YBF Public Speaking Workshop – 23rd May

• Do you want to learn how to beat stage fright and deliver memorable, powerful, persuasive speeches?

• Would you like to develop the oratory and rhetoric of Winston Churchill or Ronald Reagan?

• Are you interested in learning the latest techniques in public speaking?

Led by former Reagan Administration speechwriter Dr John Shosky, the YBF Public Speaking Workshop is a one-day specialist training programme that will equip you to be the best public speaker you can be. Conservatives owe it to their philosophy to study how to win.

Held at the London Guildhall between 10 am and 5pm, the YBF Public Speaking Workshop covers:

• The Fundamentals of Communication
• The Keys to Dynamic Delivery
• Organising and Building a Speech
• Speech Delivery
• Speaking Under Special Circumstances
• Dealing with Nerves

The £35 course fee (£20 for students in full-time education) includes:

• Tuition fee and printed course materials
• Tea, coffee, water and refreshments
• Buffet lunch

To reserve your place on a Young Britons’ Foundation Public Speaking Training Workshop please email info@ybf.org.uk, call (01732) 525923 or book online at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/344161396.

Facebook reference

Labour’s crimes against society

Christian May, Conservative Future Deputy National Chairman and YBF Director of Operations, has posted a dozen of Labour’s gravest failings over at CF.com. He reminds how, amongst other crimes perpetrated by New Labour against the British people, Gordon Brown has overseen us become one of the most overtaxed, corpulent, violent, nannied, and illiterate nations in the developed world.

Christian’s bullet-points should be memorised by activists as an aide memorie for canvassing. The next time someone says “You’re all the same” or similar, remind them of the havoc our lords and masters have wrought over the past 12 years.

Save the Date: YBF6

The first details of the sixth annual Young Britons’ Foundation Activist Conference at Wellington College, Berkshire, have been announced. The conference will run from Friday, 23rd to Sunday, 25th October.

More details will be announced soon, but in the meantime why not refresh your memory of this peerless event with our coverage of the speakers and training at last year’s conference.

TRAINING: Political Campaigning Masterclass

Generation2Generation, a networking group which “aims to become Britain’s principal forum for interaction between leading figures from business, politics and culture and a rising generation of high-flying graduates“, are hosting a political campaigning seminar later this month in London, which promises to teach you “the art of becoming a successful campaigner.”

The Campaigning Masterclass will take place on Tuesday March 24th at the LSE, from 6.30pm onwards.

Three highly experienced and successful Political Strategists are addressing this event.

Lord Bell (Chairman of Chime Communication; former Campaign Adviser to Margaret Thatcher)

Lord Tim Bell is one of the best known figures in the UK Communications Industry. He successfully ran the publicity campaigns for Margaret Thatcher’s general election victories in 1979, 1983 and 1987. He helped to found Saatchi and Saatchi and became its International Chairman. Lord Bell is currently Chairman of Chimes Communication, a holding group of influential public relations and communications firms.

Andy Bookless (Former Campaign Manager, Roskam for Congress)

Andy Bookless made history in November 2008 when he became the first British person to manage a successful US election race. He got Illinois Republican Congressman Peter Roskam re-elected to the House of Representatives by a massive 16 points last year (Roskam won the seat by 2 points in 2006). Andy is currently Marketing Director of HarveyNash, a global recruitment company, and is the Founder of NetworkMe, a start-up company which places people on political campaigns.

Luke Akehurst (Public Affairs Director, Weber Shandwick)

Luke Akehurst is one of Britain’s leading public affairs consultants. He was named ‘UK Consultant of the Year’ in 2008. He has been a Labour Party activist for over 20 years and is highly experienced in campaigning for local issues and social change. He is currently a Labour councillor in Hackney. Luke frequently writes to the The Guardian, (not for it) and has his own blog.

The evening is being billed as “a must-attend event for:

• Those interested in politics and what makes a successful political campaign

• People interested in hearing insightful knowledge about the campaigning strategies in the run up to the British general election, and what the parties can learn from the 2008 US Election.

