Blog & Articles

The Election is coming!

A large number of experienced MPs have decided to call it a day and move on. This is creating some very tempting vacancies for ambitious Conservative politicians – but what are the six key attributes we look for in our Parliamentarians?

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

A politician who tells the public “You don’t understand” is really saying “I can’t explain”, as I once told a senior EU panjandrum. You need to be able to make clear points in broadcast interviews as well as at public meetings. Often you have to deliver a speech at the drop of a hat, so it is important to practise creating a three minute speech from scratch with just five minutes of preparation – on any subject.

Clear written communication is also very important as you will have to draft letters to constituents, press statements and if you are lucky you might be asked to write a column for your local newspaper.

INTELLECT

You will need to be comfortable with complex material including budgets and academic reports. This needs to extend beyond just understanding these things to being able to question them forensically. Scrutiny work on select committees is an important component of an MPs role and Ministers who don’t question their officials are no more use than an (expensive) empty chair.

It is important to understand the difference between intelligence and education. Possession of a good degree is helpful but not essential. Far more important is an understanding of critical thinking and causation.

You also need to be enthusiastic about learning new things. Once at Westminster, Number 10 could offer you a ministerial post but this may not be in a field you are familiar with. Experience of constantly learning and adapting is useful. Most people are uncomfortable with change but MPs can’t afford to be hidebound.

ABILITY TO RELATE TO PEOPLE

As an MP, you will meet senior business figures and leaders of other countries but you will also deal with ordinary constituents every day and you have to empathise with their difficulties. Far too often people regard their politicians as out of touch or ‘not interested in my problems’ and the recent antics in Westminster haven’t helped.

Experience of voluntary work is a good way to demonstrate that you are comfortable with people from all backgrounds, rich and poor, friendly and hostile.

LEADERSHIP

During the campaign you will have to lead and motivate a team of political activists. This is probably the loneliest part of the job as the candidate is often the worst person to ask to predict an election result. It’s just human nature to take the last dozen people you spoke to and extrapolate the result from them – which means you can have some pretty depressing days. Nevertheless you need to be able to put on a brave face and coax your campaigners out for the next day’s door knocking.

You may be seen as a great leader at work, oozing charisma, but in politics it often comes down to leading by example. In essence you shouldn’t expect your campaigners to do anything that you aren’t prepared to do yourself.

RESILIENCE

In politics there are far more lows than highs – but the highs are worth it. Most politicians lose an election before they can find a winnable seat and there are a lot of rejections along the road. Once at Westminster there will be many reshuffles but most of them won’t see your unique skills recognised.

So you need to be able to bounce back swiftly from disappointment and defeat. It’s worth considering times when you changed career or had to recover from a setback. Why did it happen? How did you find your way back? What did you learn from the experience?

A degree of maturity and self awareness is essential.

CONVICTION

Political parties are a broad church but even the broadest churches have walls – and outside is the graveyard.

The question ‘Why are you a Conservative?’ is one you need to be able to answer with insight and enthusiasm. It’s not a politics exam either – we want to know why you hold these values and how they are reflected in your political brand.

Also remember that politics goes through changes. In the 80s we had ideological politics but Major, Blair and Cameron presided over a long period of managerialism. That effectively ended in 2015 with Corbyn and Brexit heralding a new age of ideological politics. The ground is shifting so you need to know where you stand.

Demonstrating these essential attributes is vital for application CVs and interviews. The good news is that I can help you – as I have already helped dozens of candidates – so contact me for more information.

The Election Is Coming! Every week sees a new list of available seats rolled out seeking prospective candidates. Some are a more tempting prospect than others but all require the completion of a three page ‘Candidate CV’. This is the vital first stage in the selection process so it needs to be done well.

IMPORTANCE OF THE APPLICATION FORM

The Candidate CV is all the selectors will know about most applicants when they sit down to sift up to 300 starters down to the dozen – at the most – who will be called to interview. Local candidates or well known celebrities have a massive advantage but anyone else needs a CV that will stand out from the crowd. The purpose of the CV is to get you through the door of the interview room and if it can’t do that you have a serious problem.

