Matt Eventoff

A speech is not a solo act - a speech is a conversation. 

 While only one party may be verbally communicating, all parties are communicating.  Looking away, shaking one’s head, raising one’s brow, disinterest or a face anchored in stoicism are all forms of communication, and are all part of a conversation.  Smiling, nodding, clapping, cheering and riveted attentiveness are also part of a conversation.  Walking out of a conference room and doing nothing is also part of the conversation – usually the end of it. 

 So what can one do to ensure that a speech or presentation is in fact a productive conversation?  Here are just a few ways:

1) Involve your audience – Do not talk at the audience, speak with them. 

2) Pay attention to personal pronouns- I tend to shy away from using a lot of I and me and focus more on we and us as much as possible

3)  I mean really involve your audience -When I am presenting on communication or rhetoric, I occasionally involve an audience very early – by asking a question to one or two participants right away.  I might do it in the middle of the speech.  Not a confrontational question. Not a heavy question.  Very rarely a controversial question.  Usually a question to generate a very short response.

Here is an example:  If I am giving a presentation on the need for expediency in speech, I might pick someone out and ask - ”How would you feel if I told you this presentation was going to last 50 minutes?  How about 5 minutes?”  Or “At what point in a presentation do you start tuning the presenter out?”  It appears to be spontaneous but it is anything but that; it is a calculated move to engage the audience, raise attentiveness and take the conversation to the next level. 

Every speech matters and has an impact – not always a favorable one, but always some impact (even if the impact is that no one will want to witness the speaker again!)

For those who still believe speeches don’t matter, elected officials on both sides of the aisle have proven that to be false in the last ten days, as most of our retirement accounts can attest.

Political debates are tricky.  Success is part art and part science, and in-situation debate preparation is crucial.

Physical contact with your opponent, other than a handshake and friendly pat on the shoulder, is a no-no.  Hitting your opponent, even a gentle slap on the hand, makes a debate with a small audience  a national story.

Congressman Perlmutter certainly recognized this and his instant apology after he swatted Ryan Frazier’s hand. The exchange:

“Hey, don’t hit me man, come on!” said Frazier.

Perlmutter apologized immediately, “Sorry. Sorry. You’re right. Sorry. You’re right.”

Perlmutter did the right thing by apologizing right away, on air.  However, debate preparation should have prepared him for both hostile questioning from the host and from the challenger. Debate preparation should have also prepared him for the format, with both candidates sitting closely together.

Both candidates, in the short clip above, point at each other multiple times and cross what I would consider to be “personal space” multiple times.  Debate preparation could have eliminated both habits immediately. 

When candidates are positioned so closely together during a debate, there is usually a reason – good television.  Good television often comes at the expense of an unprepared candidate. As a candidate it is crucial to remember the audience at all times.

The Tea Party phenomena confirms one thing that we all learned in 2008 – there are a lot more people involved in politics, a lot more people receiving a lot more information in much different ways - if your debating skills are not up to par, your campaign won’t be either.  The 2010 political debate season has started with some drama, however none of it the kind a candidate pines for.

The 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debate illustrated the importance of debating skills in the age of television. As new mediums are utilized to distribute and receive information, debates now live a much longer life than one night, a follow up article or two and a few minutes on nightly news. Still, too many candidates spend more time preparing breakfast than preparing for a debate, and it shows, especially through the first few engagements of 2010.

Here is a playbook every candidate, R, D or Tea,  can use to succeed this debate season:

Tip #1: – The candidate who doesn’t prepare will quickly know how they will fare.

Tip #2: Too Long is Wrong – The moment is finally here…the moderator has offered up a softball. “Candidate xyz, how do you feel about ____?” This is the ultimate opportunity to really deliver a crisp, focused, moving message. The candidate answers and hits a home run, and then…keeps going, and going, and going, until finally the moderator puts a painful end to it.

Tip #3: Never Forget…to Memorize — Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona is the latest victim of trying to memorize an opening statement, and…blanking. It happens to everyone, but very rarely on such a national stage. Audiences will forgive a lot, but an audience will not forgive blanking on an opening statement when articulating on why you are running for office…especially in this climate. (Hint – a speech coach or media trainer is worth the investment!)

