I will always keep my blog free of my personal political opinions, but I have plenty to say about the communication styles displayed by the candidates. As you might imagine, the political season is like a candy store for someone in my line of work.  It has been of no surprise to me that Mitt Romney has trouble connecting with the masses, because he seems uncomfortable around them.  His jokes seem forced; his body language stiff. You rarely get the sense that you’re seeing the real Mitt Romney. Newt Gingrich may appear arrogant and bloviating, but that’s the real Newt.  Rick Perry? Boy Howdy, he is himself. Ron Paul? He really is someone’s crazy uncle, and not afraid to let his personal truths hang out. Huntsman and Santorum both appear more stiff, but there personalities seem genuine.

It’s interesting that the front-runner – the presumed Republican Nominee – gets lukewarm reaction, even among his supporters.  When it comes to  effective communication, what one says is often less important than how one says it.  When Mitt’s opponents shoot insults at him, we’d like to see him get fired up. Instead, he defaults to an awkward smile that hides an authentic reaction.  His attempts at humor fall flat, because we get the sense that he is repeating someone elses joke (a joke that he doesn’t necessarily get).

Mitt Romney needs to be careful. If one of his opponents comes up with some traction, republicans may fall in line behind someone who better connects with real people.

“Why do you love what you do so much?”  he asked.

The question intrigued me on many levels, the first of which was that I had not mentioned that I love what I do. That means it was just showing for him. The answer is, there are dozens of reasons why I love being a communications trainer – or coach, as some people call me.

I have the opportunity to work with some of the smartest people in business. They are leaders; they have advanced degrees; they worked their way up with sweat, street-smarts and hard work. They work in technology or retail for some of the world’s leading consumer brands. That does not mean, necessarily, that they are gifted communicators. Some of the best thinkers are not born the best talkers.  And yet, in their lofty business roles, they are tasked with representing their companies through the media or through public speaking. That can be a scary proposition for even the most steely executive. I love that equation on both sides: I love spending time with such smart people and I love helping them develop the comfort and control to speak well to any audience.

I love how every day is different than the day before. I might be talking about software security one day; coffee the next; the spring fashion collection the day after that; the engineering behind the latest aviation marvel. I always leave these sessions hoping that my clients learned from me. I know that I learned from them.

I love developing deep relationships with the people who call often, and I love the excitement of answering a call for help from a new client.

You know the old addage: Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.  I don’t have a job. I have pure joy!

I was not so enamored with this particular week when we came upon it last year.  My journey into self-employment was only two years along, and I could not have known what the 2009 recession would do to businesses large and, especially, small. This time last year, I took a brutal reality check: Could I weather just a few more months before shuttering my beloved business, or did I need to find a ‘real job’ in January?

I decided to weather it, and I felt the climate begin to change in that first week of January.

Turns out, 2010 was successful beyond my wildest dreams.  New business from fabulous new companies; increased business from existing clients.  My business thrives on word-of-mouth growth, and there was more of that than I could have predicted. Many of my clients were equally worried in 2009, and found that 2010 was an economic re-awakening. Companies were willing to invest again in priorities which, thankfully, included executive training.

If small business is the bellwether for the economy as a whole, we have much to look forward to in 2011.  Sure, the recovery is a slow one, but our confidence is beginning to out-pace it.  As I think of deepening my relationships with current clients and expanding my business with new customers, I am electrified and grateful-in-advance. I can’t wait to do this work!

Now if we can figure out what to call it:  Two-thousand-and-eleven? Twenty-Eleven? Was this a struggle 100 years ago? ….

Professionally, I can’t say enough how thankful I am for my growing base of clients. This year I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the most fascinatiing people – who are leaders for some of the world’s largest brands. They are technology, aerospace, retail and consumer brands, and their leadership has trusted me to help them to communicate their stories to the world.  I am humbled, grateful and so excited about the possibilities that the new year brings.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and I wish you the happiest of holiday seasons!

“I’m sorry, I’m not Barbara.”

“Oh, is Barbara there?”

“No.”

“When will she be back?”

“She won’t.”

“Oh, then can I tell YOU how the OTHER candidate is going to waste your money, send your job to China, ruin your child and kill your parents?”

“I’ve already voted for that candidate.”

“You’re screwed. Thank you, and have a great evening!”

A spokesperson may be cool and calm. They breath right. They project beautifully. Excellent, natural gestures.  All of those things are important.  But what about the ability to speak in a way that says, “this is who I am and what I stand for”? 

