Mar 06 08
Top 3 Lessons from the 2008 Campaign Trail
By Renn Vara
At the risk of being political, we can learn a thing or two about communications in this campaign. Presentation styles, the use of the web, even their content development teach us a lot of the good, the bad, and the ugly of executive communications.
First the good. Senator Barack Obama definitely tops the list. His focal animation, his use of visionary language, and his passion demonstrate the best in presentations skills. And the way he keeps his cool and depersonalizes attacks is priceless. And check out his web presence. He and his team get it and demonstrate it regularly on YouTube, Facebook and his own campaign site. The future of all campaigns now.
Senator Hillary Clinton does the best in grasping content and being able to speak smart about issues, people, and international complexities. But her eye contact is her down fall. The next time she speaks watch her eyes. She tilts her head back, looks down her nose, and exhibits the arrogance of a college professor. My theory is she has spent too much time in intellectual discourse and not enough in retail politics.
The person who takes the cake is Senator John McCain. He breaks all the rules of good presentations. His eye contact is weak, his voice low, and his content is generally cliché. But because of his history and particularly his 5 plus years as a prisoner of war, he’s won his Party’s nomination and will be a very strong candidate in the general election.
So what can we learn from this election? One, get the presentation skills down. One thought, one pair of eyes. Two, meet the size of the room with your voice. Speak up. Three, focus your content on the needs of the audience not just on your need to talk. Granted, campaigns overdo this a bit. But you get the point. And in the end, if you have a good history in your subject matter, let it speak for you.
Oh and just in case you’re thinking of running for President, add around $500M dollars to the list.
Tags: election 2008, executive communications, leadership training, presentation skills