But the CV will also follow you through the entire process like a faithful dog. At the interview, every selector will have a copy. If there are two interview stages, everyone who attends the final public meeting will have a copy too. There could be hundreds of them in circulation by the end so be prepared for copies to pop up in surprising places after you have triumphed and won the seat.

You will be in the interview room for a maximum of 45 minutes but your CV will be there all day, so make sure it is working to help you and not undermining your efforts.

Any typing errors, obvious mistakes or untruths in the document will also follow you – and they won’t help your chances.

That’s why it is so important to plan the CV, draft it several times and eliminate all of the errors. A second pair of eyes is really helpful when it comes to picking up mistakes.

THIS  CONSTITUENCY

You need to think about the constituency and what they need – then match those needs to the experience and skills you have to offer. There’s no point majoring on knife crime in a predominantly rural constituency or on farm subsidies in Inner London.

Use local names and examples to illustrate the points you make. A session researching on line should turn up some useful indicators.

Use your own experience to explain how you would approach and solve those problems. Make it unique to you so that you stand out from the field.

Remember it’s not an exam or an essay. Long blocks of text telling them what they already know are really off putting, so break it up into manageable paragraphs that are easy to read.

Put the strongest points at the beginning and the end of the page. These are the parts that naturally draw attention and are most likely to be read.

POLITICAL PRIORITIES

List the things you hope to achieve but keep it manageable and readable. Make them relevant to the challenges the constituency faces and to your own experience.

In my opinion there should be no more than three key pledges. People remember things in threes but they struggle with larger numbers.

In the current climate it is worth considering ways to reduce the cost burden on constituents and to improve the supply of homes for their sons and daughters.

POLITICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Remember that achievements are about more than the job titles you have held. Sitting in The Big Chair isn’t enough – they want to know how you used your political power to help people and get results.

These results can of course include successful campaigns. How many votes did you get? What was the majority, or the percentage swing? How many members did you recruit? How much money did you raise? And how did you achieve all this?

ENDORSEMENTS

Most applications now include endorsements from supportive public figures, so CVs can look naked without them.

Obviously, existing politicians make good endorsements but don’t overlook political commentators, media figures or senior business people who may be willing to help you. Political activists can also give good endorsements to back up your campaigning claims.

Think carefully about what an endorsement says. Too many are little more than name dropping with no attention to the actual content. Well used endorsements can praise you for things you might not be able to say about yourself without looking immodest. If you are hard working, caring, and likeable it looks much better to get other people to make those claims for you.

ROAD TESTING

Ultimately the only way to see if a Candidate CV is effective is to put it out there, so apply for seats and take notice of any feedback you get.

For most candidates the selection process is a bruising journey. You can afford to lose an interview but you should never lose the opportunity to learn from it and be better next time.

Right now I’m recruiting for the Second Wave of my Candidate Mentoring Programme. My clients find some long term support and advice through the selection process really valuable. You can read more about my mentoring offer here.

I have helped dozens of successful candidates with their applications and CVs so contact me for more detailed advice.

“We thought you were really good but the committee voted for the other guy – good luck next time, and keep trying”

Everyone who has applied for a seat has heard these dreaded words or something similar. You’ve got to resolve yourself to starting all over again, completing another application form, attending more interviews. The treadmill seems endless – and unfair. Was the other candidate really better? What did you do wrong? How can you improve next time? And how many times can you afford to Fail?

Since 2006 I have been advising clients facing the ordeal of a political selection interview. I like to keep my advice positive and upbeat but I’ve seen a lot of howlers committed, some more often than others. One error might not lose it for you but several together will guarantee you another rejection letter. The good news is that basic errors are easy to avoid, if you can recognise them.

So, here are eleven easy ways to fail a constituency selection interview:

1. Define Yourself Against the Audience

‘Unlike typical politicians I work hard, I care and I’m honest.’

Your average selection committee will include councillors, ex councillors, wannabe MPs and lots of people who admire politicians enough to give up their weekends to campaign for them. Setting yourself against them like this will cost you votes, as will telling a room full of Conservative activists that you are not a ‘typical Conservative.’ As far as possible you should seek to define yourself With the audience – people give more credit to candidates they can identify with.

2. Tell Not Show

‘I’m a young candidate so I’ve got lots of energy.’