• Anyone seeking a career in politics, public relations and communications.“

Afterwards, there will be a drinks and networking reception where you can meet these figures and network with fellow graduates and young professionals from across London.

Single online tickets cost £7, or go with a friend and purchase 2 tickets for just £12. Buy them now at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/301091573

A Facebook event also exists.

New Year Resolutions

Hopefully, like us, you’re suitably refreshed after the Christmas break and ready to return to the front line in ‘09. So to focus your thoughts, here are a few ideas for political New Year Resolutions you might care to strive to achieve.

Invite a conservative movement speaker to your campus/branch. Think beyond MPs, MEPs and PPCs, to offer your members a fresher viewpoint. Our movement has a wealth of talented intellectuals covering every field. The Young Britons’ Foundation (YBF) can help you find book speakers through their Speakers Panel.

Support our Armed Forces on your campus. Leftists never cease in their attempts to undermine and belittle the bravery, service and sacrifice of the men and women who daily risk their lives to secure our quiet, peaceful existences. Show them that we care, that we don’t take them for granted and that we salute all that they do for us by backing them on your campus and tackling the Left.

Towards the end of last year YBF launched packs for campuses to help them do just this. The packs include 10 copies of the ‘Behind Our Troops’ poster, plus:

* Advice on pressuring the University to erect memorials for fallen alumni (of any conflict)
* Advice on holding fundraising events for Help for Heroes
* Advice on working with the OTC to organise welcome home parades for troops
* A draft motion of support to put to the Student Union, or a draft motion to overturn existing anti military policy
* Advice on holding a service of thanksgiving for servicemen and women in the university chapel
* A 10 point briefing note for pro military activism

To request yours, email Christian, YBF’s Director of Operations, and set about achieving the same success as the University of Sheffield and Northumbria University recently have.

Undertake training in political technology. As Morten Blackwell puts it, political technology determines political success. The age of amateur politics is over; whilst much of what we do as activists is considered ‘voluntary’ our aims are no less sincerely held, nor the opposition to any less determined to stop us. Cast off any notion you may harbour that volunteer politics is somehow juvenile or deserving of a second rate approach and seek out YBF’s peerless training.

In today’s media age you can’t afford not to have insider knowledge about preparing a press release, or appearing on TV, just as much as you can’t afford not to be skilled in campaigning tactics. YBF run a yearly activist conference in the autumn, and regularly bring their workshops to campuses. As ever, contact email Christian for more, check their events programme online and subscribe their Facebook group for the latest invites.

Set a goal(s) for your organisation, and hit them. Perhaps you could strive to double your membership, through a concerted recruitment time. The New Year is as good a time as any to set about it. Perhaps your website needs a spring clean. If you’re running a Conservative Future branch, have you claimed your free .cfbranch.com domain name and website? Perhaps your organisation needs to target the media more effectively. Choose something specific to your groupings needs, and then commit yourself to realising it.

Join other conservative movement groups. Our greatest strength lies in our breadth, the ‘broad church’ coalition of groups which make up the conservative movement. Establishing connections, (some might call it networking…) is essential to our continued success. You never know when you might be able to help a fellow group out, or need the support of others.

So make sure you’re in touch with as many other conservatives as possible, get on their mail lists and sign up to their organisations. Many organisations are free to join, such as The TaxPayers’ Alliance, and The Countryside Alliance (for under 19s). Others, understandably, have fees, but often do student rates or deals.

And, dare I say it, you could always start a blog…(if you do, let us know!)

As always, we’re keen to hear from you. What are your organisation’s New Year Resolutions?

How NOT to film a video #2

You might well think that producing a video for your group is going to be a difficult, expensive task. Yet, if the Canadian Liberal opposition are to be believed, you can do it in five minutes on a mobile phone! Take a look at this effort by Stephane Dion, trying to undermine the fledgling Canadian Conservative-led government.

