2020 vision: Avoiding political pitfalls in the year to come

Recent elections have shown that the country is divided nearly 50/50 over many political figures and hot-button issues. (Image by Chris Nicholls)

Public speaking can be a valuable way for brokers to build their reputation and recognition as thought leaders in the community. It also can be a potential landmine in these politically charged times, as Ken Stevenson is well aware.

“I was asked to speak to a civic organization about the Affordable Care Act shortly after it passed,” says Stevenson, vice president, employee benefits, for the Earl Bacon Agency in Tallahassee, Florida. “The president of the organization pulled me aside beforehand and said, ‘I want you to know we have a lot of Democrats here, so please be sensitive to that.’