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Sunday, September 24, 2006

Does anger help or hinder communications?

Former President Bill Clinton's outburst of anger during a Fox TV interview about his efforts to kill Osama Bin Laden will reinforce whatever opinion people had about his efforts.

A certain degree of anger or intensity can spice an interview and make it memorable. Unfortunately, Pres. Clinton took it too far and made it personal against the interviewer and against Fox claiming a right-wing hit job. What did he exepect when he accepted the Fox interview?

Now, whether one agrees or disagrees with his point of view, he undercut his opportunity to change anyone's belief. What he said about his efforts to take out Bin Laden took a back seat to his repeated aggressive angry statements. Too bad he didn't take the advice of my earlier blog on how Venezualan Presdident Hugo Chavez negated his intent by going over the top with his comments. If President Clinton confined his comments to the question at hand and not expanded to personal attacks, he might have been more successful in establishng his viewpoint with the Fox audience.

Part of the media training I do focuses on knowing when to shut up!

For those who question this analysis, here's the link to the full transcript of the interview. I don't know how long it will be live, but check it out! http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,215397,00.html

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4:03 PM | 0 comment(s)

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Over-the-Top Rant Negates Intent

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's extraordinary rant to the United Nations Sept. 20 made him look more foolish than macho.

No matter the passion behind an issue, over-the-top rants, unverifiable claims and specious exagerations undermine the speaker's intent. Even trying to take into consideration cultural differences, Mr. Chavez subjected himself and his country to ridicule.

Now, I've always said that those who take the extreme position allow the rest of us to be moderate because they take all the arrows. But at what point does the extreme position undercut the goal? Issue advocates should take heed: keep your arguments verifiable, attack an individual's actions but not the individual.
An example of counterproductive activism: Environmentalists who oppose road construction in highly populated areas on the theory that they are protecting the environment by reduing impervious ground cover overlook the fact that traffic gridlock pours more exhaust into the air and oil into waterways.

What's your favorite exanple of over-the-top, counter-productive rants?

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1:52 AM | 1 comment(s)

Monday, September 18, 2006

Even the pope can't get by with obfuscation.

The pope's recent nonapologies are thin enough to read a newspaper through.

One can argue the merits of what the pope said about the Islamic faith, but his inept "apologies" clearly indicate he
1) has no intention to apologize,
2) has no media-savvy advisors and/or
3) really thinks he can fool the public.

Perhaps he thinks the resulting riots will distract from his words. As too many CEOs have discovered, sincerity can't be faked. Nor are elaborately worded nonapologies believed. Rather than saying he's sorry someone was offended without apologizing for his words, what the affected individuals want to hear is that he regrets using that passage at all.

The truth is that he is one of the most powerful individuals in the world and with that power come extraordinary responisbility. He needs to make a straightforward apology. Literally, lives will be lost if he doesn't.

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5:46 PM | 2 comment(s)

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Honoring Ann Richards

I was sitting on the beach on North Padre Island when I heard Ann had died. As it turns out, sitting on the beach with the sound of the surf and hiding behind sunglasses is a perfect place to assimilate the news. It wasn't unexpected, but it nonetheless was/is a shock.

Ann Richards represents more for women, I believe, than Geraldine Ferrarro. She was a Texan of the first order, a woman who took no guff. She was brash and outspoken (traits I appreciate, you might know). She was caring--as governor she didn't forget those who couldn't make it on their own. And she recognized the value of business. It doesn't have to be an either/or situation. (Although, to be honest, I wish she hadn't lobbied for tobacco in DC. None of us is perfect.) Ann was the fulfillment of so many quiet dreams by the rest of us.
Thinking of Ann made me grieve, again, for other great women who helped shape my life--Inez Jeffrey, Anne Robinson, my own mother. Women I wish I could talk to, just for a minute. A couple of questions have come to mind over the last years, questions only they can answer. I miss them. I miss them terribly.

It's up to the rest of us to carry on the traditions of these women--some more well known than others, all exceptionally important within their own spheres. If there's a woman you admire and love, be sure to tell her. I'll be calling my mentor, Gene Waugh, a woman who grew up in LBJ country. This is a time to honor Ann by honoring each other.

To my male readers, surely you have a wife, a daughter, a sister, a mother, an aunt, a dear friend whom you can honor. Do it soon.

I came home to help with an important project: We are interviewing people standing in line to view Ann's casket in the Texas Capitol rotunda. We're doing this for the family, but also for Center for American History at the University of Texas where Ann’s archives are stored, at the Women’s Museum Ann helped found in Dallas, and as part of an installation at the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders which opens next year in Austin.

What an honor to be able to participate in this effort. What an honor to have known Ann. What an honor to benefit from the precedents Ann set.

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9:36 PM | 4 comment(s)