Tag Archives: pitchcoach

The TV Debate.(1) How we will judge them.

 With the general election now in sight, our three plucky contestants are gearing up for the ultimate TV reality show.  It could be better than anything from Simon Cowell. For them, it is the pitch of a lifetime and who better to help them in their preparation  than Pitch Coach!

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This, the first in a series of pitchcoach precepts for our aspiring leaders, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg,  looks at how we the viewers will be judging them. How will we be assessing who is the right one to lead us out of the abyss?

Well, it won’t be on our evaluation of their policies. It will be on our assessment of their performances.

Following Obama’s victory over McCain, in the presidential TV debates in America,  a report in the Sunday Times evaluated them against these  eight criteria: 

1. MASTERY OF POLICY,

2. REBUTTING AN OPPONENT,

3. BODY LANGUAGE,

4. ADAPTABILIY

5. LIKEABILITY,

6. TONE,

7. GAFFE AVOIDANCE,

 8. HUMOUR

Only one of these relates to policy, the content of their answers!  The others are all functions of the way they perform,  of their attitude and of their personalities-or rather as they come across on screen.

As with any pitch, or interview, it will be a question of:  Do we like them? Have they connected with us emotionally?

 But, unlike ‘any’ pitch, millions will be watching. Unlike ‘any’ pitch they are in direct confrontation with their competitors. A single gaffe can undo years of campaigning!

Ideas on preparation,  rehearsals, candidate characteristics,  the interviewers, classic gaffes are all to come in later posts. Meanwhile reader input to the big pitch countdown is welcome!

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THE PITCHCOACH AWARDS 2009.

Who has impressed in the past year and made an impact in the way they communicated? Their presence, their body language, their likeability, their confidence and their ability to make an emotional connection. Here are the winners and near misses in this the second  annual Pitchcoach awards.

OUTSTANDING GLOBAL PERFORMER.  HILARY CLINTON.

Last year Obama was runaway winner, leaving Putin and the collective Chinese leadership trailing. This year, under the pressure of delivering, the power of his oratory is diminished. His Olympic bid was a failure and he added little to the global warming summit. His obvious reading from teleprompts to the left and right, rather than looking at his audience, is now an irritant.

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Michelle continues to radiate but the surprise global performer has been Hilary Clinton. She has bounced back from the disappointment of last year adding to her mastery of content, charm and an easy confidence previously lacking. Presidential potential?

PERFORMANCE BY POLITICAL LEADER IN UK. DAVID CAMERON.

Gordon Brown performs best on a global stage. He did well at the G20 in February when his confidence was high. Under pressure at home, his expression and body language let him down unlike Cameron who, whilst he has ‘lost some of his likeability’, maintains his energetic if predictable approach.

Nick Clegg looks the part but so far with little impact. His opportunity will come in the live TV debates when he will have less to lose than the others. Historically, in the States, it has been mistakes that have determined the result. Something that other leader, Nick Griffin, learnt on Question Time!

BEST POLITICAL PERFORMANCE.  LORD MANDELSON.

George Osborne was given his big chance at the Party Conference. He gained some authority  by exercising ‘stillness’ in his speech. It worked but now  he may lose out as the Tories deflect the  class skirmish by giving more airtime to the classless Ken Clarke and William Hague, two of the best performers around.

  Neither of these, however, could match the bizarre but compelling speech of Mandelson that saved the Labour conference from mediocrity. “It was pure Vegas showman… it lifted morale, entranced and enflamed.”

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A NEWCOMER. JOANNA LUMLEY.

 Joanna Lumley turned in one of the most compelling pitches of the year as she fought the cause of the Gurkhas.

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Her  passion and  eloquence  must have been the envy of politicians on the receiving end of her charm offensive.

 Another newcomer, who arose without trace, was Cathy Ashton.  Her skill as “a charmer and persuader” influenced the powerbrokers who mattered to propel her to the number two spot in the EU. A different kind of pitch.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A PUNDIT. SIMON COWELL

The noughties saw  television struggling to compete for audiences against  channel fragmentation and the onslaught of digital.  Only live competitive sport  held out until the surge in reality shows. Here the pundits are more important than the competitors.

 It is their performances that determine  ratings. The panel of Dragon’s Den are all good. Strictly Come Dancing, in an attempt to refresh, made a wrong move in introducing Aleisha Dixon. Her manufactured persona could not replace  the natural effervescence of Arlene Phillips.

New to punditry were the experts on BBC2’s School of Saatchi where Tracey Emin came across with natural authority and an engaging empathy with the contestants. However, for sheer presence Simon Cowell reigns supreme as king.

BEST PERFORMANCE IN SPORT. DAVID BECKHAM

 Few new stars. Ferguson continues to chew gum angrily, Wenger continues to whine with football dominated by the body language, since they speak little English, of Italians. The raised eyebrow of Ancelotti, the crossed arms of Capello and the scarfe of Mancini.

Only Beckham, who is adding substance to his likeability and charm, stands above all of them as he singlehandedly gives hope to England’s mismanaged World 2018 bid. He understands that “a bid must connect with the heart before it can influence the head.”

