Hyderabad|India|July'2009:The budding politicians aspiring to contest in the impending Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Elections 2009 can now sharpen their skills required to fight elections.  The battle this time around the corner is likely to be fierce.  For a total 150 divisions located in five zones and 17 circles, a record number of 2500 candidates are likely to compete. 

 

Of all public communications of all kind, speech is considered the most effective arnesal! Speeches have influenced mankind at all crossroads throughout history. 

 

And the time has come again for marathon speeches. So better they brush their oratory skills.

Effective Public Speaking is one of the available tools to reach more potential voters. To help these youngster make their mark in Politics with their impressive speeches, city based expert training house in Public Speaking, announced series of Workshops on Public Speaking prior to the GHMC Elections.  Once such workshop is scheduled from July 30th to August 2nd from 6pm to 9.30pm.  Only fifteen participants are accommodated in each batch to ensure individual attention and to groom an empowered speaker in just four days.  The registration is in the progress on first come first registered basis.  For more details and information, please visit Media Junction, Ground Floor 4A, Parthani Towers, Besides Usha Mayuri Theatre, Musheerabad, Hyderabad or obtain details on phone 98488-42471 or email: mediajunction@yahoo.com. 

 

The classes will be conducted by Public Speaking enthusiast, Media and Public Relations consultant D.Ramchandra, who has successfully conducted many workshops in the past including during the just concluded Assembly and Parliament elections.  

 

Off these who vie for bitter battle are mostly first timers who planned their maiden entry into politics are totally new to politics.  Also large number of independent candidates are likely to contest in this polls.  Corporatorship is first the step into politics. They need to brush their Oratory skills to attract 37000 voters in each division.  Loksatta has already appealed to the young and educated to contest the elections on its platform which is said to have elicited tremendous response.  Similarly, every political party worth its salt is wooing young contestants. These youngsters who are plunging into politics first time are also equally concerned about what other think about themselves, their image.  All most all the parties are taking local elections seriously and wanted to prove their mettle.  So they are searching ways to leave indelible mark on the voters. 

 

Despite their ignorance of the civic problems, due to the increased pubic awareness, general public campaigns by NGOs urging educated to plunge into politics  and parties like Loksatta many young and the educated slowly realizing that they should  lead politics from the front, like Subhash Chandra Bose, Sarojini Naidu, Madan Mohan Malavya, Chittaranjan Das, Jawaharlal Nehru and Prakasam Pantulu and many others in the past. Infact, GHMC elections provide golder opportunity to many first timers to test their luck in Politics. Though good number of youth with competence and commitment showing interest, most of  them lack good Public Speaking Skills needed to turnaround voters opinion.

 

Unlike Assembly and Loksabha elections, GHMC elections will be fought on local issues and burning problems like drinking water supply, sanitation, traffic, pulic transport etc and others.  But, unfortunately, these young educated contestants who untill recently shunned politics lack knowledge and understanding of civic matters prevail in the city. 

 

Good speakers are in great demand now, but in short supply. Given the challenges of campaigning, such as time constraints and large number of voters to be reached and more areas to be covered, many political parties, contesting candidates obviously look for powerful speakers who can mesmerise voters.  It is they who sway large audiences and persuade them to vote one way or the other.

 

Also unique thing that is visible in this election is lot of youngsters and educated youth and first timers are getting into politics.  May be inspired by American President Elect Barack Obama, lot of youngsters, younger siblings of politicians want to test their luck in politics. 
 

They are more conscious about what they speak and how they speak and are already searching ways to get trained in Public Speaking.  The District Congress Committee of Jaisalmer in its official  blog  quoting Laurie Richard says  “It’s not enough to be good at what you do; you have to be able to tell people about it” and futher says quoting Bert Decker “The effectiveness of your public speaking will determine the effectiveness of your life”.  The blog went a step ahead and listed the detailed Public Speaking tips. 

 

Effective Public Speaking is one of the available tools to reach more potential voters.  An effective speech will be a sure mantra for success besides lot of money required to win.  All politicians know about it.  Hence, there is a huge opportunity for effective public speaking training, feels D. Ramchandram, who has over hundreds of Public Speaking training programmes to his credit.  Catering to this need is Media Junction, a city based centre for education beyond school, college curriculum has been conducting Workshops on Effective Public Speaking for the past several years.

 

Janta will only prefer to listen to the best orators. With the more political parties, more candidates, politicians need to distinguish themselves from others.  They realise that only best orators fare well among the current crop of candidates. 

 

Public Speaking as a must to be acquired skill by politicians is never in focus like it is now.  echarcha.com - a website went a step further in organising charcha (discussion) “Should politicians take public speaking courses?” on its site www.echarcha.com.  One participant in the debate observed that, “I was at a meeting the other day and I was amazed by the speech given by 'mantri mahoday. The speech showed total disrespect for the audience as it showed a complete lack of preparedness”.

 

Another argument is that people don’t trust politicians. They hardly believe in political speeches.  They don’t work. Biggest challenge of any political speech is to win the trust of the audience. Speeches lose credibility when the speakers don’t fulfill their promises. The audience might clap during a speech, but that does not necessarily mean that they are going to vote in his favour or his party’s candidate. No committed person will ever change his/her opinion after listening to a speech. But good case presented can influence the neutral masses, observed D. Ramchandram.

 

Even if speeches may not inspire the general public, they are necessary to motivate, party workers, cadres to put in good efforts and publicize the party’s agenda. “They work harder when they are inspired. That helps to increase the number of votes for the party. Party supporters will be excited if the party’s agenda is effective. Today politicians must focus more on sharing information and knowledge to the ill informed workers and voters.  That knowledge, also includes arguments that the XYZ Party or ABCD candidate is the better choice in the elections, observed D.Ramchandram.

 

We may find strange here subjecting politicians to the rigmarole of Public Speaking training, but, politicians in the west always went through these kind of programs either at Dale Carnegie Institute or Toastmasters Club or other training centres. Many world renowned politicians, corporate executives, leaders were trained in Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie as early as first quarter of nineteenth century.

 

For more details, please contact Ms. Kalpana, Media Junction, 98488-42471

 

The Trainer D.Ramchandram can be reached on his mobile: 98480-42020