You don’t have much time to impress them and this is at best a waste of it. Your youth should be obvious as soon as you step into the room. Instead, you can talk about all the campaigning work you have done and demonstrate your energy in your presentation.

If you are a local candidate there is no point saying this to people who should already know you. Show you are local by mentioning lots of local place names and issues rather than just stating the obvious.

3. Betray Self Doubt

‘This is my first interview and I didn’t expect to get this far. I really hope you will select me tonight.’

The committee members expect you to lead them confidently through a long and gruelling campaign which will certainly have its low moments, so you need to exhibit the necessary self confidence. This is one of the reasons that ex military officers do so well in selections – but you don’t need to have been to Sandhurst to ruthlessly weed out examples of self doubt.

4. Dictate From Behind the Desk

‘You don’t have as much crime out here as they do in London so of course you won’t get as many police on your streets.’

This is a common mistake amongst candidates who are already council leaders or who hold senior management positions. You are accustomed to explaining tough decisions to the public but on this occasion, you need to be standing in front of the desk alongside your constituents rather than behind it. There are over 600 MPs in Westminster but this constituency will only have one so they expect you to represent their interests to officialdom, not the opposite way around.

In this case you should be talking about how you will make the case for more police officers and what else you might do to help them to reduce local crime levels that they are quite right to be concerned about.

5. Passive Aggression

‘I answered that question earlier and it’s mentioned in my CV.’

This can be easy to slip into but it looks peevish. Bite your tongue and repeat the answer. Also pause to consider that you might have heard the question wrongly – perhaps you should politely ask for clarification.

6. Needlessly Court Controversy

‘If I had to choose a piece of legislation to promote, I would introduce the Death Penalty for Abortion.’

Some issues generate such strong feelings on both sides of the argument that people will refuse to vote for you even if they think you are the best candidate in every other respect. Of course, if you are asked directly about them you must answer clearly and honestly, but otherwise why go there without prompting?

If you make contentious statements and lose by one vote, you will be kicking yourself all the way home.

7. Waffle and be Unclear on Policy

‘This is an interesting question and it is important to grasp both sides of such a complex issue.’

Everyone just naturally expects politicians to dodge questions. An unclear opening response to a policy question will lead some of your audience to switch off and miss your conclusion even if it becomes crystal clear. So, when dealing with policy questions, answer them very clearly first then explain the reasons for your response. This can feel unnatural so you should practise with some dummy policy questions.

8. Lose Emotional Control

‘I’m just so pleased to be in the final tonight. It’s been really challenging (sob).’

Emotion can be very powerful in speeches. Used well it is a winning tactic but the weapon has two edges. The closer you get to the emotional cliff edge, the more you feel yourself losing control, until finally the tears or the anger just well up…

Remember, it’s a selection interview – not the Oscars.

This can be a very challenging situation to manage. That emotional cliff edge is going to be in a different place with adrenaline coursing in front of a packed audience to where it was when you were practising alone at home.

If you can’t talk about something close to you without losing control, perhaps you should stay away from it. Remember, Discretion is the better part of Valour. 

9. Poor Taste Humour

‘An Englishman, a Scotsman and an Irishman walk into a selection meeting…’

If you are not sure a joke is funny – that’s because it isn’t.

A lot of contemporary humour is actually much too risky to use in politics. You could easily cause offence and there is nothing worse than delivering your one liner and pausing for the laughs that don’t come……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Again, unless you are naturally amusing or an experienced humourist, Discretion is the better part of Valour.

10. Lie

‘I voted to Leave the EU and I would support a Hard Brexit.’

A lot of people who said this at selections before 2017 must have had their fingers crossed behind their backs. It’s impossible to guess the political opinions of a selection panel so don’t even try. Often, they are looking for the opposite of the MP or candidate they fielded last time.

If you lie to them, the worst thing they can do is select you! A lengthy campaign alongside people you fundamentally disagree with stretches ahead – and if you win then you could be stuck with each other for years. It won’t end well…

11. Fail to Prepare

‘Hi Roger, I understand you advise candidates so I thought I’d give you a call for some tips. I’m at the selection meeting now and I’m delivering my opening speech in 30 minutes…’

Yes, I actually had this call. But it takes time to write a compelling selection speech and to create a winning Interview Plan

There’s a lot to take in here and that’s why I am running a Three Month Mentoring Programme to help you prepare to take on the Selection Round and Win. You can read more details here.https://www.rogerevans.co.uk/uncategorized/three-months-of-mentoring/

With selection interviews looming, I’m offering you a FREE 30 minute call to discuss your progress on the candidate selection ladder and the steps you need to take to avoid pitfalls and improve your performance. So you can contact me well in advance of the interviews.

