NST COLUMN: Keep it simple, clear and correct

GREAT COMMUNICATORS: It’s time for another season of politicians “emoting”

I WAS having breakfast at the Hotel Michelangelo in Johannesburg recently and I overheard a Malaysian at the table next to the buffet area asking the waiter for "sky juice". I haven't heard that term being used in a long time.

From the waiter's face, I knew that he didn't understand what the Malaysian was asking for. The Malaysian repeated himself. But it was not until another Malaysian explained that "sky juice" meant water that the waiter finally understood what was wanted.
The Malaysian was lucky we were not in the Bahamas. There, the waiter would have brought him coconut water mixed with alcohol, most probably gin or rum.
In Jamaica, he would have been given shaved ice, flavoured with fruit syrup, somewhat like our Ais Batu Campur (commonly known as ABC).
Why couldn't he just ask for plain water? It is simple and to the point. Isn't this how we should communicate?
Similarly, why we do we listen to some politicians, but don't even give others the time of day? It is all about how effectively they put across their message.
Furthermore, some of our politicians are masters at expressing their emotions, especially in an excessive or theatrical manner that evokes reaction. This, I am told, is a communication skill in itself.
With the 13th general election looming, we will be hearing more and more politicians emoting. And having covered the last six general elections, I've listened to one too many politicians doing this, and more.
Back then, there were the press conferences and briefings by the political parties.
We also went round from one constituency to the other, either when on duty or off duty, to listen to them speak at ceramah and to pick up their posters, leaflets and flyers.  There would be the usual gimmicks of having celebrities to entertain the crowd or sketches by comedians to keep them amused before the politicians took the stage.
Now, the technologically-savvy politicians (or their aides) have  social networking sites  such as Facebook  (you don't need to be "friends" with a politician, but can now "subscribe" to his or her posts), Twitter, the blogs and the like at their disposal.
I do not, however, see these non-conventional, but widely accepted platforms, taking over the conventional ones.  They will in fact complement each other. Instead, of ceramah-hopping, some of us would be blog-hopping instead.
It is, therefore, important to have a campaign strategist who understands communications. He will, among others, ensure the use of the right channels to communicate the right (and/or the wrong) message to the voting public.
Effective campaigns are those that "speak" to the people and build an emotional connection with them. They must fire the minds and stir the hearts.
Easier said than done, yes?
In my 27 years' of journalism, there were two people I know who managed to do this, and who did it rather successfully.
One was the late Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat. He was not called Mr Propaganda for nothing. He knew how to penetrate the hearts of Malaysians, especially the Malays.
“I needed a song," he wrote in his book, UMNO: Akhirnya Sebuah Impian, released four months before he passed away in January 2010. He wrote the famous patriotic song, Setia.  I was still in school when that campaign began.
Play that song now and I can bet that most Malaysians, if not all, will remember it and can still sing along to the tune.
Sometime in 1988, he started another campaign called "Semarak", when then prime minister Datuk Seri (now Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad had massive "meet the people" sessions.
Remember Sejahtera Malaysia, sung by Roy? Well, it was also a campaign by the same man.
Irrespective of what the objective was for the songs and the campaigns (to bring Malay loyalty back to Umno, as he had written in the book), it captured the minds and hearts of many Malaysians.
The other person who fired the imagination of people was the late Yasmin Ahmad.
The film director, writer and scriptwriter was a story-teller. Her television commercials, for example, were noted for the humour, heart and love that crossed cross-cultural barriers. We can see this in the television commercials she did for Petronas.
Could you just imagine what she could have achieved if she had become a campaign strategist for a political party?
So, what kind of communications can we expect for the 13th general election? Whatever form it may be, it must be clear, concise, complete and, most importantly, correct. The simpler the language the better.
And, by the way, the next time you ask for water, be prepared with your answer when asked "Still or sparkling, sir?" by the waiter. Sparkling, in this case, does not mean it blinks!

This first appeared in the New Straits Times on January 26, 2012