Pre-Debate Coaching/Advice for Presidential Candidates

The official count down to the election next month has begun.

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of the political rhetoric.

I would love one (both would be better!) of the candidates to simply call a halt to the negativity.

People want straight talk. People want solutions. People want honesty.

I wouldn’t miss the next debate this Wednesday, even though it’s my 20th wedding anniversary!

That said, I will forgo the usual “dining out experience” so I can be home watching the TV. Fortunately, my husband concurs.

Aside from the politics, it’s fascinating for me as a speaker and presentation skills coach to watch the candidates do what we at BRODY Professional Development say not to do, and also what to do.

A free bit of coaching advice to both presidential candidates:

1) be respectful of each other
2) look at the audience and the camera
3) don’t over talk, or cut each other off
4) don’t make condescending comments
5) avoid repetitive words or phrases (examples from last time: “my friend” and “look”).

Oh yes, and one more thing – with the advent of fact checking, let’s be honest with the information shared, please.

The truth will come out at some point, so why not now?

Political Presentations: Is It What You Say, Or How You Say It?

I hope you are having as much “fun” as I am watching and listening to the debate buzz.

Of course, I have friends on both sides of the fence. A few have asked if I was coaching any of the candidates – and a few have suggested that I do so (I’d be delighted)!

The answer is, “No, I’m not coaching any of the four candidates.” But, the real question is, “Who is?”

My work, and the work of BRODY Professional Development, is to help people in all industries hone their message and delivery – hence, the effectiveness of corporate professionals.

It’s always amazing to me to see and hear the difference that a little coaching and training can make.

Just last week, I was coaching a young female who works in an older, male-dominated environment. In a short time, with coaching, she was able to shift her message and maximize what she brings to the table.

She walked away with a greater sense of self confidence. I have no doubt that she will accomplish her objectives (selling her credibility and her ideas), when she delivers her next message.

If you have any suggestions for our presidential and vice presidential candidates on clarity and consistency of their messages, and how they should be delivering them, why not send them to me? I will post your ideas here.

My message for the week: “Speak up. Speak Out. Let others benefit from your ideas.”

Presidential Debate: All About Style & Delivery

The first presidential debate is over, and the political pundits have weighed in on both candidates’ performance.

Most of you reading this probably watched the debate, or at least read/heard about it.

So much of endless conversation following the debate had little to do with substance – and much to do with presentation style.

On one hand, this saddens me – and on the other hand, this is no surprise.

I see this regularly as I coach and train people on their presentation skills. We work on the message and the flow, but even with a great message, it can be ruined by poor delivery.

Here are four questions that presenters need to ask themselves (take note Senators McCain and Obama for your next debate):

1) Is my delivery congruent with my message?

2) Do I have good eye contact?

3) Do I have an executive presence (good posture, animated face, open gestures?)

4) Am I credible, believable and authentic?

There will be more presentation skills to analyze this Thursday, as we see the first Vice Presidential debate.

These are certainly interesting times!

Ancient Rhetorical Concepts Relate to the Presidential Election

As a communications expert and coach, the whole Presidential election process has been fascinating to watch and listen to.

During the upcoming presidental and vice presidential debates, I urge all of you to think about the principles that the great Greek philosopher and father of all public speaking -- Aristotle -- identified. They are: Logos, Pathos and Ethos. And, think of how you are personally responding to each concept.

Logos is the Greek word for Logic. That means how the candidates (president and vice president) are structuring their messages. Keep in mind that facts and figures, which we think always should be logical, are often manipulated or partial truths.

Do your due diligence, so you’re getting more than clever sound bites. Look at their voting records, backgrounds, etc.

Pathos translates into emotional appeals – information that hits close to your heart and gut. Clearly, your values come into play here. The goal of the candidates and their front teams is to hit those hot buttons (like terrorism, the economy, government involvement and health care) -- so you’ll take action, ie. vote for them.

The third concept Aristotle identified is Ethos, which loosely translates into credibility. We tend to believe the person who we perceive to be the most credible, ethical and shares the same values.

The question is do they really share those values? Are they just espousing this, or do their actions demonstrate them?

The candidates are using Aristotle’s three speaking principles in their commercials and public presentations.

So, as you watch and listen to the first Presidential debate next Friday, September 26th, and subsequent debates, pay attention to how these three principles are relevant even today and note how you are being influenced by them.

Gender Disparity During Presidential Race, Too?

As the presidential primaries draw to a close, I’ve been struck by how the two Democratic candidates and their debate performances have been reported in the media.

There’s no question that Senator Hillary Clinton’s gender has affected how her message and effectiveness have been perceived by the media and everyday Americans. Some would argue that the same is true of Senator Barack Obama’s ethnicity.

Regardless of who you support to win the Democratic primary, or why you feel either candidate is better than the other, gender has most definitely defined many moments of this election year.

Pollsters last winter had a field day pointing to the fact that Senator Clinton’s tears during a campaign appearance before the New Hampshire primary helped garner further support with women, and, ultimately, the edge over Senator Obama.

Another factor that helped her, these same pundits theorized, was that two of Senator Clinton’s male rivals at the time "ganged up" on her in their debate responses.

As I watched many of the debates, heard the commentary, and read the news stories, I kept thinking how remarkably similar it all sounded to what goes on in the world of business.

It seems that we as women still need to justify our actions, and watch our behaviors much more than our male peers. For every step forward that professional women achieve, and raise to the ranks of CEO, there are still thousands of others still struggling for equality – let alone a seat in the boardroom.

Yes, there are more working women in corporate America than ever before, but are they on equal footing as their male counterparts? We know they still aren’t from a salary perspective – many statistics bear that out. What about from behavioral or attitudinal perspectives?

If a woman cries in the workplace, she can be seen as weak and spineless. If a man gets emotional or actually cries, however, it’s usually perceived as a sign of his strength of character that he can show emotion when warranted.

We as women are constantly aware of the need to strike a delicate balance – excelling at our chosen fields, yet not appearing demanding or bossy with regard to interactions with our male peers.

Professional women still have a hard time speaking up at meetings, taking credit for their achievements, and otherwise using self-marketing strategies.

Until we take ownership for our own success and never let others define our potential, this will continue to be the case.