Tip #4: Bills Don’t Pay – In training dozens of political incumbents, most share one trait when it comes to answering a debate question. “My bill on…”; “Senate Bill 1234, which I co-sponsored…;” House Resolution 123, which I voted against…”   Tea Party candidates have done especially well driving holes into the arguments of incumbents focused on process…

Tip #5: Smile. It’s Candid Camera Time. – Today, if a candidate is running for dog catcher and is debating, it will be recorded. Say something questionable and it will be on YouTube and take on a life of its own. Approach an opponent before the debate begins, smile, shake hands, and act like an adult for the next hour. Even if the debate isn’t televised, mess up and it will be.

Tip #6: Be a Composer – Delivery is as important as content. Allow cadence to guide the listener. Allow tone to serve as a verbal highlighter when making a point, changing course, or framing an issue. Pause between thoughts. The voice is an instrument. To make a dramatic point, build up to it through changes in tone.

Tip #7: Don’t Lose Composure – There isn’t a candidate yet who has lost a debate solely by being too civil. Many lose solely by failing to be civil enough. 

Tip #8: Mind Your Manners – No pointing, slouching, smirking, scowling — all send a message, and all have led to debate losses by major party candidates in the past two decades.

Tip #9: Fighting is for Fools – Debates are not the time for anger, invective, cursing, etc. A debate is a duel, not a fight, and there is a difference.

Tip #10: Discipline Defeats Drama – A disciplined candidate has a message, stays on the message, maintains decorum and directs the line of discussion, as opposed to constantly reacting to an opponent. Discipline trumps drama every time.

We have now officially entered silly season - the final weeks of the 2010 election season, and that means….debates, and lots of them!    Campaigns spend an inordinate amount of time raising money to do one thing – deliver their message to voters, most often through paid media.  Precious positive ”earned” media opportunities - stories involving a candidate in a positive light, in print or on television - become like rainbows without rain – very rare.

Debates are a very rare opportunity for candidates to get over an hour of  free – FREE – exposure before the electorate.  Almost all races (State Senate, Congress) have locally televised debates, and bigger races get the opportunity to debate on much bigger stages – venues such as Meet the Press.  These opportunities can make an underfunded candidate, as an all-star performance usually leads to multiple days, or even weeks, of positive “earned” media exposure to follow.  Yet, too many candidates spend more time preparing breakfast  than preparing for a debate, and it shows. 

Which brings us to Debate Prep 101, Rule #1 –  If you don’t prepare, you know how you will fare! (Hint – not well!)

Six more hard and fast rules every candidate needs to remember before a debate:

2. Too Long is Wrong – The moment is finally here…the moderator has offered up a softball.  “Candidate xyz, how do you feel about ____?”   The ultimate opportunity to really deliver a crisp, focused, moving message.  The candidate answers and hits a home run, and then….keeps going, and going, and going, until finally the moderator puts a painful end to it. Too long is wrong. 

3. Memorize is, umm…….fraught with peril- Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona is the latest victim of trying to memorize an opening statement, and….blanking.  It happens to everyone, but very rarely on such a national stage.  Audiences will forgive a lot, but an audience will not forgive blanking on an opening statement when you must articulate why you are running for office. More on Governor Brewer’s tough week to follow…

4. Bills Don’t Pay - I have trained dozens of incumbents, and most share one trait when it comes to answering a debate question. “My bill on….”; “Senate Bill 1234, which I co-sponsored…”; House Resolution 123, which I voted against…”  Other than very contentious, very public pieces of legislation, the public rarely remembers a bill number.  Even in that rare circumstance when the public does remember the bill by number, talk about the issue behind the bill, not the bill itself.  Hint: When unemployment and taxes are through the roof, not too many people will believe that your bill, regardless of party affiliation, will, or did, change everything instantly.

5. Smile! You’re on Candid Camera! - Today, if you are running for dog catcher and are debating, someone will be recording it.  If you err, say something questionable or gaffe, it will be on Youtube.  Approach your opponent before the debate begins, smile, shake hands, and act like an adult for the next hour.  Even if the debate isn’t televised, if you mess up, it will be.

6. Be a composer… - Your delivery is as important as your content. Allow your cadence to guide the listener. Allow your tone to serve as a verbal highlighter when you are making a point, changing course, or framing an issue.  Pause between thoughts.  Your voice is an instrument.  If you are making a dramatic point, build up to it through changes in tone.

7. Don’t lose your composure – I have yet to see a candidate lose a debate solely for being too civil.  I have seen many lose solely by failing to be civil enough.