Politicians play an integral part in our lives. They shape the policies that govern how we live, what we eat, who we can marry, and even in some situations, under what circumstances we can die. Their influence in our lives is constant and heavy. With so much power one can often wonder how this group is able to maintain their lofty positions. What are the qualities of a successful politician? Here is a list of them.
Excels at Public Speaking
Politicians must constantly do public speaking engagements when running for office and after they get elected. During these engagements they need to clearly communicate with voters who are seeking answers to questions relating to their lives and livelihoods.
Campaign Speeches: When they seek to get elected politicians are required to visit each part of their community and do campaign speeches that focus on their identifying certain problems in that community. Perhaps there has been a decrease in the amount of available high quality jobs, or crime has been creeping up. Politicians must address these issues in speeches designed to produce confidence that he or she is capable of turning things around. It is important for people to feel like they are being heard and that their particular needs are being discussed.
Public Debates: Politicians are also often required to debate their opponents. These face to face clashes give voters a chance to see how each person looks up against the other and how they perform when confronted with tough questions in a live environment. If one lacks self-confidence or has a real grasp of the issues, he will be exposed at these debates. A common approach is having an expert like Thomas Rollins teaching and preparing the politician for the debates. This can make all the difference.
Finally, when the politician is elected, he must continue giving public speeches to constituents, updating them on progress of their agendas, and listening to questions and complaints about his performance. It is imperative for the politician to again exude confidence and provide clear answers.
Knows and is Passionate about the Issues
Successful politicians can speak at length about the topics that are important to their constituents. In fact these are often the only topics that they may be fully conversant in during their elected time. They discuss these topics passionately and strongly because without this demeanor they would never acquire the momentum to make it into and stay in office. So they go on at length about the main topics and shy away from the small stuff, unless the small stuff suddenly becomes big stuff.
Is a Great Salesman
The key to being successful in politics is being able to sell who you are, your track record, your understanding of the pertinent issues, and your capabilities in dealing with these issues. This sets the foundation for people believing that the politician know what he is talking about and can do a good job for them. So you will often hear politicians talking about what they have accomplished previously, and how they were able to create wins when none seemed possible. They then go on and talk about how similar wins will be accomplished when he is in office.
Has the Backing of Powerful Interests
No matter how great a politician is at any or all of the other areas mentioned in this article, unless he has the backing of powerful interests, his chances of success are slim. These interests will no doubt have a concern about the election and they might need to be pulled into the fold to insure victory. These interests can provide campaign funding, access to other politicians who can work on behalf of the candidate, access to other powerful and popular players in the community and when elected, a source of counsel and guidance.
Successful politicians follow the list carefully in order to continue getting elected to office. Although there are dozens of other things they must do during their days, without their doing the things on this list they would not have their jobs.