It’s OK. The speech is ages away. There’s nothing to worry about yet. You may be absolutely right, but there is no substitute for preparation even if you are an accomplished public speaker. Take the politicians who finesse and practise their first speech in office long before the election is won (or lost).

If you are beginning to think about a spring or summer work presentation or wedding speech, I’d suggest that you do the hard work now and create time for practise nearer the event. This doesn’t necessarily mean writing a first draft, but simply pulling together all the information you’ll need and starting to think about the potential shape and structure of your speech. (more…)

Ah yes, literature. the random scraps of paper and mail that we so willingly give to people knowing, full well, that it will end up in the garbage can. Yes, the sad but true fact about campaign literature is that it will be thrown away at some point.

So why do we bother? Because, not only is literature necessary for day-to-day door knocking, it is the most effective way to reach a large number of people in a relatively cheep way. The difference between complete garbage and something that may get you a vote is quality: quality information, quality product, and quality readability. If you follow this formula, you have a shot at making people look at your literature on and before election day.  The key is to make a product that voters put on the counter and not in the garbage can. (more…)

So, you have decided to run for office – great! Hopefully you are running because you feel that you can make a difference in you community and, most likely, you have noticed a few things that have made you upset.  You don’t like the high taxes, the poor quality of the roads, the pollution, or the education system – in short – you have issues.

But it is ok! Odds are if you are upset about something or feel that a better job can be done, the voting public probably feels the same way.  What many campaigns fail to do is translate their plans to the public in the form of a solid message that people understand.  In short, you need to define your message.

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