President Biden and former President Donald Trump participated in their first presidential debate of the 2024 election on June 27th. While focusing on the verbal and non-verbal communication skills demonstrated by both candidates, I looked for examples that would benefit any leader. Unfortunately, the lessons from this debate were mostly on how leader should not communicate.
Joining me was this talented group of communication experts:
Steve Crescenzo is CEO at Crescenzo Communications, a customized communication coaching and content creation company that he and his wife Cindy run from their Chicago headquarters.
Patrick A. Stewart, Ph.D. is a professor of Political Science at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and author of “The Audience Decides: Applause, Cheering. Laughter, and Booing during the Trump Era.”
Brad Whitworth is a senior communication and marketing executive from Northern California with 40 years of experience in Fortune 20 high-tech, financial services and association management.
It’s said that we learn as much – or more – from our mistakes. Let’s hope this is true.
Starting with President Biden . . .
Carol Kinsey Goman: As a speaker on leadership presence, I talk about the importance of making a positive first impression in those crucial first seconds. How a leader enters the stage or meeting room and the first words he/she says is an opportunity to embody energy, warmth, and confidence. While Trump’s entrance wasn’t much better, this lost opportunity was especially damaging for Biden. His slow walk across stage to the podium and weak, raspy voice (attributed to a cold, but never stated as such) worked strongly against him.
Steve Crescenzo: All leaders should be aware of the power of “confirmation bias,” where we look for behaviors in others that confirm an opinion we already have. The debate held a perfect example: Anyone looking to confirm their belief that Biden is senile got what they came for.
Goman: As a leader, people will be judging not only what you say, but how you say it. So my next question is: What are the lessons here?
Patrick Stewart: A key lesson for leaders is don’t meander. If you have your speaking points, use them and let them hit home with purposeful pauses.
Brad Whitworth: A leader may be overwhelmed with powerful facts, but that won’t matter if you can’t put them together cohesively. Biden was overly reliant on facts that sometimes eluded or confused him. His far-too-rapid delivery came to an uncomfortable grinding halt when he was searching for a fact or correcting a factual error. His rapid delivery also exacerbated his well-documented problem with stuttering. He should have slowed down from the outset.
Goman: Moving on to nonverbal communication, I find that eye contact in a virtual setting an important communication tool for keeping connection – even if that eye contact is artificially produced by looking at a camera lens or the dot on your computer screen. A leader’s eye contact, or the lack of it, sends its own message.
Crescenzo: Biden needed to keep his focus on the camera, even when Trump was speaking. He had the facts on his side, but you couldn’t tell that by watching him.
Goman: What other nonverbal reactions worked against Biden?
Stewart: His lack of focus. When you are in a debate, don’t look unfocused. Either look at your opponent when they are talking or scribble notes while looking downwards. In either case, look like you are actively engaging with the opposition.
Whitworth: Biden often looked down at the podium as Trump spoke, or stood gape-mouthed in awe of the stream of unsupported claims and attacks that Trump unleashed. His countenance came across as someone who felt outgunned, stunned and defeated.
Stewart: That’s another lesson for leaders: Don’t let your jaw gape in reaction to someone’s comment. Keep your mouth shut when you aren’t talking; if need be, clench your jaw when you disagree with something said.
Whitworth: Both candidates should have paid far more attention to their facial expressions and body language when they weren’t speaking.
Regarding former President Trump . . .
Goman: There were several communication strategies that served Trump well. Most obvious was his display of confidence, which is a leadership attribute.
Crescenzo: He came across as confident without being a bully. He seemed ready for every question, every issue. Even when his responses were built on fabrications, he delivered them with confidence.
Stewart: Then Trump’s bragging made that confidence less impressive. Claiming he won both of his resort’s golf tournaments makes it sound suspiciously like he is surrounded by willing “losers.”
Goman: Which brings up the issue of leaders who fabricate or lie.
Stewart: Leaders shouldn’t insult their audiences’ intelligence. While spinning the truth is something all people do to some extent, don’t blatantly lie about something that is obvious. My advice to Trump: When the truth is in the public domain (the Access Hollywood tape, Stormy Daniels’ uncomfortably graphic court testimony, and Melania Trump’s obvious no-shows during this campaign), don’t gaslight about not sleeping with a porn star.
Goman: Leaders who don’t want to tell the truth sometimes avoid the issue completely.
Whitworth: Trump spoke consistently in generalities and superlatives that were fictitious. On multiple occasions, he completely ignored the moderators’ questions and instead spent the time circling back and adding to one of his previous statements. For example, he never answered their question about the January 6th attack on the US Capitol. If you were scoring the debate on the quality of the facts, evidence or arguments, Trump would have definitely come up short.
Crescenzo: All leaders need to understand that accolades you give yourself are meaningless. This is Trump’s greatest communication weakness: When he tries to legitimize his falsehoods, he says things like, “I have a LOT of friends in other countries, and they all think America is stupid.” (Paraphrased). When he says things like, “I just read today that our economy under me was the greatest in history.” (paraphrased), it is laughable.
Goman: What can leaders learn not to do from Trump’s emotional displays?
Stewart: Don’t be an emotional one-trick pony. Leaders need to be able to show happiness and affiliation. If the only emotional state shown is anger and the only leadership tactic is threatening, either of an apocalyptic world with millions of immigrant criminals where “We’re living in hell” or one of retribution in which your opposition “could be a convicted felon as soon as he gets out of office”, not only will people not support you, your less passionate followers might actively be looking for a way out.
Whitworth: Trump’s facial expressions when not talking were extraordinarily off-putting and spoke volumes. Trump was either pouting or smirking but always showing disdain and contempt for Biden’s comments. Not a reaction that works well for most leaders.
Goman: Any advice for both candidates?
Stewart: Don’t run from your age. We can see the hair plugs and the cosmetic surgery makes your faces unnaturally inexpressive.
And here’s my advice for all of us as we select leaders: Don’t rely on tradition. A recent study suggests that the “alpha male” approach to leadership is diminishing with an overwhelming public preference for leaders based on their knowledge and ability to do the job in a cooperative manner.
Goman: That’s a great and hopeful note on which to end. Thank you all.
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