Coach the Candidates

‘Tis the season to talk to my TV. I continue to elbow my husband on the arm and say, “Did you hear that?” or, “What she really means is . . .!”

So what can we learn from my phantom coaching sessions with the T.V.? Words matter! Their sub-text matters more, and the negative or positive charge matter most!
Verbal communications have a sub-text message, an underlying meaning.
Language has connotations—plus and minus. Consider the words “mob, group and team.” On the surface, they connect as a collection of people. The difference is the intention of the people.
Tone of voice matters; non-verbal cues, gestures matter, too.

So, what would I coach with each candidate to advance their messages?

Hillary:
She has a tendency to scream her message. I would work with her on platform skills such as her constant movement across the stage. When using a microphone, a speaker is most effective using the nuance of voice the amplified microphone allows.
Her movement across the stage can be misconstrued. Yes, she wants to engage all sides of the stage. Yet, too much motion can indicate nervousness and is distracting especially for the cameraperson visually trying to follow her.

I’d coach Hillary in storytelling techniques: how to frame a statement for impact, how to use words to relate to her audience and gestures to support her message.

Barack:
His oratory prowess is unmatched in this election. He knows when to linger on a word, step on his own words, and pause for an applause while still speaking.

My feedback is minimal. I’d advise him to address the camera more, and just be aware of his smirk that could be misconstrued by the minions against him.

His messages are powerful. He is inspirational and touching, he’s real, on purpose. He’s a storyteller.

John Edwards:
Reframe the message in positive ways. People don’t want to hear what they already know—the U.S. is ailing and we need a doctor along with universal healthcare! His issues are real—poverty, he forgotten poor, the lifelong workers given the shaft. Yet, I see his message like someone selling funerals or life insurance—we need these things but don’t want to or are too weak to stand up for ourselves anymore. It’s about broken spirits rather than policies.

John could infuse his messages with elements like: “Yes, it may be this way today, but we can transform it into a hopeful decade using our minds and souls rather than our wallets. Pulling in harness conserves energy and we’re headed in the same direction. We can share our resources while using less.”

His sincerity is evident; the sound bites are droll. He appears frustrated and tired (who wouldn’t with the stress of the campaign trail and knowledge that his wife is ill.) I sense ambivalence about leaving his family, but he’s a man on a mission.

John McCain:
John has earned people’s respect with his service in the Navy. He’s proven under fire and is firm in his convictions. This experience painted the rest of his life that I’m sure he doesn’t take forgranted.

Personally, I’m not sure he’s an active listener, however. This is evidenced by how he talks over people. Sometimes he appears befuddled.

The use of the folksy, “My Friends,” appeals to older people. He could refresh his language to be inclusive using we rather than “you.” He may consider what under 40-somethings may want to hear from him. Fast Company is a good barometer for the fast-paced executives and aspiring leaders.

Mitt Romney:
He needs to be tickled before going in public. Loosen up, Mitt.
You won’t lose votes by being human rather than robotic. Practice empathy so you can demonstrate it. You obviously have feelings, but your corporate climate sucked the empathy out of you. This is a negotiation for hearts and minds, something people are so fond of discussing for other countries we’re fighting.
Finally, Mitt must make more human references rather than companies or institutional examples.

Mike Huckabee:
Mike is a calculated speaker for the most part. He’s highly effective because he connects on a human, emotional level. Note the words he uses and the dropped “g’s” to be folksy. His references are human and sound like quotes from Poor Richard’s Almanac.

Delivery isn’t his issue. Content is. He would benefit from a larger view of his message rather than a niched appeal to religious conservatives. He must be aware of how he alienates “others’ ” religious views.

He is comfortable in his now-slimmed skin; I would encourage Mike to invite others in. That would strengthen his message.

Above all, these are brief observations akin to my proofreading menus. It’s an instant reaction based on my training.

Remember these examples, the next time you speak at a meeting or giving a presentation

How do you turn an inept bon vivant into a world leader? You don’t. Under Karl Rove’s Zvengali act, a U.S. minority selected someone who is “Consciously Incompetent.” Plus, it seems it is contagious and the Democrat leadership contracted Conscious Incompetence. Democrats’ behavior and votes this past week in Congress is abominable.
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This is a personal observation. If we were visited by aliens and being observed, they may be tempted to diagnose this behavior as brain damage like from lead poisoning. The inconsistent behaviors on all sides reek of corruption and hypocrisy.

A significant way to move past this awful demonstration of incompetence is to adopt a good dose of Edward DeBono’s, Six Thinking Hats, an interactive approach to strategic thinking. What is going on in the “think tanks?” What are they ingesting? We have objective experts who could break the stalemate. How is it we don’t use the resources that are available rather than the fringe elements held up as window dressing of the American Way? This method can be applied to alternative fuels, any problem that requires a quick result.

Unfortunately, when one has ADD or ADHD or related information processing impairments (my daughter is such a person, so I know first hand,) discriminatory thinking and nuance are difficult concepts to mentally process.

Here are my observations from working with hundreds of business leaders. Pair this with an unwillingness to strive for continuous improvement other than getting elected or staying the darling of the board, my observations indicate the following:

1. When President Bush speaks, it’s without authority. (He has no command of the English language or the art of nuance.)
2. He begs for platform coaching. (Rule #1, never lean on the podium!)
3. He keeps his own counsel which is limited in scope.
4. He is a frightened man constantly swashbuckling against personal demons and displaces that fear and anger onto the rest of us.
5. His stance is one of punishment rather than redemption, a concept attractive in a paradoxical way to his “born again” view of the world. He clings so tightly to the righteous hoping it will somehow rub off on him.
6. He is a straw man, hollow and depleted because his life has been lived only for him. I believe the loss of his sister had a deep, dark impact on him, and he has never recovered.

These are pervasive issues facing business leaders as well. Complicate the issues with the chasm between living within one’s values, and standing firm on them and being bull-headed or immovable, not to be confused with persistence. Consider this a limited array of one’s ability to think on a variety of levels. Bush’s absolutism is indicative of insecurity, because “If there is gray, there may be another way!™”

His life of privilege hasn’t served him either. Interestingly, privilege doesn’t automatically come with power. He’s lived a life based on his demands. He seems incapable of entertaining perspectives, different angles because they may confuse him. Consider this example—Warts and all, the Kennedy family served this country with insight, and an insight into the impoverished and disenfranchised typically reserved for those who came from that place. Although there are past transgressions, the composite effect is much like a mafia family that wants to go “straight,” this family has used its influence and power to uplift others (e.g. civil rights, entrepreneurship).

Privilege without boundaries creates a false sense of being. Ross Perot, during one his interviews during a run for president, said, “How can you trust someone who doesn’t even have to stop at a red light!” Think about that. One doesn’t even obey the rules of the road. This is what we see today with “W,” while Dad Bush took another trail and has befriended his arch rival, Bill Clinton, to bring a ray of hope into the world with their joint relief projects and fundraising. That takes courage.

“W” would do well to learn from his dad. Leaders, like the criminal Kenneth Lay, are arrogant, petulant and appear uncomfortable in their own skin.

I wish all leaders well. I wish you all an epiphany of your limitations and humanity. I encourage leaders to listen to others beyond their own ideas.
It’s never too late to do the “right thing.”
Just ask Dad, George. I hope his humility is contagious.
—MC