Create Your Communications Experience

Three Lessons from Obama...

2008-08-28T21:29:57-07:00

We can all learn from Barack Obama's acceptance speech:

1. The effectiveness of our communications determines the effectiveness of our lives.

Barack lost his first election to the Illinois House in 2000, won his first election in 2004 to the US Senate from Illinois, and in 2008 is the likely next President of the United States - because of his communicating.
His speech at the 2004 Convention vaulted him into contention, and his speaking continues to elevate his cause.
He is a polished, practiced orator who can also hold his own in spontaneous settings.

2. Create the moment.

At this speech at this moment, Obama hit substance without inspiring with rhetoric. I was actually surprised that he was not more expansive in his inspiration, but the stadium crowd and the commentators were moved. He was appropriate to the moment, he played it right, and knew exactly what he was doing.

3.Use the skills of communicating.

Barack Obama has practiced and learned the skills.
He uses the measured pause (perhaps too much so in his off the cuff remarks, but perfect for formal speaking and oratory.)
He uses oratorical devices (The Rule of Three, Set 'em Up and Knock 'em Down, Contrast)
He is using the teleprompter better, with three focal points at this speech vs. two. (He could actually practice this skill.)

Bottom line - a very successful speech, although not as soaring as I expected.

A Heck of a Speech, and more...

2008-08-26T23:14:29-07:00

The Convention - Day Two

Wasn't going to blog on this, but it was a heck of a night communication wise.

- Governor Mark Warner started it off with a solid hit. He was the keynote, and it will not be the equivalent of Barack Obama's 2004 speech that rocketed Obama to prominence, but Warner was the first speaker to really do well at this convention:

Great message - not a cliche
Used the teleprompter well, by not using it much at all
Connected with the audience

- Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana was then a surprise - energetic, light touch and interesting, making another hit that sent Mark Warner to third base, using a baseball analogy.

Hillary Clinton then hit the Home Run!

She opened with strong pride in being a mother, a Senator, and an avid supporter of Barack Obama. Singleness of purpose in her opening. Time to unite. Fight for the future.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pant Suits - nice line.
Spoke to the future, not the past, nor of regrets.
Great connection, no teleprompter apparent at all. Very energetic, powerful and presidential for that matter.
(But why did Michelle Obama have her chin thrust forward in seeming disapproval. Actually, it may be the way her teeth and jaw are put together, but she COULD have smiled (she finally did when her name was mentioned.)
She took a swipe at McCain without getting her strident voice in gear.
She spoke of women, and Harriett Tubman - and it was obvious she was enjoying herself in giving this speech (which was truly a communication experience.)
Rule of three with, "Keep going... keep going...keep going." And "There is no chasm too deep, no barrier to great, no ceiling too high..." moving to a great crescendo of an ending.
Hillary was a big game player with a big game speech. She didn't hold back. It was a communication experience.
As one commentator put it: "A clarion call of grace and power."

And more to come. As James Carville said, "The (communicating) skill at the top level of the Democratic party is as good as I've seen it."

With Bill Clinton and Barack Obama in the next two nights, I think he's right.

The Conventions Begin

2008-08-25T20:35:18-07:00

The Convention Communication Experience

Every four years we see a communication experience in action at the conventions. Tonight we started with the Democratic Convention, and I'll make some brief comments on (most) of the nights.

Opening Highlights. There were two:

Michelle Obama - a match for Barack Obama in communicating ability. This was unlike any other potential First Lady speech ever given. She did an amazing job, hitting the right notes for the family image - with fiery rhetoric for the Obama value. This was not just the wife giving a biography - she was powerful. (And she used the teleprompter well.)
Ted Kennedy - it was amazing that he was there and then spoke with such energy. Amazing, and like his politics or not, you have to admire him and the tradition he brought to the proceedings.

Biggest miss:

Nancy Pelosi was also great at communicating the attack message, but she was not only not featured, she was almost invisible in TV coverage. You can probably only find her excerpts on CNN's website.
The Democratic Convention itself - there were more talking heads from CNN and the Networks than there were substantive messages from the podium. The producers did not use their forum well in prime time on this first night to create a memorable communication experience.

The Best Debate since Kennedy-Nixon

2008-08-16T23:00:02-07:00

The First Debate - Rick Warren with Obama and McCain

OK, it wasn't a debate, it was better! It was historic and was what a debate should actually be - insightful, candid, conversational - where we can see the character and personality of the candidates as well as their views. And this will change the Presidential election.

When Rick Warren had a "conversation" with both Barack Obama and John McCain in his Civil Forum tonight, he set a precedent. I hope the national debate forum will change to model what we saw tonight.

