Booher BanterBusiness Communication Consultant

Everybody spins.  I’m not knocking it.  If we didn’t spin, we’d never get a date, a mate, an employee, a job, or a contract. Spin is putting the best face on things.

And that’s just what the presidential contenders did late Tuesday evening and Wednesday, coming off the grueling campaign trail to hear the voters’ feedback in 24 states.

Here’s what they each had to say about the SAME set of data diced and dissected by the pundits on every issue:

McCain: “We’ve won some of the biggest states in the country.  We have won primaries in the west, the south, the Midwest, and the north-east. And although I’ve never minded the role of the underdog, and have relished as much as anyone come from behind wins, tonight I think we must get used to the idea that we are the Republican Party front-runner….”

Romney: “I think there are some people who thought it was all going to be done tonight, but it’s not all done tonight. We’re going to keep on battling. We’re going to go all the way to the convention, we’re going to win this thing, and we’re going to get in to the White House.”

Huckabee: “You know, over the past few days a lot of people have been trying to say that this is a two-man race.  Well, you know what?  It is. And we’re in it!”

Clinton: “Together, we’re going to take back America, because I see an America where our economy works for everyone, not just those at the top, where prosperity is shared and we create good jobs that stay right here in America…. The race will drag on for weeks longer:  this is not going to be decided any time in the near future as far as we can see.”

Obama: “There is one thing on this February night that we do need the final results to know:  Our time has come. Our movement is real.  And change is coming to America.”

Raphael Sonenshein, Professor of Politics at California State University, Fullerton:  “Both Clinton and Obama had a great day, but given the expectation of momentum, the Hillary camp has slightly more reason to be happy.”

Bill Whalen, Hoover Institution:  “It’s a bad night to be Mitt Romney…He doesn’t have a signature win and he really needed California, and it didn’t come through.  It appears John McCain pretty much has the nomination sown up, but he needs to find a way to generate enthusiasm.

Huffington Post:  “For all of their pandering to ‘conservatives’ and ‘evangelicals’ John McCain and Mitt Romney have been unable to shake off Mike Huckabee. Huckabee’s victories in Alabama, Arkansas, West Virginia, and strong showings in Georgia and Missouri prove that his message resonates with voters in southern states and rural districts across the country.  Huckabee has the cache with these voters that McCain and Romney have desperately sought to develop.”

Let me repeat here:  All the above candidates and pundits are dealing with the same election results!  So as Yoggi Berra put it, “You can observe a lot by just watching.”  Make that listening, in this case.  And many of us listened until the wee-hours Tuesday evening.

So what did the candidates’ Super Tuesday demonstrate that might be useful next week on your own super Tuesday at work?

When you deliver a presentation, the facts rarely speak for themselves.  That’s why you’re making the presentation “live” rather than just emailing slides to someone.  Interpret.  What’s your point?  Tell your story.  What do the numbers mean?  What are the numbers NOT saying?  Where are the gaps?  What can the numbers NOT justify? Where’s the opportunity? What will the listeners miss in the numbers if they’re not particularly astute?

Spin away—that’s your purpose.  Appropriate spin is grounded in reality, not misleading, and provides straight answers to direct questions.  If it also happens to serve the good intentions of the speaker, so be it.

Spin away—that’s your provocative and often your path to success.

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