The magic comes when a spokesperson is both controlled and authentic, whether in a media interview or delivering a presentation. Here’s how to make it happen:

• Know your material. Don’t let your PR people write your presentations or key messages and hand them to you just before you speak. Make sure your presentation/message writers know who you are, and what you want to say rather than what they want you to say.
• Get in on the ground floor.  Make sure you have an active role in the presentation, and that you agree with the direction and tone.
• Seek coaching, but don’t let yourself be over-coached.  Practice is critical for success, but too much practice or input from a coach can make you seem wooden; more interested in the process than the meaning. 
• Don’t strive for perfection.  Your audience is imperfect, and they appreciate that you are too.  Don’t get caught up in the small stumbles and stutters that are part of natural conversation.  If you mis-speak, simply correct yourself and move on. We all do it.
• Be humble and respectful.  Nothing turns off an audience faster than a patronizing or ego-centric spokesperson.  Say you’re glad to be with the reporter or audience, and mean it.  Don’t be afraid to admit a mistake or two (but do point out how you’ve learned from your mistakes).
• Make it personal. Give them a glimpse of what drives you personally. These can be brief stories about your family; a valued (or difficult) customer; an activity that gives you energy or strength.

Connection and understanding are your goals – not perfection. Know what you want to say, and say it authentically.

Oh, they spend hours thinking about their presentation. What data should be included? What should the slides look like? What company messages fit well? But they don’t spend time thinking about their personal story. Why are they passionate about the topic? Why are they the expert? Why should the audience care that the presenter himself cares about the topic? Truth is, if the presenter doesn’t care, neither will the audience.

Some personal information is essential for a powerful presentation.  The audience will remember a personal anecdote or story that ties the presenter to the presentation. I guarantee, they won’t remember three words you strung together on a PowerPoint slide. Over the years, I have found that every executive has a story that is interesting; a story that can demonstrate why they are the expert, or why they’re passionate about the topic.

Let me give you an example. The other day, I was helping a Fortune 100 executive to prepare for an upcoming speech.  She has a PhD in math and statistics, and is now an international leader for the company’s environmental efforts.  She practiced her presentation, reading slide by slide without much care and without any passion.  What’s your story? I asked.  It took some time to draw her out, but it turns out that she is personally committed to the environment in an unexpected way. So committed is she that she and her husband bought 60-acres in the Australian outback. They are restoring the downtrodden land with the hope of returning it to the adjacent Australian National Park.  She takes international conference calls from inside her tent, hoping that the Kookaburras don’t make too much noise. Wow.

The story transformed her speech. Instead of starting with the typical, “I’m here to talk to you about environmental initiatives blah, blah, blah…” , she now begins with, “I want you to know why I take the company’s focus on the environment so personally…” and she goes on to tell the story of the Kookaburras.  It’s personal. It’s powerful. It reinforces that the company has put the right people in the right places. I’ll never forget the story, and her audiences won’t forget it either.

What’s YOUR story?

His Rally to Restore Sanity, set for October 30 on the National Mall should be fascinating. Hotel rooms are booked-full, Fox News talking heads are all a-flutter. It’s billed as a step toward moderation, and I’m all for it!  I’m not saying that beliefs should be compromised if one walks in the world of the far left or the far right.  But the conversation between the two is what needs to come to the middle.

The campaign ad season always shines a bright light on this subject. Those malicious ads: the grainy video of the opponent; the out-of-context quotes; the false juxtaposition of people to distasteful places and things.  The more of this negative schlock we see, the more negative, in general, we become.

Here are the people Jon Stewart says he’s looking for:

We’re looking for the people who think shouting is annoying, counterproductive, and terrible for your throat; who feel that the loudest voices shouldn’t be the only ones that get heard; and who believe that the only time it’s appropriate to draw a Hitler mustache on someone is when that person is actually Hitler. Or Charlie Chaplin in certain roles.

With humor and brains on his side, I’m glad Jon Stewart will moderate this effort toward a more moderate national conversation.

What’s in a name?

In the case of Happy Valley, I’m convinced that the name has a lot to do with the experience of being there.  I have met – by phone and in-person – dozens of people, and I can say that I’ve never experienced such a high level of customer service.  Though the people who work and live there are dealing with thousands of confused first-year parents, they treat you like you’re the only person who needs help.  They listen to you, they take time to explain your options and work to find the answer to your question if they don’t know it immediately. You can tell that they’re smiling on the phone, and are warm and familiar with you in person.  I’ve never had such a consistently positive experience.

Maybe there is a business case-study in the lessons from Happy Valley: A consistent level of customer service – from the person to answers the phone to the CEO; treating each customer as though they’re your first and most important; taking extra time to work a problem until it’s solved.

Or consider changing your company name to The Happy Company.  It seems to work.

For years, corporate spokespeople have been using “best of breed” and “top pedigree” to describe their people and products.  Those are American Kennel Club terms! And here is my favorite “we eat our own dog food”.  EWWWWWWW.

Why are so many spokespeople using this doggie-dialect? Because they’ve heard other company spokespeople use them, and they must have thought that if they aren’t best of breed, then they just aren’t top dog.

Customers don’t gain a thing with this talk, and many (like me) are simply turned off. Instead, describe what your people and products really do, and let the sleeping dog lie.