Barack, Michelle, Hillary, Condoleeza, Mitt, Newt, just a few well-knowns with distinctive names. We are on a first name basis with them…almost. Multiple media/marketing channels have made these politicos so familiar we think we know them. As someone who coaches people in business and academia to be both professional and authentic, I observe leaders in the public eye and I ponder about their leadership and communication style.
Party affiliations aside, I think many of our leaders have lost something valuable in the way they present themselves: authenticity. A word that, in itself, has lost its own authenticity, tossed about by the press and pundits as they look for the “real” Hillary, or “real” Obama. To a significant degree, the media has created the problem, parsing every word and lifting sound bites as if a few words tell an entire story or reveal profound messages about true character. Reporters constantly look for that slip, that mistake, that fumble. All politicians make slips. Sometimes those slips reveal more of a politician’s darker side than intended, and that can be good for us to know.
However, the problem is this: truth in packaging…
Is it the person or the packaging?
Candidates are now over-packaged in both content and delivery, slathered with an overlay of artificial techniques for making them look genuine, to look “just like us.” Especially for women in the public eye, I am troubled when we have worked so hard and come so far, that we can so easily become a fatality of an overly analytical media. Many women leaders are pushed into worrying more about cautious delivery than about what is truly in their hearts.
What starts as a message platform to clearly communicate a candidate’s position as a leader has been so overworked: the same phrase is repeated so often we are numbed to its meaning. Certain phrases have been researched, tested, and re-tested for the imprint they make on the public.
The campaign message is delivered as if it were downloaded into a robot with AI (artificial intelligence). The words come out. However, often the speaking style is stiff, uncomfortable, full of “ums” and hesitations belying over-cautious concerns. During the last election, Michelle Bachman stared lifeless into the camera continually repeating she was a “candidate for president” regardless of the question. Hillary has become the “queen of ‘ums,” pausing after each sentence to be sure she doesn’t say anything that will come back to haunt her.
The very mass media that has given us access to so many candidates also has forced a never-ending cycle of false sincerity, a pseudo authenticity. I actually have empathy for those on both sides of the political ticket. Whether I agree with them or not, their authentic self and message often gets lost in the fear of damage control.
We know that these candidates and office-holders hire professional coaches who work to make politicians “real” by packaging them. But, we ask: does the package fit the product? Or, does it distort the product so that we are suspicious, untrusting? We need to ask a basic question: can authenticity be packaged at all? A contradiction?
Most of us will not run for public office, but we will speak before a group of our peers; talk at a Rotary Club luncheon; lead a business conference; conduct a meeting or seminar; and interact at networking events. We may think we want to convey some information; but our listeners will want to get to know us. Effective communicating is a sharing; it is about relationships.
If we want to make a difference in our business or the world, we need to balance a clear message with a natural delivery. This is not easy; the most difficult task is to “be yourself” when you might be nervous. Such a suggestion pushes us into an inauthentic state of trying to emulate the person who others see as “yourself.” It can be a vicious cycle.
What can we do?
First, be aware. Observe how our leaders leaders relate before the public and ask if you respond to them as authentic. I believe that we measure authenticity on an intuitive level. Ask yourself if you might fall into any of those patterns. Then, if you can, work with a good coach who can honestly tease out the best of who you are, retaining your individuality and then communicate a message that brings out your authentic self. Maybe ask a trusted friend or colleague for feedback.
In future blogs, I will give you some specific tips on how to work towards more comfortable, effective … and authentic presentations. Your feedback is welcome.
Leave a Reply