I won’t wish you good luck – because interview success is all about preparation, not chance.

From Anna Firth, newly selected Conservative candidate for Canterbury:

Roger must be one of the best political speech and presentation coaches in the business. He is superb at adding those final finishing touches to transform your speech from standard and mediocre to stand out and exceptional.

His techniques for taking control of the Q & A session to enable you to get all your best points across are also vital in a highly competitive process.

Most of all Roger is one of the nicest coaches I have ever come across. With authenticity so much the order of the day, his 100% affirmative and confidence giving approach, is invaluable and I recommend
him unreservedly.

One of Boris Johnson’s early achievements was to appoint a Cabinet featuring more Members from Britain’s diverse communities than ever before. This is great news for young black people who seeing these role models will know that they can make it to the very top.

This should in turn herald a change to the wider Public Appointments environment, where too often the same old faces from the Blair days are recycled into new roles. It’s time for greater diversity – of opinions as well as backgrounds.

Many people would benefit from a Public Appointment and they would be able to make a great contribution, but unfortunately the process is shrouded in mist for the average applicant. It’s difficult to know where to start or what the recruiters are looking for. That’s where I can help.

A good place to begin is the Cabinet Office website, which publishes regular updates to the jobs available. You can also sign up for a Newsletter ensuring the opportunities drop into your in box as they become available.

Applications are initially by CV with a covering letter which requires candidates to set out how they meet the job and person specifications.

Shortlisted applicants will be called to interview where they will face a barrage of questions and usually a short presentation task to test their communication skills.

You will need to be able to demonstrate strong Communication skills, an ability to Understand other viewpoints, evidence of Teamwork that is needed if you are going to be part of a senior non executive board, and an awareness of good Ethics and integrity.

If this is you – I can help by offering:

1. Advice on your own personal strategy, setting goals and working towards securing your first appointment – and those that will follow.
2. Application Letter and CV support, presenting you at your best on paper.
3. Interview Planning, to prepare you for the crucial 30 minute assessment.
4. Presentation Skills Training and Speech Writing, to make your initial presentation really shine.
5. Mock Interview, covering the usual questions that always crop up and the tricky questions that can trip up the best candidates.

If you have already built a successful career then you probably have the skills and experience they are looking for.

An initial consultation is free so contact me today.

There were some concerns that Boris had drifted a bit since his time at City Hall, that he had lost his edge and his mojo. As he strode into Downing Street last week, he will have known that these fears needed to be put to rest.

Standing at the lectern, in bright sunlight, he had just over ten minutes to do the job.

So how good was that speech?

STRUCTURE

Like any good chess match, a speech should have an opening, a middle and an end game. The purpose of each section is different but the structure can be applied even to very short speeches. Ten minutes provides the opportunity for a two minute opening, six minutes of message packed middle and a barn storming two minute closing.

The Opening should be used to build rapport with the audience. In this case there were three audience elements – the media, the gaggle of enthusiastic supporters and staffers, and of course the viewing public. The first two groups had already made up their minds and the third would probably only see the broadcast highlights.

It’s polite to recognise your predecessor, so Boris did this in a very perfunctory fashion. Reasonable, as longer might have looked like hypocrisy and would have been counter to the public mood. Instead he used the opening to attack the Gloomsters and Doomsters who were going to ‘Lose their shirts’ for betting against the UK. He also made his position on Brexit crystal clear.

The Middle should be used to lay out memorable messages. Boris stated a commitment to policies claiming each of them as ‘Our Job’. Convention states that three is an ideal number but he went against it and stated four key pledges – 20,000 police, 20 new hospitals, resolving the social care crisis and improving school funding. These are all big tasks which are likely to be ‘work in progress’ when the next election is called.

