AAC F A M I L Y F R I E N D S » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » Public speaking is a necessity
few spears your way. Just catch them and go on. Tat works much more to your advan- tage. Continue to press your points in a
positive manner. n Gauge the pulse of the committee
before testifying. Get to the committee room early. Talk to as many of the committee members as possible. Tey should know who you are and your mission before you ever sit
down to testify. n Be courteous. Yes, always be courteous – even when you are not treated with the same
courtesy. n When you’re finished be sure to thank the chair and members of the committee for the opportunity to testify. Earlier I quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson –
“Speech is power; speech is to persuade; to convert, to compel.” And that is exactly what you want and need to do as county elected of- ficials when you’re making a speech; testifying before committee; or simply talking to your constituents or to legislators individually. Use you power to persuade, convert and compel them to understand county issues and to adopt them as priorities. How do you do that? You know your stuff – and it takes time and study to get there.
Remember – (1) Know your material; (2) Practice; (3) Know your audience; (4) Relax; (5) Concentrate on your message; and (6) End with a bang! Always end with a memorable conclusion! In 1961 Oklahoma’s powerful Senator Bob
Kerr asked President Kennedy if he could have a few minutes of his time. Kerr was upset that JFK was going to veto the recently passed bill to bar the importation of zinc. Kerr was strongly supported by zinc manufacturers in western Oklahoma. Kennedy received him at the Oval Office with aide Mike Feldman and Ted Sorensen and said, “Bob, I’m sorry but it’s a bad bill.” “Mr. President, could I speak to you
privately? Tere are a few things you may not understand about the legislation.” “Sure, Bob, but it’s not going to change my
mind. I’ve been briefed pretty thoroughly by Ted and Mike.” When Sorensen and Feldman left the room,
Kerr drawled, “Mr. President, you are my leader and I will abide by your decision.” “Bob, I appreciate that.” “But, Mr. President, my people were pretty mad when Ike vetoed that same bill, and I’ll have to go back to Oklahoma and spend full-
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time defending your action.” Again the President said, “I really appreci- ate that.” “But, Mr. President, you understand that means if I’m away in Oklahoma, your tax bill, which lies in the Finance Committee which I chair, will never come to the floor.” “Well, Bob – this is the first time anyone
ever really explained the zinc bill to me – I’ll sign it.”
Like Bob Kerr, I think it is time for county officials to “really explain” the facts — pro- claim the county message. You do that through confident speaking. And you become confi- dent by doing it over and over – practice, prac- tice, and practice some more. You persevere and become that dazzling diamond. And we all know that a diamond is simply a piece of coal that stuck to the job! It became something it did not start out to be – and you can, too. You can be a confident speaker! “Aspire to inspire before you expire!”
(Eddie Jones, county consultant, of Pocahontas
served as Randolph County Treasurer from 1981 until taking the reins as AAC Executive Director in 2007; he retired that post in mid-2010. Readers can reach him at:
e.jonesconsulting@
gmail.com.)
AAC is proud to announce a new interactive game designed for 6-12th graders and teachers that can be accessed on our Web
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