My campaign for Seattle City Council was a fantastic professional development experience. And it offers several takeaways that can help anyone get their message out.
I learned to better articulate policy ideas, of course, by doorbelling thousands of households and speaking to community groups across the city every day. At first I was terrified to go in front of a crowd (imagine me nervously reciting my speech as I drove to introduce myself at a community center), but 10 months later speaking to 200+ people was actually fun.
After being involved in campaigns for years I had thought I knew what I needed to, but the adage that you lose 50 points of IQ when you become a candidate may well have been true with me. Don't let the same happen to you.
Here are five communications lessons to follow:
1. Plan for everything. The most important part of communications is preparation. It's not just what you'll say and to whom, but your contingencies. What if you find unexpected support along the way? What if your competition screws up? Map out the people and financial resources you'll need at every step. Plan to measure everything you do in order to keep getting better. Remember: it's not a plan unless it's written down.
2. Be authentic. Voters (and customers) want something real. My campaign aimed to make Seattle a more dense city with better transit, to grow the economic pie by attracting more business and to take care of those hardest hit by the recession. Ultimately, however, the campaign was dominated by the debate over the downtown tunnel (I'm convinced that it's a terrible project – though that wasn't a winning position in 2011). The point is that it's VERY easy to get blown off course in the heat of any campaign. Remember your core value proposition and stay on message.
3. Listen. Communications isn't just about pumping out material for the world to consume. You need to hear, especially people who aren't the most vocal or articulate. Those are the people who, in aggregate, will decide if your communications campaign succeeds. Strive to create a conversation and engage the audience, no matter how frustrating it can be.
4. Be flexible. Be ready to change course when something backfires. For example, when a speech didn't go they way I wanted I just recalibrated and tried again the very next day. Flexibility saved me.
5. Ignore the gatekeepers. Take control of your message through social media. The key is solid, researched content — not just activity. I was more active on Facebook, Twitter and blogs than other council candidates, which helped me get my message out despite being outspent 5-to-1 by the incumbent. Spend lots of time and energy explaining your message to key reporters who show an interest, but don't waste time on the publications that are resistant. You have to prioritize and traditional media is no longer the only game. The world is changing fast and new opportunities to communicate is one reason for optimism.