He returned to Brexit in more detail, with pledges to unite the country, reopen talks with the EU, but to prepare seriously for No Deal. There was some nice positioning of values around what the UK flag stands for. The pledge to safeguard 3.2 million EU Nationals currently in the UK is very welcome – it is the right thing to do and recognises the real fears that people have lived with since 2016. He thanked them for their Contribution to the UK and their patience, in an approach that echoed the speeches we used to deliver to community festivals and conferences around London.

And he added that in the case of No Deal we would be keeping the £39 billion that Brussels has demanded – money talks.

Boris also spoke about The UK’s future with science and technology at the forefront. This felt very much like the work we did in Shoreditch, Old Street and the other tech hubs that developed around London. The same approach is on the cards for our neglected Northern towns and cities. His reference to GM crops might alarm some Green campaigners.

The Ending stressed the need to overcome self doubt and ‘change the record’. This optimism was a key theme of the whole speech and aimed to leave the audience on a high.

STYLE

There were no jokes. This was more like his speech at the 2012 Olympics, stressing the positives and building self confidence. One of our strengths in the UK is a free press that can print what they want, but of course negative news sells better and the big danger is that we come to believe that everything is bad and that our country and institutions are incapable of delivering our ambitions.

After years of managerial politics, this upbeat approach is well overdue.

In defiance of his reputation for overlooking detail, he made quite a lot of detailed policy commitments. Can he deliver them all? Only time will tell, but as London’s Mayor Boris also had a reputation for making good on his promises.

His body language was confident, as you would expect. Purists would criticise him for moving around a bit too much but it didn’t get in the way of his message and with only ten minutes, there are better ways to use your concentration than focusing on detailed body movements.

He had a written speech which is wise on big occasions but he hardly seemed to reference it and the speed at which he turned the pages suggests that he wasn’t reading it word for word, but instead using key bullet points as a general guideline. I have seen Boris deliver a 30 minute after dinner speech from six lines scribbled on the back of a menu, so he won’t have needed copious notes.

CONCLUSION

Boris made a good start to his premiership. He rightly eschewed the jokes that many will have expected and delivered a serious but upbeat performance. His aim will have been to enthuse his supporters whilst reassuring the many undecideds in the audience.

The readiness to take responsibility was well summed up in the line – ‘Never mind the Backstop, The Buck Stops with me.’

In some recordings the baying of the demonstrators outside the Downing Street gates was intrusive. This is becoming almost a ritual for the usual suspects. Perhaps it is time to erect a large screen in Parliament Square and televise the speeches so that the crowd can have their ‘Ten Minute Hate’ at a safe distance, without spoiling the performance for the majority.

Four years ago, I was invited to a meeting with Boris Johnson. It’s fair to say that my hopes were not high as I rode the lift to the ninth floor at City Hall.

I had just completed a demanding year chairing the monthly Mayor’s Question Time, during which we often had our differences.

I think you have been admirably even handed – perhaps too even handed was how he opened the conversation. He then went on to offer me the fantastic opportunity to be his Statutory Deputy for the remainder of his term of office. This included the possibility of filling his role, should he leave office before the election – in effect I was to be the Spare Mayor.

Boris doesn’t hold personal grudges, as he demonstrated that day. In the following twelve months, I learned much more about him.

Mayors of London stamp their personalities on the culture at City Hall. Ken Livingstone created a bureaucracy motivated by power and fear. Staff were reluctant to be seen even talking to political opponents and during the 2008 election they were encouraged to believe that victory for Boris would see them all out of a job.

In the event, only a few people left City Hall and they did so at their own insistence. Nobody was pushed out and the culture quickly became much more positive. If Ken had been about Fear, Boris was about Optimism. In the eight years of his rule at the GLA there was never a shortage of applicants to join the organisation and be part of the vibrant, outward looking, world city that we were building.

An early example was the 2012 Olympics. We had been openly critical as the costs piled up but Boris would have no more of that Gloomadon Popping as he described it.

We weren’t seriously going to stop the athletes at Heathrow and tell them it was all off. So we had to make it a dazzling success, despite our budget being dwarfed by the giant Beijing extravaganza four years earlier.

It was brilliant, showcasing London to the rest of the world. Many people, across the political spectrum, contributed but Boris set the tone – he even got a cheer from the stadium crowd where other politicians fared less well.

