If you are running for election, then you should first be congratulated on taking that initiative. But you will already be aware of just how much paperwork and homework there is involved with this. This is why people like Christopher Halajian are so important, however, as they are the people that help candidates properly prepare themselves for their upcoming elections, so they have the greatest chance of winning.
Christopher Halajian on Important Presentation Skills
Political candidates are generally good at speaking. They are people with conviction, and they know how to discuss issues that matter to them. However, they often have very poor presentation skills. Their role isn’t to present issues, it is to answer questions, which goes some way towards explaining that problem. For instance, a candidate that wants to increase police budgets will do their research on expenditure and the impact on increasing budgets, both in terms of revenue collection and effectiveness of the work. The only thing they present, however, is that they want the budget to be increased, and they will be able to answer questions on that issue should any arise.
According to Christopher Halajian, however, if they had better presentation skills, they would also be able to put their message across, and answer questions, in a much better way. Hailing from the town of Southold himself, he has worked on numerous political campaigns both there and in Mattiuck. Every Monday, he holds workshops on how to have better presentation skills, and they are very well-attended. People are invited to attend with a drink of coffee or tea included, and those workshops are also fantastic opportunities to discuss pertinent political issues, such as the building of a new route through a busy estate. So what are some of the main things he teaches people during this workshops?
- To properly use a microphone. It is vital that people speak normally into the microphone, so that they sound normal as well.
- To be human. This means doing things such as giving other candidates a compliment or thanking the people for organizing the event.
- To talk to the audience. Too often, candidates have lengthy notes in front of them, which they then read. This means they make no contact with their audience at all.
- To have a friendly, neutral expression. It is very common for people to look quite angry when they are presenting, some of which is through nerves and some is through the fact that the issues being discussed are quite emotive. It is important to remain friendly and neutral in demeanor, however.
- To stick to the relevant issues. Again, many public speakers go off on a tangent and start to drift away from the topic at hand.
- To have a good conclusion. Usually, at public speaking events, candidates only have a limited amount of time to say the things they want to say. Yet it is vital that they find the time to make a conclusion as well, or people will feel as if certain things weren’t said.
- To always smile. This makes people human and approachable.