  BEST BROADCAST PERFORMANCE.  ANDREW MARR

On television Jeremy Paxman registers the disbelief we all share, Melvin Bragg’s  gentle curiosity will be missed, Alan Yentob gets the pick of the opportunities, the ageless Attenborough  enchants and Jon Snow lends personality to news.

Two challengers emerged this year. One, the inimitable Alan Whicker as if he had not gone away. His ability to really listen to his subjects still gives an edge to his commentary. The other is Andrew Marr whose astonishing enthusiasm and ebullience carried all before him in his History of Britain. 

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In  AA Gill’s words ..”he has a voice for radio and a face for mime.”

BEST INVISIBLE PERFORMANCE.  CHARLES SAATCHI.

Who else?

 

 

 

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A Christmas story..

On Thursday evening there was a delightful carol service at the splendidly refurbished St Peters church in Notting Hill Gate. The traditional carol singing, fronted by the excellent Skolia choir, was as expected, a treat. Less expected was the quality of the sermon.

Many years ago, as a supposed advertising expert, I was asked by a senior official in the Church of England to advise on how marketing communication might boost attendance. The project was dropped before it began because the Cof E,  unlike some, is not an evangelising church. It welcomes people in but does not actively seek  them.

However, even in the first analysis, it was clear that one of the reasons for declining congregations was a function of communication. At the end of the 19th century,  the service, with the sermon as its heart, was for most the communication highpoint of the week. There was, apart from theatre for the few, no competition.

Along came cinema and radio and, finally, television. The communication skills inherent to these left those of the average preacher behind. Too often the sermon was seen as something to be endured rather than enjoyed.

Not so for this sermon, in this church.  The vicar knew how to tell a story!

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Like most sermons, and I guess this is true for most religions, it was based on a re-telling of stories from scripture.  The bible, after all has been filmed as “the greatest story ever told.” 

But what made this sermon so engaging and so effective was the way the vicar told highly personal stories, stories that made an instant emotional connection to, it seemed to me, everyone from the devout to the occasional worshipper.

The vicar was  also not afraid to have his own telling words compared with those of John Betjaman. The service included the beautiful words, beautifully spoken, of the poem Christmas……..”The sweet and silly Christmas things,   Bath salts and inexpensive scent,  And hideous tie so kindly meant……..”

Thank you St Peters. Happy Christmas.

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Pitch it like Beckham.

Today and tomorrow, at London’s Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre, 15 cities are pitching to become part of England’s World Cup bid. Each will have a one hour slot to include 15 minutes presenting and 45 for Q&A- which could play the greater role in the decision making.

Hefty, expensive and detailed technical proposals have already been submitted, the result of weeks and months of preparation. However, if London’s successful Olympic bid is anything to go on, and it is, the decision will come down to the panel’s emotional reaction to the live presentations.

Given this, it will be interesting to see how many have  learnt lessons from pitch master David Beckham, the man who is singlehandedly rescuing the 2018 bid itself.  His exploits were well expressed by Kevin Garside in the Daily Telegraph last week.

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“Technical merit counts for little…….A bid must connect with the heart before it can influence the head.”

 Beckham lent not just his fame, but his likeability and charm. Without him, England’s bid based on tradition, facilities and romance met with ‘blank stares’ from Fifa. With him came the emotive power of storytelling.

“Then along came Beckham with a human interest story to which all could relate.”  It concerned his grandfather Joe (who had died a few days before) and how he had inspired his grandson’s love of the game. Fifa were genuinely moved.

In any  business pitch, and for all its excesses football is a business, the ingredients of charm and likeability allied to great storytelling are a potent mixture. Light the touch paper!

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Presentation presence.

Last week, on one of many programmes anticipating World Football 2010, one of the wisest of pundits John Motson said that the current England manager, Capello, was the first one to share a characteristic last evidenced by Sir Alf Ramsay, presence.

An interesting choice of word. One dictionary definition, “a quality that makes people notice and admire you even when you are not speaking.”

The Duke of Wellington is reported to have said of Napoleon “…his presence on the field made the difference of 40,000 men.”

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It’s a rare quality but here are some who had or have it.

In South Africa last week even though not at the ceremony Nelson Mandela made his presence felt. As did David Beckham  once a presence on the pitch, now more so off it.

Among world leaders JFK  had it, Nixon didn’t. Obama had it during the race for the White House but seems to be losing it. Putin still has it.

Our politicians, ever since Margaret Thatcher and of course before that Churchill,  do not have it, with the possible exception of Boris.

On the cinema screen Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall had it as does Russell Crowe today. On the small screen Jeremy Paxman yes, Jeremy Vine not.

A few in sport. Footballer Drogba, cricketers from the past ‘beefy’ Botham and ‘King’ Viv Richards, in athletics Usain Bolt, in tennis  Boris Becker and Serena Williams but not her sister and in rugby Martin Johnson on the field but not now off it.

Charles Saatchi, of course, has mastered the art of invisible presence..

Since most pitches will not be graced with any of these , the challenge  for any team is to at least make their presence felt!  Pitch a performance and rehearse the hell out of it.

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