Booher BanterBusiness Communication Consultant

It was an historic night all around.  Obama and McCain joined each other on the same platform for the first time during the presidential race.  But more important than that, they did not face each other in a challenging, tit-for-tat confrontational style.  Neither did those who analyzed the debates afterward dispute and disparage each other as they debated about who “won” or “lost.”  In fact, the question of winning or losing didn’t even come up. 

In case, you missed the two-hour forum, Obama took the stage for a full hour and answered questions from moderator Rick Warren while McCain remained off-stage in a sound-proof room.  Then McCain came on stage and answered the SAME questions from the moderator.

Without a doubt, it was the most enlightening forum to date.  Sure, the candidates got a few ‘gimme’ questions like, “Why do you want to be president?”  But they also got some tough questions like:  “What has been your biggest moral failure personally?”  “What three people will you be listening to as president?”  “Which issue have you changed your position on from 10 years ago, and why?”  “When does life begin?”   “How do you define rich—give me a number?”

Obama’s Communication Style:  

Obama looked relaxed, confident, comfortable, congenial. He tossed in dash of humor here and there (to Warren’s question about how he would define rich, he shot back that Warren would certainly fall in that category, with 25 million copies of his books sold.)

Obama gave broad, general, answers to most questions.  For example, to the question about three people he’d listen to as president, he named his mother, wife, and grandmother.  To the question about when life began, he responded that was a “complex scientific and theological issue” and “above his pay-grade.” 

His sincerity and concern for his country came through in his tone and body language.  He talked about America’s responsibility to feed the hungry, heal the sick, help the poor, and live out their faith in the world.

McCain’s Communication Style:

McCain’s answers were brief, precise, decisive, specific.  On foreign affairs, he had a quick grasp of supporting examples for his summary answers.  For example, to the question “how do you define marriage,” he said simply, “Marriage is a union between one man and one woman.”  To the question about “when a baby should be granted human rights,” he responded, “At conception.”  To the question about which three people he would likely listen to, he named individuals that you might know of—individuals that you might either admire or dislike.  (General Petraeus, the CEO of eBay, and a democratic party leader). 

He often elaborated with an anecdote to illustrate his point or principle.  He peppered his responses to the foreign affairs questions with incidents, countries, presidents, prime ministers, dates, and crises as if he’d just prepped for a geography exam.  (Hey, maybe I just noticed this because I used to fall asleep in geography class.)

Showing humility in his responses about personal experiences and sacrifices, he was still able to use those experiences appropriately to establish credibility. When asked about his concern for the huge problem of more than 118 million orphans in the world, he mentioned that he and wife Cindy had adopted a 5-week-old orphan (now 17 years old) from a third-world country.

Although he looked nervous on the first question or two, he quickly relaxed in this forum and looked comfortable (smiling, nodding, natural gestures in sync with words, humor) within a few minutes. 

So who made all this possible?

Rick Warren:  Moderator

My analysis would be incomplete if I didn’t comment on the masterful job done by the moderator, pastor of Saddleback Church, the fourth largest church in the United States, with more than 22,000 members.   So what did he do to pull this off?

• Neutral site:  He selected a site that would minimize the sports-contest atmosphere that typically surrounds such gatherings and sets up a win-lose mentality on stage.
• Opening comments:  He stated the purpose—to set up a nonconfrontational forum, whereby listeners could get to know the candidates personally and hear their views on important issues.  He stated his goodwill and personal liking for both candidates, extending his personal credibility—high with the audience—to both candidates.
• He greeted both candidates warmly, hugging them as they came on stage.
• His tone in asking the questions was friend-to-friend, warm, genial—yet direct.
• He listened thoughtfully to their answers without cutting them off.  His facial expression and manner conveyed genuine interest in understanding the candidate’s viewpoint.
• He asked the audience—the entire audience––to stand in honor of each candidate as they finished their remarks (unlike other debates, where one side sits in stone-silence while the other stands and claps).

Well done, candidates and moderator!  Who won?   America. 

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