What a Good Debate Coach Should Advise

By Jill Kuraitis, 10-14-08

	Caption: Idaho Gov. Butch Otter: You'll know who he is, because he lets you see.

Wednesday night is the final presidential debate between Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama.  CBS News anchor Bob Schieffer will moderate, and the format for this one is two-minute answers, followed by five-minute discussions for each question, then two-minute closing statements. It’s one of the better formats for hearing what candidates really think, but it’s still strangled.

It’s dicey to write anything about who could “win” this debate, because voters are focused on their wallets and are looking for leadership, not necessarily policy. The media, however, loves the horse race.  The win-lose question. Who will meet or exceed expectations.  The moderator’s performance.  Who winks; who wanders; who stutters.

My post-television career began with speechwriting and coaching speakers. With a degree in stage managing and directing, I sort of fell into it at Citibank by audaciously telling a man in the elevator that I could write a better speech than the one we’d just heard.  Elevator man turned out to be Citibank CEO, John Reed, who later served as Chairman of the New York Stock Exchange.  He asked me to write him a speech.  What could I say?

Reed turned out to be semi-teachable, and after some months, he improved. But he was cursed with bad timing, and no amount of practice could force his neurology to “feel” the right way to tell a joke or land a zinger.  I spent some years after Reed writing and coaching other speakers from corporate CEOs to college lecturers to politicians, and had only one hopeless case. As I grew more experienced, I moved away from coaching the mechanics and mannerisms of speaking, and focused more on content, tone, and personal connection with audiences. Zingers were secondary at best, although funny is always good.

Obama is certainly a better speaker than McCain. Both men need mechanical help – McCain wanders and grips the microphone as if it’s a lifeline, and seems unaware of where the cameras are.  Obama stutters a bit. McCain’s repeated “my friends” really was condescending, as was referring to Obama as “that one.” Obama begins some explanations with, “Look.  Here’s the...” which is also annoying.

But none of that should be the point.

The best way to honor an audience is by being authentic.  Speakers who are authentic are saying something genuine about themselves. Certainly there are mechanics like speaking volume and standing up straight that will have to adjust for the situation, but without an authentic person doing the speaking, words and content are often overlooked for wandering and stuttering.

When a speaker knows what she is talking about and is excited to talk about it, that’s real.

When her shoe falls off on stage and she reaches down and puts it back on without self-consciousness or joking, that’s real.  But I once used that example with a client, and when she gave her speech, she deliberately kicked off a shoe and nonchalantly put it back on.

Talk about missing the point.

Being real is the mark of a good leader. And audiences know when a speaker is authentic.

The best example of an authentic politician I know is Idaho’s Republican governor, Butch Otter. Otter is who he is, knows what he’s saying, and says it, right there in front of god and everybody. But he has nice manners, tries to make you feel comfortable, and doesn’t go all inappropriate, like some people who confuse “authentic” with “rude.” He doesn’t do PR stunts and he doesn’t stage things and he does the unexpected, to the continued scrambling by his staff, but Butch is Butch. You may not like his politics, but you’ll know what they are – and you’ll know who he is, because he lets you see. 

And look, my friends, that’s what a good debate coach should talk about with her clients. Know your stuff and speak naturally, from the heart.  Say it plainly.  Make eye contact and look for ways to explain better, not ways of looking cosmetically better.  Think of Henry Kissinger, the king of geeks, but 100% authentic and nearly that credible.

After this last presidential debate, credibility should be what we talk about. Since the media doesn’t seem inclined to do that, and will no doubt be analyzing neckties, we’ll have to make a joint effort to talk about the right stuff.  Americans know how to pull together when it’s serious.  And wow – is this election ever serious.