WANT EFFECTIVENESS? Advice for Conservatives

As 2014 draws to a close, I wanted to provide conservatives with some friendly advice when it comes to dealing with the issues of the day.

— Be polite. You do not want to present yourself in a manner that will result in people thinking “that person was a jerk”, and thus turn them off.

— Stay calm. It’s one thing to get worked up on a subject, but if you let your anger control you, you will alienate those whom you may be attempting to educate on certain issues, e.g. outbursts, name-calling, etc. Plus, it is a not a good thing if your anger results in your snapping at anyone and everyone. It’s also not good if your anger leads to any verbal or physical confrontations (or a stroke or heart attack for that matter).

— Don’t vent. It’s a good bet people will not want to listen to you rattle on about some issue, especially if you are doing it continuously. Your goal is to get your point across, not to bore people to death. And for that matter don’t let your discussion, correspondence, etc. be more lengthy than necessary.

— Stay focused. If you get off the subject, you will wind up confusing those who are listening to you. At the same time, those who are listening to you should also avoid getting off the subject when they are asking questions or making comments.

— Be organized (and stay organized). Chaos will result if you chose to do things in a spontaneous, sporadic manner. Thus, it is best to develop a plan when it comes to a meeting or an event and stick to it (although making a few changes will not hurt). Sometimes you might even have to come up with an entirely different plan, as long as you stick to it.

— Clarify your point(s). It is a good idea to make things absolutely clear when you are trying to get your point(s) across. You do not want anyone getting confused, or even worse, drawing the wrong conclusions. Also, keep in mind that some people only hear what they want to hear, which can lead to all sorts of problems (e.g. twisting the story around, jumping to conclusions). Thus, clarifying will reduce the chances of such problems taking place. It also helps your overcome the tactics your adversaries might use, such as appealing to emotion or any twisted logic.

So if you follow these tips you will increase your chances of successfully getting your point across.

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