The same outward looking, optimistic vision is what Brexit now demands. We are going to leave the EU, so let’s do it with a spring in our step and an eye on our future. The establishment foot dragging and longing backward glances must end now – they should have ended in June 2016.

Boris is a strategic thinker, he wants to see the big picture when he takes decisions. I soon learned to brief him in five minutes, a useful discipline that really made me think about my subject matter and come to terms with it before offering an opinion. That approach wouldn’t go down well in parts of the Foreign Office and the EU – where the longer you speak and the more you write, the more important you think you are.

Cameron and Blair were not great on detail either, but they were good leaders.

Conversely, both Gordon Brown and Theresa May were obsessed with detail, sometimes to the extent of not trusting their ministers to do their jobs without constant interference and second guessing. Details freaks do not always make good Prime ministers.

Boris appointed a team who were great on detail and on delivering policy. The late, and much missed, Sir Simon Milton joined us from Westminster and was instrumental in creating a City Hall administration that was effective and got results. He was succeeded by the equally effective Sir Edward Lister who came to us from Wandsworth Council, a beacon of Conservative success in local government.

Some of his best lieutenants have followed Boris into Parliament where they have carved out strong reputations. James Cleverly and Kit Malthouse should find key roles in a Boris administration and a return for Sir Edward Lister would be a wise move.

Members voting for Boris will also be voting for an outstanding management team.

The Left like to paint Boris as a hard right winger, yet I always found him open minded and enthusiastic to learn new ideas. This enthusiasm led him to work with Kit Malthouse on diversifying London’s economy beyond an over reliance on financial services.

In eight years, we helped to develop exciting tech hubs, with the largest based in Shoreditch and around the Old Street roundabout, a district that had been looking tired and left behind.

We also worked on a life sciences hub at Kings Cross and a creativity hub based in Hackney Wick. Boris had an upbeat vision for London that sadly is not shared by his Labour successor.

The 2016 Brexit vote was also a cry for help from regions of the UK that feel left behind and threatened by the forces of globalisation – as Shoreditch and Kings Cross were for many years.

Too often, change is celebrated for no good reason. It needs to be harnessed and used to make peoples’ lives happier and more prosperous.

Our country desperately needs such an optimistic vision. Not every goal can be achieved – but surely we can make the effort.

Regardless of who we choose as Leader, inevitably we must eventually face a General Election and we need to be prepared. Corbyn’s Labour Party is a deeply unappealing prospect and we owe it to the country to offer a more attractive alternative vision.

Boris is the only candidate who can stem the loss of our traditional supporters to the Brexit Party. At the same time, he has a proven ability to reach beyond narrow party loyalties and gain backing from Labour and Lib Dem voters.

Winning London in 2008 was a huge challenge and keeping it in 2012 was even more of an uphill struggle. We weren’t helped by the government unveiling Osborne’s infamous Omnishambles Budget right in the middle of the campaign. Nevertheless, we prevailed against the odds.

To win London, a Conservative must appeal to traditional supporters and to political opponents. Only Boris could walk that tightrope all the way to the end.

I have seen what Boris can do at his best, and I believe that with the right team around him, he can do it again. That is why he will have my support.

Every year, dozens of public appointments are advertised by government departments. They offer a great opportunity to contribute to the governance of the UK as well as a way for ambitious leaders to enhance their CVs. Many are also very well paid.

Despite efforts to broaden the recruitment base, the appointments still struggle to reflect the diversity of our society with a shortfall in the number of women and under representation of the varied communities that contribute to our economy and culture.

There is also a worrying lack of diversity of background and opinion, with successful candidates reflecting the values of previous governments. If politicians lag behind public opinion, their appointees are even slower to change. A recent survey by Conservative Home demonstrated that over 70% of appointees were current or former Labour party members. Much of this state of affairs was due to a selection process that over valued previous experience and consequently kept recirculating the same people.

To new candidates, the world of public appointments can seem like a closed shop – so I will try to shed some light on it:

WHERE DO I FIND OUT MORE?

The Cabinet Office regularly publishes a newsletter listing upcoming vacancies – it is available here.

