| Every voter looks for a candidate in whom he or | | | | Today, voters want to discover the candidate as |
| she can believe. And candidates can win voters' | | | | he or she speaks, as much as we want to hear |
| trust in many ways, some of which have more | | | | about the issues. You already posses the ideal |
| to do with who the voter is than the candidate. | | | | vehicle for delivering this side of yourself to |
| One principle always hold true, however: every | | | | voters: the sound of your voice. When you |
| constituent must be convinced that he or she is | | | | commit fully to the truth of what you're saying, |
| seeing a real person on the podium, in television | | | | listeners will hear it immediately. Now you'll be |
| interviews, or in campaign ads. You may make | | | | convincing voters, not making a speech. |
| the ballot through extraordinary political insider | | | | 3. Connect your voice to your emotions |
| skills, but the average voter cares little or nothing | | | | No advice is more valuable to a political speaker |
| about that. What they want is someone who | | | | than this. The best way to tell your story is to let |
| shares their values and is trustworthy enough to | | | | your voice reflect your feelings about the things |
| elect. | | | | that are important to you and your constituents. |
| This article outlines three simple rules for building | | | | Allowing your vocal style to reflect your emotions |
| such trust with voters through speeches. These | | | | should be one of your strongest attributes as a |
| rules should be easy to follow, because they | | | | candidate. |
| involve doing something any good pol already | | | | One of my clients, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski |
| does well: responding to people's needs through | | | | (R-Alaska), introduced a bill on the Senate floor |
| conversation. A good speech essentially is a | | | | seeking a fair trade balance for America's salmon |
| conversation in which every member of the | | | | fishery. The legislation would make an enormous |
| audience thinks you're talking directly to them. | | | | difference to the people of her home state, and |
| 1. Establish a bond with listeners | | | | Murkowski clearly felt strongly about its passage. |
| In a typical speech, a person transmits 55 percent | | | | Yet the bill couldn't sound like "mere" policy - it |
| of the message through body language and other | | | | had to reflect the senator's deep personal |
| visual clues, 38 percent from vocal quality, and a | | | | commitment to the people who would benefit |
| mere 7 percent from content. | | | | from the legislation. And that's what we worked |
| So, 93 percent of what's getting through to the | | | | on in her delivery of this important speech. |
| voter has everything to do with how the speaker | | | | So how do you achieve the level of vocal |
| looks and sounds. It even works on camera, as I | | | | expressiveness discussed in this article: the "vocal |
| proved in one of my debate prep sessions with | | | | dynamics" that will make you a successful political |
| state Rep. Martha Fuller Clark (D-NH) in a race for | | | | speaker? Begin by listening to yourself on a tape |
| New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District. Clark's | | | | recorder. Is your voice expressive or do you |
| closing statement just wasn't catching fire. I | | | | speak in a monotone? Does your speech include |
| advised bringing some physical gestures to her | | | | the essential "peaks and valleys" of pitch inflection |
| remarks at the point where she promises | | | | that accompany changes of idea and mood, |
| repeatedly to "always work for [her constituents] | | | | keeping listeners tuned in to what you're saying? |
| in Washington." She repeated the speech, this | | | | The longer your speech or Q & A session, |
| time pointing with her index finger every time she | | | | the more important such vocal variety becomes. |
| said, "I will always..." The effect was dramatic -- | | | | Otherwise audiences tune out. What good is it to |
| and it was obvious that this part of her closing | | | | speak on issues you really care about if your |
| statement was now going to nail viewers' | | | | vocal style is turning voters in another direction? |
| attention. | | | | Anecdotes and stories are ideal vehicles for |
| 2. Reveal who you are | | | | achieving such vocal variety. But they must have |
| This advice may sound topsy-turvy in terms of | | | | a different flavor from the policy issues in the |
| traditional political wisdom. But think about the | | | | same speech. That's the strategy I used with U.S. |
| people you really trust in life. Do any of them | | | | Rep. Mike Capuano (D-Mass.), who tells a |
| seem to be hiding their true motives? Wearing a | | | | wonderful story about a sailing trip in which the |
| mask? Pretending to be someone they're not? | | | | Coast Guard offered unanticipated but very |
| Constituents will believe in a candidate more -- in | | | | welcome assistance. |
| fact, they'll only believe -- if they think they're | | | | To build trust with constituents, then, reveal |
| seeing the real thing on the stump or in front of | | | | yourself and your passion through your voice. |
| the camera. | | | | Politicians have sought votes using this formula for |
| You may dream about sounding like your personal | | | | ages. As an effective tool of elections, it's never |
| political hero. But it is to your great advantage | | | | changed. As always, it comes down to showing |
| that you don't look or sound like John F. Kennedy, | | | | people that they are the reason you're running |
| Hillary Clinton, Martin Luther King, Jr., or Scott | | | | for office. |
| Brown. They've been done before. You have not. | | | | |