All three came away winners - though perhaps Warren won the most, with McCain reestablishing himself in what is now a horse race for the Presidency. So much to say, but in a nutshell:

Rick Warren:

On the cover of Time this week, on Larry King Live on Monday - what will stop him from continuing to grow in impact and in creating world change on a high level. One of the greatest communicators in person (he was one of my Top Ten Communicators of 2006 - second only to Obama!) and in print (best selling non-fiction book of all time, except for the Bible), he continued his streak. Confident and appropriate, he had great questions, and was even-handed, friendly and in control. Amazing.

Contrast:

Perhaps the best contrast of Obama and McCain (amplified in the following commentary) is to view these two clips, where Rick Warren gives exactly the same question on abortion to the two of them:

Obama gives his 1' 20" answer, which actually went on longer.

McCain gives a 30" answer, which includes the applause.

Barack Obama:

Thoughtful, measured, knowledgeable and confident. No doubt a leader. He did away with the criticisms of not being a Christian, and not being humble. Nuanced to the max - Obama qualifies and finally gets to the point, and takes a stand when he has to. He is a GREAT communicator, and it is his communications that got him there. (He was the top communicator in my Top Ten of 2006.) He communicates as a leader.

But he didn't exude emotion, and actually had a couple of behavioral flaws - Obama has about 3 or 4 'Ums" and "ahs" per minute. Thoughtful perhaps, but evidence of caution and need to say the "right" thing. He also has a severe head tilt to the right and looks down to the right - habits that are not straightforward, nor appealing. (Of course all this is at the unconscious level, but it counts.)

John McCain

Decisive, vital and energetic. A turnaround for McCain, as I was about to blog on how the race was pretty much over because Obama was so much better communicating than McCain. But not any more. McCain showed that he will be a contender - look to the Presidential Debates to perhaps make the big difference.

McCain connected emotionally with the audience, and it's perhaps this factor alone (plus energy) that made the difference. He was humorous, specific and quick with answers, thus decisive (see his answer to the abortion question), and he didn't have any hesitations. No "ums" or "ahs" as if he had to think, and thus confident in his answers. More importantly he used stories continuously - and good ones at that.

This now will be an interesting election from a communications point of view. There is no question that Obama will appeal to the younger, and McCain will resonate to the older. David Gergen made a great comment on whether we want a leader who is more nuanced and a conciliator (Obama) than one who is more decisive and specific (McCain).

We will see, and now the manner in which Obama and McCain communicate their vision will determine the ultimate outcome.

Michael Phelps and the Olympian Smile

2008-08-11T00:03:08-07:00

I'm into the Olympics, and there's not enough time to see it. But the Opening Ceremony on Friday - called the greatest staged event we might see in our lifetime by several observers and I think they are right - opened us all to this opportunity to see unforgettable excellence. And interesting communications insights.

A great example - did you see those 2008 drummers in the opening number smile! I mean, here are the usually serious Chinese doing an incredibly intricate and difficult task, and smiling - so unexpectedly No doubt they were trained to do so, and it made such a difference. See the shortened version here, and see smiles where we expect grim concentration...

Speaking of excellence, we're going to see a lot of Michael Phelps - and I don't think we'll tire of him. Two reasons:

He is an amazing swimmer - maybe best of all time. If he wins his eight Olympic Gold Medals, that will be irrefutable. We don't tire of excellence.
He has a winning smile. He is engaging, with an irrepressible personality - and it's his smile that takes us in. And his irrepressible exuberance!

Watch him here. And watch him over these next few days and see if you tire of him. I doubt it.

A smile seems like a minor or superficial communication skill - but it is very important to creating a positive communication experience. Michael Phelps is a winner who does exactly that, as does Dara Torres, Mary Lou Retton, and dozens of Olympic champions that come to mind. (Including our own Bonnie Blair whom we have trained for her public appearances.)

But CEO's and leaders of companies, and any one who speaks for that matter, are winners too. Or they should appear to be when they are taking the stage and advocating their winning ideas. Yet how many smile - and show their own personality. Most are way too serious, or look grim, which is exactly the opposite of the message they most often want to convey.

"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone."

Smile and the world smiles with you, and will want to listen, and even keep you around.

Stuffing Habits

2008-07-22T22:19:25-07:00

"It takes 21 days to change a habit," according to Maxwell Maltz - and I think he's about right, give or take a week or two.

But this past weekend we saw habit change at a high level happen in a couple of days at our Speakers' Roundtable meeting - and there's a great learning principle in this story.

Too many leaders, and speakers talk about "stuff" , as in "The group liked my stuff," or "I gave them my best stuff. We generically and lazily categorize specific concepts or details or material as "stuff." So Patricia Fripp, renowned public speaker, coach and sister of King Crimson's Robert Fripp, decided to put a learning principle in place and stop this 'stuff' at our three day meeting this past weekend. (She calls it a crime against credibility.) Every time anyone would say "stuff" the person would have to put a $1 in a paper bag.

