the primary elections of political parties. We stressed that it is worrisome that the political language, communication or messages of most of the political aspirants and their teeming campaign handlers and supporters during the primary elections and even now that some of the aspirants have emerged as candidates of their political parties readily reflect gross professional incompetence or ignorance.
We said instead of focusing on articulation of manifestos and issue-based campaigns, they focus on defamation or marketing of other candidates. We added that extreme desperation for defamation of other candidates should not have arisen at all if the major political goal is to serve the people and not for any ulterior motive.
We educated that as campaign handlers, it is possible to professionally apply SWOT Analysis to the manifestos of other candidates and use that strategy to effectively market or sell your candidate without mentioning, demarketing or defaming other candidates. We said that is an impersonal and mature communication style. We said for instance, if other candidates promise to create two million jobs per year, you can persuasively say your candidate will create four million jobs without referring to what other candidates promise to do.
We emphasised that politicians and their campaign handlers need to attend a political language, persuasion and presentation skills course and learn concepts and skills such as:
Creative Political Campaign Strategies; Types of Political Messages and Strategic Situational Application; Application of Comparative Messages in Political Campaigns/Speeches or Brilliant Application of SWOT Analysis for Impersonal Reference to Opponents; Professional Reaction to Opponents’ Malicious (Verbal) Attacks during Political Campaigns/Speeches, etc.
Other political communication skills
They will also learn other skills such as:
(9) Linguistic Diplomacy and Maturity in Political Speeches/Electoral Campaigns.
(10) Use of Powerful Intro, Agility, Deportment, Vocal Rapidity, Mixed Styles, Codemixing, Codeswitching, etc., in Political Campaigns.
(11) Use ofPersonal Voice, Emphasis, Rhetorical Expressions, Imperative Statements, Linguistic/Stylistic Simplicity, Complexity and Creativity inPolitical Campaigns.
(12) Use of Outline Notes in Public Speeches/Political Campaigns.
(13) Employment of Recognition Span and Rhythmic Eye Movement in Speech-Reading.
(14) Application of Adjectives, Adverbs, Grandiloquence, Repetitions/Synonyms, Ellipsis or Notional/Structural Cut-Off in Political Campaigns.
(15) How to Enrich Oral Political Campaigns with Effective Voice Control.
(16) Holding the Microphone Confidently and Using It to Achieve Effective Voice Control.
Additional skills
Politicians their campaign handlers also need to master concepts and skills such as:
(17) Strategic Decisions Critical to Political Speeches.
(18) Process of Preparing Excellent Political Speeches for Effective Delivery.
(19) Full Speech, Abridged/Executive Summary Speech and Presentation Guide.
(20) Oral Delivery Methods.
(21) How to Use Body Language to Enhance Presentations.
(22) Difference between Anxiety and Nervousness.
(23) How to Overcome Your Temporary Stuttering.
(24) How to Political Handle the Question-and-Answer Sessions with Ease.
(25) How to Motivate Audience/the Electorate with Strong Practical Commitment.
Positive intellectual mindset
So, as a political candidate, you must believe that can win elections without resorting to rigging through the skills of logical presentation, didactic articulation and linguistic simplicity and creativity. Simply put, you can achieve your political goal in life through exceptional political persuasion and presentation skills.
Confirmation
Any candidate that predominantly dwells on defamation or demarketing of others candidates or opponents is simply confirming the fact that he or she does not have any genuine manifesto or programmeto present tothe electorate. So also, the campaign handlers of candidates that resort to hate campaigns instead of issue-based campaigns or articulation of manifestos are simply confirming that they lack direction or have no programmes with which to persuade the electorate.
Just imagine a situation in which a marketer goes out to market to prospective buyers and instead of focusing on the qualities of his or her and the need for prospects to buy, he or she spends 99 or 100 per cent of the whole time condemning all other competing products. That demarketing of other products does not still project the qualities of his or her products. And another error is that he or she has only succeeded in telling or reminding the prospects that there are other competing products and has kept the memory of those other products in prospects’ minds. That is not wise enough.
In a related development, any political candidate that is focused on demarketing is like an examination candidate that concentrates the larger part of his or her time on reporting other candidates making noise, wandering and/or sleeping in an examination hall. Such an examination candidate has simply shown that he or she does not understand the subject or course he or she is writing.
To be continued
PS: For those making inquiries about our CV/Profile Writing and Speech Writing Services; Political Persuasion and Presentation Course; General Public Speaking and Business Presentation Course; Professional Writing Course, etc., please visit the website indicated on this page for details.
GOKE ILESANMI (FIIM, FIMC, CMC), CEO of Gokmar Communication Consulting, is an International Platinum Columnist, Professional Public Speaker, Career Mgt Coach and Certified Mgt Consultant. He is also a Book Reviewer, Biographer and Editorial Consultant. Tel: 08056030424; 08055068773; 08187499425
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.gokeilesanmi.com.ng
