How can I prepare for speeches, media interviews and debates when running for office?

To properly view this site, javascript must be enabled and Flash version 9 or higher must be installed.
Get the latest Flash player
  • Ron Faucheux
     
     

    Ron Faucheux is one of America's top political and public affairs analysts. Contributor-at-Large for Campaigns & Elections magazine - a nonpartisan publication he previously published and edited - he writes a column on politics and public opinion. Currently head of government affairs for the American Institute of Architects, Dr. Faucheux is a former state legislator and cabinet secretary. He's the author of the acclaimed book for candidates, Running for Office; editor of The Debate Book, a manual of standards and guidelines for political debates; and editor of Winning Elections, a treasure chest of the best campaign advice ever published.He's handled 116 candidate and issue campaigns as a media consultant and campaign strategist. He's worked on a wide range of issue advocacy, association, corporate and grassroots lobbying campaigns. Since the early 1990s, he's made over 350 national television appearances and has anchored his own national cable TV news show. His network appearances have included the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, The Lou Dobbs Show on CNN, ABC's Nightline, NBC's The Today Show and ABC's Good Morning America. He's trained thousands of political candidates, issue advocates, corporate executives and association leaders. The campaign message development process he created has been used successfully by many campaigns, large and small, around the world. Dr. Faucheux graduated from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, received a law degree from the LSU Law Center and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of New Orleans.He teaches courses in Campaign Management and Running For Office at The Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University and at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute.He was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives at 25 - at the time the legislature's youngest member. He was re-elected twice, once with 84 percent of the vote and once without opposition. He also served as state Secretary of Commerce.Dr. Faucheux resides in the Washington, D.C. area. His office is located at 1735 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20006-5292

  • How can I prepare for speeches, media interviews and debates when running for office?

    In this video, expert Ron Faucheux shares his tips and techniques on how to run for office.

    This expert:14,370 views

    This series: 4,146 views

    Rate this Video

    • Currently 0.0/5 Stars.
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5
    Download to Mobile Device
    Tags:

    Run for office

    ,

    Political campaign

    ,

    Politics

    ,

    Media interviews

    ,

    Speeches

    ,

    Debates

    Comments:

    0 (Read Comments) (Add Comment)

  • Transcripts

    Host: How can you prepare for speeches, media interviews and debates?

    Ron Faucheux: Well, first of all, you have to have something to say. You have to have a message that sums up why you are running for office; what you stand for that compares you to the political opposition and also fits in with the current political environment and then you have to be able to say it in an appropriate way for the forum. They asked Woodrow Wilson one time, how long it took him to prepare a 15 minute speech and he said two weeks, a half-hour speech, he said one week, a two-hour speech, he said, I am ready now. It's easy to go on and on and talk forever, but if you have to say something eight to nine second, TV sound bite.

    If you have to say something in a five or ten minute's speech or one minute or two minute statement in a political debate, you have to prepare for that. You have to practice for that. You have to know exactly what you want to say, so that you can reach voters on an intellectual level and also on an emotional level, so that you can connect on a values basis; so that you can get across the right information; so that voters have an opportunity to really see what you stand for and what you want to do in this particular office; but you have to know how to communicate those things and each forum require something different, which is why it takes candidates practice and it takes candidate preparation time to be able to say the things that you think they are important, to say the things that you think voters need to hear about your candidacy, to do it in an honest way to do it a thorough way, but to do it in a way that is appropriate to the forum at hand.

Other Videos