Matt Eventoff

Last evening was very interesting and sent a clear message to incumbents and establishment candidates (ex.  9.9% unemployment doesn’t make people happy), and the general elections in November will be just as interesting, however…

Breaking News:  Elections in the US (and the UK) are NOT the only major elections that occur!

Next year, a major battle is shaping up in the Middle East — who will lead Egypt.  While Hosni Mubarak has led Egypt since Anwar Sadat’s assassination nearly three decades ago, there appears to be the potential for a very competitive race next year, with Mubarak’s son, Asst. Secretary General Gamal Mubarak, the front runner, and Nobel Prize Laureate Mohammed ElBaradei the face of the opposition.

One fact transcends all borders and elections — in a democratic election, the ability to “connect” with the electorate, through verbal and non-verbal communication, is paramount.

While both Mubarak and ElBaradei are highly visible throughout Egypt, both are extremely bright and highly articulate, neither man has displayed the ability to “connect”….yet.

A few (unsolicited) communication tips for Asst. Sec. General Mubarak:

1. Expression Matters – Mr. Mubarak’s facial expressions rarely change.  His mouth is constantly positioned the same way, as is his forehead (creased) – very serious, regardless of what he is talking about.  While I believe his serious demeanor can, at times, be an asset, if overused it becomes a hindrance;

2. Body Language Matters - See Tim Geithner; Mr. Mubarak’s chin is constantly lowered, hindering eye contact, putting the focus on his forehead, and really exaggerating the forehead “creases”; the simple “tweak” of raising his chin will make a dramatic improvement;

3. Movement Matters - On television, movement is exaggerated; Mr. Mubarak constantly moves his head, sometimes very rapidly, which causes a distraction to the viewer;

A few (again unsolicited) communication tips for Dr. ElBaradei:

1. Expression Matters – Dr. ElBaradei has a lighter, less serious demeanor (at times) than Mr. Mubarak;  however, when he begins to speak at length, his demeanor tends to change a bit, and his expression and tone goes flat; Dr. ElBaradei’s smile is an asset- he should use it more;

2. Length Matters – Mr. ElBaradei is much more effective in shorter sentences – he should focus on shorter, focused sentences with longer pauses in between thoughts; When he speaks at length, verbal “noise” tends to penetrate, as does a tendency to speed up dramatically;

3. Image Matters – This may seem insignificant, but Mr. ElBaradei’s suits tend to appear too big and his suit jacket tends to ride up his back when sitting and speaking; easily rectified but something that should be addressed now rather than in the heat of election battle;

I will be keeping a close eye on this race as it will be fascinating – more (unsolicited) tips to follow for both candidates…

Message and delivery.  Having a message is crucial – delivering that message effectively is just as crucial.  The equation for effective communication involves both message and delivery.  All too often, companies and individuals in crisis learn this lesson the hard way.

BP has certainly made its share of mistakes in terms of responding to this crisis – not being able to stem the flow of oil and looking completely unprepared to handle a disaster would be mistake number one for any multinational company. From that point forward BP has had series of missteps in terms of getting central messaging down, missed a number of opportunities to leverage social media and had trouble in the initial development of a message.

After those initial missteps, I believe that BP had the underpinnings of an effective response, and a strong message:

“We are a responsible party. Our obligation is to deal with the spill, clean it up and make sure the impacts of that spill are compensated. And we’re going to do that.”

1. What You Say - The two words that followed, both from BP CEO Tony Hayward and BP America President Lamar McKay undermined that entire message:  “Legitimate Claims.”  This word combination completely neutered the effectiveness of the earlier message and has been derided repeatedly in the media.  This is the sound bite, rather than “Our obligation is to deal with the spill…” and will be pretty difficult for BP to get away from now.

2. How You Say It – BP America President Lamar McKay, in an exchange with Senator Maria Cantwell yesterday, looked and sounded a lot more like a defendant on trial than the President of one of the world’s largest companies.  There is a fine line between looking serious and looking hostile and Mr. McKay looked somewhat hostile.  That is unfortunate as this will be the clip that will circulate around the ‘net for the next few days.  Senator Cantwell, on the other hand, looked concerned and upset while not being argumentative, and I think her line of questioning (What she said) and her delivery (how she said it) will result in higher name identification and some new fans.

Whether it is a perfectly worded apology delivered with no emotion or the highly defensive delivery of an explanation, the failure to both have your message and deliver it effectively usually means exacerbating the crisis.

I believe that Floyd Mayweather, Jr is the best fighter in the world at this moment in time.    He is certainly one of the most talented athletes around, lives and breathes his sport, and has a  training regiment that is second to none.  Regardless of the controversy he generates pre-fight, the reality is that he has trained for thousands of hours to get to this point, and he is not only a master, but also a student of his trade, and it shows.

Floyd is extremely personable, is in front of the camera constantly (literally) and has won forty one (41) times — he has given a post-fight press conference like this 41 times (not even mentioning his storied amateur career and  Olympic career).  So why are there so many “umms” and “you know’s “- verbal fillers – littered throughout the first two minutes of this press conference?

My guess – training, practice and preparation – or lack thereof.

There is no doubt in my mind that Floyd, with the proper training, preparation and practice, could be one of the most effective communicators in professional sports today. His personality and natural ability give him a great head start.