The April newsletter includes a wide variety of opportunities including:

Law Commissioners

Chair of the Financial Reporting Council

Chair of the National Institute for Clinical Excellance

Charity Commissioners

There is usually a wide range of opportunities on offer. Appointments to NHS Boards, magistrates and other posts can also be found on the Public Appointments website.

Many of the more senior positions are well paid but it can be a good strategy to secure an unpaid role first. This will establish you as a potential candidate for other roles whilst growing your network and building your experience in this sector.

DO I HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?

The good news is that public appointments exist in all fields, so specialist experience and knowledge are invaluable. There is likely to be something for anyone who has excelled in their own profession.

Most of the roles also require the following ‘people’ skills:

Teamwork – particularly experience of working as a member of a board or committee. Having chaired such a board is even more useful and specialist knowledge of audit procedures and compliance is widely respected.

Understanding – you need to work with people who hold different – often opposing – points of view. So you need to demonstrate how you can understand and accommodate differences. Examples of negotiations or agreements where all parties gained something are worth mentioning at the interview.

Communication – these are public bodies so you need to be comfortable dealing with the media, pressure groups and customers. Experience of speaking on radio, television or to large audiences is highly valued.

Integrity – it should go without saying that appointees will be carefully scrutinised by the press and political opponents. If you have a history of dubious activities or extreme views, public service may not be the best place for you.

HOW DO I LEARN MORE?

The first place to look is the public appointments website – and make sure that you sign up for the regular newsletter.

When you find a role that fits, I can help with advice on your application form and a mock interview which can really focus your attention for the big day. Contact me for advice and assistance.

Last month I published an article for Barndoor Strategy, looking at the prospects for candidates in the coming elections. Authenticity is going to be in demand as voters become disillusioned with slick, over rehearsed ‘clone’ candidates:

Nobody quite knows how the Brexit impasse will end.  But whether we leave on the 12^th April, stay for a short while or have a further long extension, one thing is clear.  The UK will be heading for a General Election a lot sooner than 2022.  Parliamentary parties and structures have broken down in an unprecedented way.  Never mind the whips losing their authority; the whole principle of cabinet collective responsibility has been holed below the water line by recent events.  The shattered pieces of parties elected to form the 2017 parliament will never be put back together.

With an increasingly divided and fractious parliament the inevitable conclusion is that sooner or later there will be an early general election.  It might happen by accident or design but an election is the only thing that can heal these wounds.  In this context, many people will suddenly scramble to get themselves a seat.  2017 has many grim lessons for those who left it too late or worse still turned up to an Association as the ‘central office candidate’.

This time things will be different because of members’ expectations.  In all parties there is a growing disdain for the professional political class.  Members won’t be fooled again by people in flash suits claiming to be ardent advocates of one cause or another, only to see their principles fall away as they ascend the steps of Palace of Westminster.  Associations are being more assertive about what type of candidate they are looking for and the type of MP they will support.

The next general election is also likely to throw up a disproportionate number of safe seats.  As many MPs relations have broken down with their Association.  The days of MPs being selected by their local party on the basis of telling them one thing and being able to continue in office while doing the complete opposite at Westminster are coming to an end.  We’ve entered a new age of localism and authenticity.  With the rash of “remainer” defections and near defections at Westminster, Conservative associations will be on the lookout for candidates who genuinely share their world view.  These safe seats are likely to be particularly wary of so-called “carpet baggers”.  All the more reason for serious contenders to make sure they have built their ties with a prospective Association early.

Applicants will need to be aware of local issues that may affect the vote as well as past voting trends over the long term. Once safe seats like Kensington are no longer such great prizes but the shift in political loyalties is creating some good prospects north of Watford Gap. The views of local activists are also important – there is little point in a remainer applying for a seat who have just removed someone with similar views from office.

In this context, early engagement with a seat and the building of genuine ties and rapport are vital.  Candidates with a history of local contacts and supporters are far more likely to meet with the approval of this more discerning audience.

One thing is for sure, whatever the result of Brexit UK politics will not be the same for a long time.

If you want to learn more about campaigning or public speaking Barndoor Strategy can help.  Contact us for more information.

For a lot of people, standing up and performing in front of an audience is a worrying prospect. Even experienced presenters will feel that rush of adrenaline as the moment approaches. The key is to use that adrenaline for fight rather than flight, to let it give you an edge without allowing it to undermine your performance.

