Booher BanterBusiness Communication Consultant

The setting of tonight’s debate created a civil interaction that will be central to fence-sitters for the next three weeks as they lean this way and that.  Having the presidential candidates sit eyeball to eyeball in proximity to each other and the moderator tempered both their body language and tone.  (Obama’s smirks and head tosses eased into wide grins and shrugs; McCain’s clenched jaws gave way to raised eyebrows and surprised looks.)  

As a result, the senators looked and sounded like two presidential candidates engaged in the serious issues facing the country.  Regarding the style and structure of their communication on other matters,

McCain Scored Points When He . . .

—Delivered the pithy soundbite:  “If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago.”  (It’s hard to overestimate the power of quotable one-liners that summarize a key point.)

—Personalized abstract concepts by referring to small businessman, Joe, the plumber, and how he would not fare so well under an Obama presidency.

—Pointed out specific items to consider in his opponent’s statements.  For example, on the question of criteria for future appointments of Supreme Court justices, he questioned Obama’s meaning for “health of the mother.”  In referring to Obama’s energy policy, he suggested that listeners consider Obama’s word choice that he “would look at” options rather than do them.

—Provided specific examples to support his responses.  Examples:  Wasteful programs he’d cut.  His education plans.   His economic plan and the housing crisis.   His healthcare plan.  Legislation on which he’d voted against Bush.  Reasons Palin would make a better VP than Biden.

—Showed passion about the issues he believed in most strongly.

 McCain Lost Points When He . . .

—Responded to the first few questions in “low gear.”  (He sounded and looked muzzled—as if Obama had permission for a filibuster.   McCain supporters say his sense of civility and politeness stifle him.   Obama supporters say he’s just stiff.  In any case, he looked ill at ease at the outset.)

—Rambled around in the weeds and got far too detailed for the limited time slot.

—Tossed in unrelated details (or at least without a proper transition) so that listeners sometimes thought, “So why are you bringing that up now?”

Obama Scored Points When He . . .

—Summarized his responses briefly before elaborating.  We Americans have a very short attention span.  Obama did an excellent job of stating his vision, his view, or his philosophy in a simple sentence or two.  It’s his trademark:  “We need jobs to get this country going again.”  “We’re in the worst economic situation since the Great Depresssion.”  “People need affordable healthcare.” 

—Continued to repeat his branded core message and talking points.

—Enumerated his key points and ticked them off quickly in bullet-point fashion.  It doesn’t matter whether he’s talking about putting the economy on track, giving us all appropriate healthcare, making us energy independent in 10 years, or creating a superior educational system. One. Two. Three.  Four.  (Just wish those points were as easy to do as they are for politicians to promise and to push through Congress!)

—Remained calm and collected, despite issues brought up by his opponent that he would have preferred not to address.   Example: When the moderator asked the candidates if they personally espoused the negative ads their campaigns put out, McCain responded first and sharply attacked Obama for his negative ads, those specifically misrepresenting McCain’s views on immigration and so forth.  Obama responded only generally that he “didn’t mind being attacked for the next 3 weeks” and bridged to talk about “what the voters care about”—healthcare and the economy.

Obama Lost Points When He . . .

—Focused only on a big-picture promise, with no specifics on the how or the costs.

—Overstated the case.  Example:  On the question about whether the candidates personally embraced the attack ads coming from their campaigns, Obama charged “McCain’s ads are 100 percent negative.”

—Did not respond to the question from the moderator or issues raised by his opponent but instead stated the obvious. 

So What Can a Communicator Learn From Tonight’s Debate?

Here are my take-aways for the evening: 

• Setting often dictates the interaction.
• Time limits can play havoc with your ability to address complex issues and plans.  Consider time constraints a major issue in what you should and should not attempt to present in any given time period with specific objectives and audiences.
• The ability to listen critically will serve you well—pay attention to word choice, to what was said, to what was not said, to valid or invalid assumptions, to gaps in logic.
• Quotable one-liners pack a punch.
• Summarizing is paramount to retention.
• Information is not communication.  Communication involves shaping information and ideas into a relevant core message for the intended audience.

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