The Politician's Six-Point
Party Checklist
When invited to a party, most of us waft into a fluffy thought process. Our random reverie goes something like this: "Hmm, this
could be fun. . . . Wonder if they're going to serve food. . . . Hope
it's good. . . . Might be some interesting people there. . . . Wonder if my friend so 'n' so is coming. . . . Golly, what should I wear?"
That's not the way a politician thinks about a party, however.
While politicians, heavy-duty networkers, serious socializers, and
big winners in the business world are staring at the invitation, they
instinctively surf to a different channel. Before they RSVP with
"yes" or "no," their brains craft journalistic campaign questions.
It's the Six-Point Party Checklist. Who? When? What? Why?
Where? And How?
Let's take them one by one.
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Who Is Going to Be at
the Party?
More specifically, who will be there that I should meet? Serious
networkers calculate "Who must I meet for business? Who should
I meet for political or social reasons?" And, if single and searching, "Who do I want to meet for possible love?"
If they don't know who is going to be in attendance, they ask.
Politicians unabashedly telephone the host or hostess of the party
and ask, "Who's coming?" As the party giver chats casually about
the guest list, politicians scribble the names of the people who
interest them, then resolve to meet each.
When Should I Arrive?
Politicians do not leave arrival time to whenever they finish getting dressed. They don't ask themselves, "Hmm, should I be fashionably late?" They carefully calculate their estimated time of
arrival and estimated time of departure.
If the party is bulging with contacts, biggies get there early to
start hitting their marks as each arrives. VIPs frequently come early
to get their business done before party regulars who "hate to be
the first one there" start arriving. They are never embarrassed to
arrive early. After all, the only people who see them are other early
arrivals who are often heavy hitters like themselves.
Nor will you find politicians prowling around, the last to slink
out the door. Once they've accomplished what they set out to do,
they're on their way to the next opportunity. If their agenda is
more social, they try to leave their departure time open and their
aprés-party schedule free. That way, if they make an important
new contact, they can stay around and talk with him. Or drive her
home. Or go somewhere else for coffee.
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What Should I Take with Me?
A politician's checklist is not the usual, "Let's see, my comb,
cologne, and breath mints." They pack more functional networking tools in their pockets or purses.
If corporate cats will be prowling the party, they pack a pocketful of business cards. If it's a gala where people are gadding about
on the social ladder and they want to exude old-world elegance,
they grab a handful of social cards containing only their name and
possibly an address and phone number. (Some feel giving out a
business card in a purely social setting can be gauche.) The most
vital tool in their party pack is a small pad and pen to keep track
of important contacts.
Why Is the Party Being Given?
The politician's perpetual philosophy of "penetrate the ostensible"
enters here. (That's just a fancy way of saying "look under the
rug.") They ask themselves, "What is the ostensible reason for the
party?" A big industrialist is giving his daughter a graduation
party? A newly divorced executive is throwing himself a birthday
bash? A floundering business is celebrating its tenth year?
"Nice," politicians say to themselves, "that's the ostensible. But
what's the real reason for the party?" Maybe the industrialist wants
to get his daughter a good job so he's invited dozens of potential
employers. The birthday boy is single again so the guest list is
heavy with attractive and accomplished females. The business desperately needs good PR if it's going to stay around another ten
years. So they've invited the press and community makers and
shakers.
Politicians have expert under-rug vision to spot the host's real
agenda. They will, of course, never discuss it at the party. HowHow to Work a Party Like a Politician Works a Room 267
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ever, the insight elevates them to a shared state of higher consciousness with other heavy hitters at the bash.
Their knowledge also makes them valuable agents for the
party giver. A savvy politician introduces the job-seeking daughter to some executives at the party or tells the most alluring women
at the bash what a great guy birthday boy is. When chatting with
reporters, he talks up the host's business that needs good PR.
When people support the real why of the party, they become
popular and sought-after guests for future events.
Where Is the Collective Mind?
Often people from one profession or one interest group will comprise most of the guest list. A politician never accepts any invitation without asking herself, "What kind of people will be at this
party, and what will they be thinking about?" Perhaps there will
be a drove of doctors. So she clicks on the latest medical headlines
and rehearses a little doc-talk. If the guests are a nest of new-age
voters, the politician gets up to speed on telepathic healing, Tantric
toning, and trance dancing. Politicians can't afford to not be in the
know.
How Am I Going to Follow Up on
the Party?
Now, the big finale. I call it "Contact Cement." It's cementing the
contacts the politician has made. After meeting a good contact
and exchanging cards, practically everyone says, "It's been great
talking to you. We'll stay in touch."
This good intention seldom happens without herculean effort.
Politicians, however, make a science out of keeping up the contact. After the party, they sit at their desks and, like a game of solitaire, lay out the business cards of the people they've met. Using
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"The Business Card Dossier" technique described later in this section, they decide how, when, and if to deal with each. Does this
person require a phone call? Should that one receive a handwritten note? Shall I E-mail or call the other one?
Use the Six-Point Party Checklist—the Who? When? Why?
Where? What? and How? of a party—as your general game plan.
Now let's get down to specifics.