Mubarak v ElBaradei - Connection Matters!

Mubarak v ElBaradei – Connection Matters

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…

6 Responses to “Mubarak v ElBaradei – Connection Matters”

By Pride of the Nation. on May 19, 2010 | Reply

Matt,

These were some good observations you got there about both characters. Interestingly both might not run for elections, there has been no confirmation on that till now. You never know.

From my point of view, and as an Egyptian, Mr. Gamal Mubarak is dull, fake and naive. I mean he can’t shine; he lacks charisma. On the other hand, ElBaradei isn’t exactly charismatic. Now to the real question, does this really matter? No, it doesn’t. As much as I like to think that self confidence, charisma, and body language play an exceptional role in shaping opinions and eventually making change, they don’t. Egyptians have this habit of sticking to what they know (even if it is evil) than changing it with what’s new (possibly a greater evil).

But these pointers are definitely useful to natural orators. Thanks for sharing.
By Amy on Jun 4, 2010 | Reply

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by matt eventoff. matt eventoff said: Mubarak v ElBaradei – Connection Matters!….http://bit.ly/bQFRTc [...]
By Yaat on Jun 24, 2010 | Reply

Your observation is accurate.
If you speak Arabic and have good idea of the culture, I’m sure you’ll come up with more flaws the people in this region can not accept to be in leader, so standards needs to be tweaked a little.

Gamal Mubarak’s chin is constantly lowered…haha…shy, mama’s boy…this one is so true