What happened?

Well, one top speaker said, "Here's $20, just deduct each one from my account." What pain, fun, chagrin, and learning, as we went through the weekend. $42 was collected. And it would have probably been $142 if we all hadn't become sensitized to the word "stuff." (I cringe even now when writing it .)

When I got home my wife Dru Scott heard me say "the word," and we've started another collection (so far $3, but it won't go much higher - I'm too sensitized.)

And that's the point with habits. Become aware, and you WILL begin to have a choice whether you use that word, or behavior, or way of holding yourself, or preparing - or whatever habit it might be.

Habits will make or break you - stuff the bad ones by putting them top of mind so you stop before you do it, whatever it is. (The most common verbal one is the dreaded non-word "um" or "ah" - same process applies to replace them with a pause.) But you've got to get feedback.

We recommend to all our clients the easiest way to change verbal speech habits is to get a digital audio recorder and record yourself in informal and formal settings (from telephone calls to meetings to speeches.) And of course video is even better - observed behavior changes.

Get feedback and it won't take long for you to stuff your bad habits.

Everchanging Variable

2008-07-19T07:20:08-07:00

Don Hutson is a great speaker and author of One Minute Entrepreneur - it was a thrill to watch him share and speak at the same time here at our Speaker's Roundtable meeting. His great presentation was not taped, (don't miss him here) but he had a great quote with his signature Marriott story:
“The image of a person, company or product is never a constant but an ever-changing variable.”
Communicating constantly (and well) makes all the difference.
(I also learned at our meeting to keep posts short - thanks Terri.)

No Bully Pulpit Here

2008-07-16T22:50:34-07:00

Leadership is speaking to raise a people up in a crisis.

Today we are in an economic crisis, and there is no raising up. The great Bully Pulpit of the Presidency has been vacated, and it is a shame. Here we have President Bush, yesterday, lamely talking about the economy in "half full" terms.

This clip is only 12 seconds, but as he READS his speech, note the hesitancy, stumbling and lack of certainty. (For a longer version of a similar experience, see President Bush here from several months ago - interesting to note the unfulfilled promise as well.)

Interesting and profound that it takes just seconds (thin slicing) for us to have confidence, or lack of confidence, in a speaker - to trust him or her, or to distrust his or her words. And so often our confidence is rooted more in the behavior of the speaker than in what is said. (Another example is this 7 second clip of Casper Weinberger dissembling with 'ums' and 'ahs' as he tries to defend the Libya air strike of years ago.)

After President Bush speaks, we do not feel more confident or optimistic or assured. Perhaps less so. He has lost the Bully Pulpit.

Compare the Bush communication experience to that of Winston Churchill. Consider his famous Blood, Sweat and Tears speech that he gave to the English people when he took leadership as they were under bombardment by the Germans - losing family and friends in the beginning of World War II. This was a much more dire circumstance than we are in now, for sure. And yet he inspired, and thereby mobilized the people of England. When he spoke he did so with a confidence and certainty that turned the attitude and human spirit of a nation.

"You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory.
Victory at all costs —
Victory in spite of all terror —
Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.

"I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men. I feel entitled at this juncture, at this time, to claim the aid of all and to say, 'Come then, let us go forward together with our united strength.' "

I wish we had YouTube then to show you now how the Bully Pulpit should be used by a leader. I'm sure his behavior was as certain and forceful as his words.

New Improved SlideShare Contest

2008-07-06T21:49:42-07:00

The Second Annual SlideShare Contest is underway, and it is improved, interesting and invaluable.

Three reasons:

SlideShare is a unique website which is:

furthering the dialogue about how to use PowerPoint/Keynote
presenting a myriad of vivid examples of excellence (and sometimes not so excellent)
ultimately honing in on the important differences of using in person presentation (visual, audio, person - most business presentations), audio and written design (visual, audio - webinars, etc) and written and designed decks (visual only - slideshows without sound.)

You should enter, as you can win some great prizes, including a MacBook Air, Kindle, IPods, etc. And get competitive - it will hone your design skills.

It has a GREAT panel of judges, in Guy Kawasaki, Garr Reynolds and Nancy Duarte. And I'm proud to be included with these outstanding experts on presentation and design.

Communication Gurus - well...

2008-06-23T19:31:58-07:00

Check out a website I just found: Communication Gurus. Well... I found it because I'm on it at #4, so I couldn't help but share it with you.

I don't really think there are gurus - but there are experts and the experienced, and from that stand point I'm honored to share the designation with my team at Decker Communications. They helped develop, and deliver, all that we do.

And though there are some people missing from the list, I'm delighted to be at #4 when I see the company we keep with Tom Peters and Dr. John Gray. And with my good friend and Speaker's Roundtable associate Tony Alessandra at #1 - maybe next year we'll work our way up a notch or two and beat him out...