It’s a dismal failure. You might not have access to an expensive camera, or post-production facilities, but you can at least avoid all of the elementary failures that Dion’s team didn’t. One has to wonder how much they spent on that video, let alone who thought it would be okay to broadcast it. Canada.com quickly dissected it for all its flaws:

“Some said the amateur-looking tape that aired Wednesday night looked like video from a camera phone. Others joked it was taped by people holding Dion hostage.

“But what’s dead serious is that the Liberal leader’s message – a defence of his coalition with the NDP, and a rebuttal to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s earlier address about the political crisis on Parliament Hill – was nearly eclipsed by the medium.

“While Dion’s face was out of focus, the books in the background were not – including the book, Hot Air. It was shot from an uncomfortably tight angle. And on the French version of the address, Dion’s face was an unnatural shade of pink.

“The tape was meant to air one minute after Harper’s address ended, at about 7:10 p.m. Instead, the Liberals showed up more than half an hour late, according to an official at the National Press Gallery. Meanwhile, TV anchors were forced to kill time while they waited for the tape…

“The video went to air 20 minutes after it was supposed to -and after CTV gave up waiting and resumed regular programming, likely costing Dion a couple of hundred thousand viewers.“

So there you have it – remember what you’re posing in front of. Be in focus and comfortable. Don’t let the production of your media piece distract views from what you’re actually trying to communicate, and if you have a deadline with the media outlet you want to run your piece, stick to it. None of that is beyond an amateur to achieve; but it seems it is beyond Liberals.

And whilst we’re trawling through political video mess ups, Shane Greer highlights this piece with Sarah Palin at Thanksgiving, where turkeys appear to be being minced behind her. Nothing wrong with farmers killing animals, of course, but probably not what you want for a political  backdrop – and I say that as a Palin-tologist!

How NOT to film a video

Here at TYC we have no interest whatsoever in the heinous Russell Brand, but his cringing apology video does have one lesson for activists everywhere: if you’re going to make a video, please please please think about what you’re standing in front of. In Brand’s case, he chose a lovingly framed portrait on the murderous Stalin.

We’re confident that YBF’s newly appointed Director of New Media, Dent Steven III, wouldn’t make such an elementary mistake.

The 7 Rules for Handling Negative Information

Our friends at YBF have a superb article on how to handle negative media. They’re showing how each permutation could be applied – it this case to the buzz surrounding George Osborne. We’re reporting the rules below, but you should read their full article too for the full contextual analysis.

“1. Ignore it. Osborne can’t do this, since the entire British media seem to be after his head.

2. Deny it. This is what Osborne has done, and quite right too. However, never deny something if there’s even the slightest chance that the press/your opponent will find out that it is in fact true.

3. Confess, and defend your actions. You could defend your actions as “right in the circumstances” or be outraged that the press/your oponent are going this low.

4. Confess, and make light of your actions. Not sure this would go down well in Osborne’s situation, but it can be effective if used well.

5. Confess, and apologise for your actions. Far from being a last resort, this is really all you can do if you’ve been caught red handed.

6. Change the subject – refuse to dignify it with a response. A bold move, and though it wouldn’t work with Osborne it is a strategy that can work. Remember Cameron dealing with the “did you take drugs” question?

7. Frame the issue in your own terms. If Osborne revealed a few days ago that he was offered money by Deripaska and declined it, then this story would be quite different. Often, confessing to something before it’s revealed by the press/an opponent is a very useful way of dodging the bullet. For example, rather than wait for the press/an opponent to accuse you of having been an alcoholic, you frame the issue in your own terms and bravely disclose that you have indeed suffered an addiction and therefore understand what it’s like for millions of others. “

For campus activists, where internal politics can often be petty and personal, number six is often well worth remembering. It harks back to the 12th Law of the Public Policy Process – there is no onus on you to respond to tittle-tattling gossip, and indeed doing so grants it more respect and credence than it’s worth. Ignore it, much as letting lies go unchallenged can leave a bad taste in one’s mouth, and get on with what you’re here to do – advancing the movement.

