How to win friends and influence people: Town hall edition
Lawmakers, candidates, policy analysts, and politicians at every level are not new to “the protest.” In fact, protesting is about as American as the tea floating upside down in the Boston Harbor. However, over the years, the art of protesting has advanced. Technology quickly organizes people for a cause, telling them where and when to meet up; smartphones can record your every move and then instantly post to multiple social media platforms for all your constituents to see.
{mosads}This level of access and immediate gratification is great, but both should heighten your awareness
of what it means to interact with those who oppose you. If you’re an advocate for free speech but don’t know how to handle disruption — verbal and physical — here’s a primer on how to remain calm and go viral for the right reasons:
DON’T
1. Dodge. Failing to show up to an event you’ve said you’ll attend, or canceling last minute, can make you look like you’re avoiding your constituents. Barring present danger, threats or unavoidable situations, you should always make a good-faith effort to listen to the folks who hired you — even if they are paid to recite George Soros’s talking points.
2. Ignore. You don’t get full credit for attending a town hall unless you take questions. We know this can be unpleasant if met with hecklers. However, there’s nothing worse than showing up but not making an effort to listen.
3. Get physical. We’ve all seen what happens when tempers rage and physical contact is made. It’s all fun and games until a reporter is bumped or a constituent is punched. No matter how aggravating the encounter might be, save the aggression for the gym. The conclusion will never be “that guy really should’ve punched the heckler. He totally had it coming.”
DO
1. Show up. Despite the tension, hold town hall meetings, attend public events, and be present for your constituents. Free speech doesn’t shut down speech, it invites speech. Make your “safe space” a place where you invite your constituents to hear from you and where you listen to them.
2. Set ground rules. It’s best to tell the audience at the outset how the event will proceed, such as when there will be time for Q&A, the number of questions you’ll take, where the microphones are, whether only questions submitted in advanced may be asked, the time limit for each person to speak, etc.
People like a road map and managed expectations. Plus, setting the ground rules early will prevent anyone from assuming that you’re trying to stifle or ignore an attendee.
3. Seek to debate, not shout. Even the best laid plans for a smooth town hall can disappear quickly. What happens if you’re heckled and the hecklers won’t stop? First, ask the heckler to wait until Q&A time. If during Q&A they don’t let you get a word in edgewise, it’s time to up your diplomacy game. Don’t shout back or match the fervor of the protestor. It’s best to employ a line like, “It’s a shame to resort to shouting, because all it does is close off the discussion that not only you and I should have, but the rest of the country should have.”
4. Use social media to your advantage. What happens if you’re attending an event but are not allowed to speak as the invited speaker? That’s fine. You’ve got the power of communication at your fingertips. Continue talking about the issues on social media; record a Facebook Live or film yourself backstage and post it.
5. Record. Always have your cameras out and rolling whenever you’re speaking at a public event. It is good for accountability to have your own copy and also to show what happened if things escalated. If you have video of hostile protestors, post it.
While it’s true you can’t control what others do, you can control your actions and reactions. Organize and attend town halls, listen to your constituents, remain calm, and use technology to your advantage.
If you’re an advocate of free speech, don’t run away from those who want to shut down discussion. Doing so gives them the victory, which means we all lose. Instead, speak up.
Beverly Hallberg is the president and founder of District Media Group. She is also a visiting fellow in communications at The Heritage Foundation and 2016 winner of the William F. Buckley Award.
The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.
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