Remember that phrase from Game of Thrones – Fear Cuts Deeper Than Swords.

It’s time to conquer your fear.

PREPARATION

Without a map you will get lost and without proper planning, your speech is more likely to go wrong. On a strange journey, a map helps your confidence. You know the route and you expect to arrive on time.

Before you stand up and open your mouth, you need to understand some basic facts. Who are the audience? What do they want? What do you have in common with them? What do you want from them? How are you going to make your call to action? Most importantly, What is your key message?

You should take the time to write out your speech line by line and practise delivering it. If there is a time limit you must make sure that you don’t run over it. This is particularly important for presentations during interviews or competitive pitches, or in quasi legal situations like Council planning committees. Assume that you will be stopped if you exceed your time.

But in other situations it is also wise to avoid rambling on and trying the patience of your audience. A good rule of thumb is that you should never speak for longer than twenty minutes without at least breaking for some questions or perhaps a video.

Time spent before the speech will pay dividends during it. Practice until you feel comfortable with your speech and use each successive delivery to weed out difficult sentences, obscure concepts and words that cause you to stumble. Each iteration should be better than the last and if you keep a written record, your speech should improve continually.

Be particularly careful with humour. A joke or humorous story needs to be delivered using precise words, voice tones and timing. Avoid it if you have any doubts about your ability to make them laugh.

Your final speech should be so familiar that you can deliver it on autopilot but now is not the time for hubris. Keep your notes with you for the occasion, preferably somewhere close to hand, in case you dry up. It is unlikely to happen but the presence of your notes will give you some reassurance if things get difficult.

OPENING

A speech is a bit like flying a plane – the most dangerous parts are closest to the ground. Your take off and landing should be planned meticulously.

When you stand up, expect an initial rush of adrenaline. You are facing a sea of people, some familiar, some strangers, all expectant. The good news is that they all want you to succeed. So, pause for a moment before you deliver your opening line.

Those first moments are vital. Like a plunge into a cold swimming pool, the initial shock can throw you but you will quickly acclimatise to the new situation. You should memorise your opening line, word for word so that you know what to say even if you face a momentary blankness.

Opening lines can vary. You can state the purpose of your speech, or your key message. You can use humour to warm them up. You can talk about something you all have in common – people warm to presenters who are like themselves. If you are following another speaker, you can thank them and invite applause – this will encourage them to respond during your own speech.

The important thing is to build rapport right from the start. The old adage before you sell anything, you have to sell yourself, always applies.

CLOSING

As your speech approaches its conclusion you can be forgiven for feeling some relief. But this is not the time to relax. Think back to the flying analogy – you want to land with wheels down, not nose first.

It can be difficult to conclude. I have seen people trapped on conference platforms as their time runs out, unable to find a clean way to close their speech. It is not a pretty sight.

So, make sure you learn your closing lines as diligently as the opening ones.

The close should repeat your key message and include a call to action. What do you want from them? It could be their votes, their sales orders, a job or just their support. It feels very un-British to ask them but trust me – it works.

And whilst you are delivering your call to action, take the opportunity to make it as inspiring as possible. You want to conclude to applause if possible. You want them to want to hear more from you.

BODY LANGUAGE TIPS

Generally, your body language should be as open as possible. This is more likely to come with confidence, which is why I want you to put in the hard yards of preparation first. It takes a lot of practice to look this spontaneous!

But don’t obsess about your body language or posture. As long as you aren’t doing anything that distracts from your message, you should be fine. In particular, try not to hold notes or other items as these will tend to limit your arm movements. If you are short – I’m 5ft 5ins so I share your pain – then try not to get hidden behind lecterns. For questions it is often better to remain on your feet even if a chair is offered.

Eye contact can be a problem, particularly with smaller audiences. It is too easy to get fixated on one pair of eyes, wondering what they are thinking, or even clinging to them for support. Try looking at the foreheads of the audience instead. From where they stand or sit, you are still meeting their gaze, but without the danger of looking overly hostile or fearful.

When I coach speakers, I try not to get too hung up on things like posture. Most great speakers have their own tics and peculiarities which make them more memorable. I’m not in the business of cloning super slick presenters or making people look over rehearsed.

If you need advice do contact me – I’m here to help.