Unfortunately, many attempts at political persuasion fall on rocky soil and never take root. In many cases this is because the speaker is so impassioned about their point of view, that they get carried away and fail to heed a few lessons one might pick up at their local Toastmaster's club.
Among the most common presentation failings I've notice in my 40 plus years of active political involvement are lack of focus, ineffective evaluation technique, and lack of respect for the audience.
For many of the most passionate political operatives, the "other guy" is often an S.O.B. who did this, and did that, and/or who didn't do zip like they should have. This particular passion is non partisan and afflicts many a true believer no matter their political affinity.
For this person, the hardest part of a Toastmaster membership would be living within the typical 5-7 minute limit on most speeches. It would take at least that long just to itemize the heinous negatives their opponent personifies.
Had they a Toastmaster's temperament, they would spend their 5 to 7 minutes on one key fault of their opponent and make a single focused effort to explain why it matters to their listener.
The second lesson they would have picked up with their Toastmaster membership was the skill to properly evaluate their opponent. They would soon pick up on the "sandwich" approach to evaluation used to provide constructive criticism to fellow club members after a speech. The sandwich starts with something the evaluator likes about the speech, and then offers some constructive criticism, and finally ends with a parting positive point.
This is an effective way of offering constructive criticism and takes away the harshness or bitterness. The same technique can be effective in a persuasive political speech as well. While one would expect the sandwich to be far more full of the "beef," the finding of at least some positive comments would soften the harshness of the speech in the ears of the beholders. As such it will appear more reasoned and rational and thus more believable. And that is a critical element of any persuasive speech.
Finally, the common problem many political partisans share is their tendency to think everyone sees the world, (or should see the world) from their particular perspective. Fitting your presentation to your audience's actual point of view is essential if you hope to be effective in your persuasion. It could be that many political speakers tend to focus more on speaking not to persuade, but to prove to their fellow travelers of their personal purity and passion on the points presented. While such poisoned prose may prove passion, it does nothing to persuade others, and for some proves that their opponents are irrational - resulting in dismissal of their point of view.
The very fact that political divisions exist proves that viewpoints can differ. Understanding the points of view of those who do not currently agree with you is essential if you are to gain their attention to your point of view. Once you do, you may or may not be successful in connecting the dots to show them the path to righteousness as you see it. But you will have a better chance to do so.
While much of political campaigns are today conducted in sound-bites in the mass media, there is still a role for grass roots, people to people politics. The skills learned in a Toastmaster club and presented here could help improve the quality of persuasive speech and presentation and strengthen the democracy we cherish.