The Laws of the Public Policy Process

Morton Blackwell is a name you need to know. For those familiar with the Leadership Institute Morton needs little introduction. For those that are not, a little background. Morton has given decade after decade of the loyalist service to the American conservative movement, at every level of activism from the campus to the White House.

He has served, amongst many other positions, as a College Republican chairman, Young Republican state chairman for Louisiana, as Barry Goldwater’s youngest delegate to the 1964 Republican National Convention, as architect and executor of Ronald Reagan’s national youth effort in 1980, and as a special assistant to Reagan in the White House in the early 1980s. Somewhere he found time to set up the Leadership Institute. The LI, through its countless programmes, has trained over 48,000 conservative activists, a truly astounding feat which has given us such greats as Karl Rove himself.

During his long service Morton came to write down his Laws of the Public Policy Process, the distillation, one might say, of the wisdom he has accrued over those many years.

Over the next few weeks we will be bringing you the complete Laws, with comment as appropriate. We can all learn something from them, and see reflected in them so many of our own experiences. Donal Blaney over at YBF has examined the Laws much more eruditely. A few years ago he ran a comprehensive column at ConHome, and more recently has begun to digest them again in the context of current political events. I highly suggest you read both to get the richest interpretation. Here we’re not seeking to mimic these efforts, rather to relate the Laws usefully to experiences of youth activism, showing how they might practicably be applied on campuses, for example.

We begin today with the first Law:

1. Never give a bureaucrat a chance to say no.

It seems they like to. They want to. It’s almost a reflex action. Plan your approach carefully. Never ask a question to which the respondent can simply close down the conversation with a blunt ‘no’. Anyone who has conducted polling, surveying, or a difficult interview knows this innately. Likewise, anyone who has worked in retail will be aware of the habit of customers to say ‘no’ without really thinking about what you’re saying. After all, bureaucrats are paid by you to serve you, so you deserve an answer – hold them to account.

This law should be extended to all walks of life, not just bureaucrats. So when you’re on the doorstep don’t give people the chance to say ‘no’ and slam it shut; make them engage. Phrase your question as creatively as you can, avoiding making no the easiest answer. Consider asking about an issue directly – “Labour are planning to close the maternity unit at the hospital…”, rather than “I’m from the Tory Party, can I ask you…”

Take clues from your surroundings. See a booster seat in the car or hear children playing? Think about pertainant issues – schools and play areas for instance. Remember, people are far more interested in issues and “what you’ll do for them” than party lines, so tailor your pitch. If you don’t, you’re passing up the opportunity to communicate your message, and that’s another potential vote lost. Canvassing can be scary stuff at first, but it’ll be easier if you plan your approach.

Free half-day seminar (with lunch) on North Korea

The Henry Jackson Society is hosting a half-day seminar on the strategic situation in North Korea, its human rights and freedom. This is likely to be all the more interesting following the apparent breakthrough this weekend by the Bush administration in convincing North Korea to allow full inspection of its nuclear facilities.

“Over the past several years the international community has been involved in efforts to promote human rights in North Korea. At present, the Pyongyang authorities violate nearly all provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. One gross violation is the censorship and media control exercised by the government. There is no press freedom inside North Korea, and the government continues to deny North Koreans even the most basic information about their own country and the outside world.

“Encouraging the flow of information into and out of North Korea helps educate the world and aids North Koreans seeking change. North Korea remains one of the most challenging countries in the world for human rights. Expanding the free flow of information into and from North Korea is especially important now and going forward.

“With this backdrop in mind, the seminar will feature Professor Lord David Alton of Liverpool as its keynote speaker. Lord Alton will address the importance of international pressure on authoritarian states, as well as the specific context of North Korea, including the human rights situation and regional context.”

The event is being held this Thursday, 16th October, commencing 9:30am in the Lloyd George Room of the National Liberal Club, Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HE.

By the kind generosity of the HJS it is free to attend, but RSVP is essential

To attend please RSVP to camilla.hagelund@henryjacksonsociety.org immediately.

Please note that attendance is limited, and please state whether or not you will be attending lunch.

Full details on the HJS website