This week the Republican National Convention is being held in my hometown. While I will be staying physically far away in the suburbs, it’s impossible to really avoid – from packed restaurants to clogged freeways to featurettes about the city of Milwaukee on every news channel. So rather than ignoring the hullabaloo, I’ve decided to tune in and see what I, as a writer, can learn from the speakers on stage about how to work a room, even one as cavernous as the Fiserv Center downtown.
The next time you’re standing in front of a large book club, or the guest speaker at a civic organization, or signing books and talking about your novel at a bookstore event, consider these tips that politicians have perfected for getting their point across.
Understanding and identifying with your audience
As you listen to speeches this week, you’ll notice politicians make a habit of weaving in personal stories to humanize themselves and connect with the voters. For example, they’ll share how they grew up as the son of immigrants to illustrate their understanding of the economic challenges facing the working class. As writers, we should consider adjusting what themes to emphasize in our talks based on the makeup of our audience. A bookclub of older women may identify with your reinventing yourself as a writer after retirement whereas a younger audience might enjoy hearing about the research you did to create a Tik-Tok influencer.
Harnessing the power of rhetoric and persuasion
Political speeches often employ rhetorical devices to make their arguments more persuasive and memorable. Writers can study these techniques and purposely use them to enhance the power of their own presentations. For example, tricolons (a series of three parallel words, phrases, or clauses) are a frequent device in speeches, such as Abraham Lincoln’s famous “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” A writer could use a similar technique, categorizing their writing process as “The three P’s – passion, precision, and polish.”
The Art of Brevity
If you listen closely, you’ll notice politicians often need to convey complex ideas in short, memorable phrases. For example: Ronald Reagan was renowned for his simple yet powerful campaign slogan “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” which encapsulated his entire economic argument. As writers, we need to distill our main points into concise, impactful statements that resonate with our audience. Don’t go into depth about complicated plot points. Instead tell them why they might enjoy your novel, whether it’s the poignant love story, the escapist fantasy world, or the intricate and twisty mystery.
Appeal to emotions rather than intellect
Speakers at conventions use emotions to make their message more memorable and impactful. That’s why they’ll point to a family in the audience (obviously planted) and share the heartfelt story of their struggles with the political bureaucracy. As writers we can use a similar technique by incorporating personal stories or vivid descriptions to evoke emotions, for example relating how one reader reconciled with their estranged father after reading your poignant family drama.
Body Language and Tone
Watch a political speech not for what is being said, but how. Observe body language, including hand gestures, pacing across the stage, and facial expressions. Pay attention to how a seasoned politician uses tone and pacing and how they draw attention to their words through changes in inflection and pauses. Writers can translate this into their own presentations by purposely varying sentence length, using changes in volume for emphasis, and pulling an audience in by using a softer, more intimate tone.
Using A Ramp-Up Structure for Greatest Impact
Convention speeches are carefully structured to build momentum and end on a high note. For example, a keynote speech will often start with personal anecdotes, build through policy proposals, and finally culminate in an emotional call to action. Look over your own presentations to make sure you are starting with the basics and building toward a crescendo with an ending with power and pizzazz, one that will cause your audience to rush out and buy your book.
No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, you can benefit from watching the experts at work this week and later in mid-August when the DNC hits Chicago. These seasoned pros have honed their skills through years of working a crowd and trying to win people’s hearts and minds to their policies and we as writers could learn a thing or two from them.
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