Leadership communication lessons learned from the presidential debates

President Biden and former President Donald Trump participated in the first presidential debate of the 2024 presidential election on June 27. Focusing on the verbal and non-verbal communication skills displayed by both candidates, I looked for examples that can be useful to any leader. Unfortunately, the lessons learned from this debate were mostly focused on what a leader should be. do not have connect.

Joining me was a talented group of communications professionals.

Steve Crescenzo is CEO of Crescenzo Communications, a customized communications coaching and content creation company that he runs with his wife, Cindy, from their Chicago headquarters.

Dr. Patrick A. Stewart He's a professor of political science at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and author of “The Audience Decides: Applause, Cheers, Laughter, and Booing in the Age of Trump.”

Brad Whitworth A senior communications and marketing executive from Northern California, she has 40 years of experience working for Fortune 20 companies in high tech, financial services and association management.

It is said that we learn as much, if not more, from our mistakes. Let's hope this is true.

Starting with President Biden…

Carol Kinsey Gorman: As a speaker on leadership presence, I talk about the importance of making a good impression in the first few seconds. The way a leader enters a stage or a room and the first words they say are an opportunity to embody energy, warmth and confidence. Trump's entrance wasn't much better, but this missed opportunity was especially damaging for Biden. His slow stride across the stage to the podium and weak, raspy voice (which was blamed on a cold, but never said to be true) were big negatives for Biden.

Steve Crescenzo: All leaders should be aware of the power of “confirmation bias,” which is when we seek out the actions of others to confirm opinions we already hold. The debates were a perfect example. Those who sought to confirm their belief that Biden has dementia got what they were looking for.

Gorman: As a leader, people judge you not only by what you say, but also how you say it. So my next question is: What's the lesson here?

Patrick Stewart: The big lesson for leaders is to stay on topic. If you have a talking point, use it, and pause intentionally to get it across.

Brad Whitworth: A leader may be overwhelmed with compelling facts, but they are useless if they cannot be coherently organized. Biden relied too heavily on facts that were sometimes incomprehensible or confusing. His rapid speech also led to uncomfortable screeching halts while searching for facts or correcting factual errors. His rapid speech also exacerbated his well-known stuttering problems. He should have slowed down from the start.

Gorman: Speaking of nonverbal communication, I think eye contact in a virtual environment is an important communication tool for staying connected, even if that eye contact is artificially created by looking at a camera lens or a dot on a computer screen. A leader's eye contact, or lack thereof, conveys a message in itself.

Crescenzo: Biden had to stay focused on the camera even when Trump was talking. The facts were on Biden's side, but you wouldn't know that from what he said.

GORMAN: What other nonverbal reactions worked against Biden?

Stewart: Lack of concentration. When you're having an argument, don't appear to be disengaged. Either look at the other person when they're talking, or look down and take notes. Either way, appear to be actively engaged with the other person.

Whitworth: Biden often looked down at the podium as Trump spoke, or just stood there with his mouth agape as Trump unleashed a barrage of baseless allegations and attacks. His expression looked like that of someone who has conceded defeat, who is stunned and defeated.

STEWART: This is another lesson for leaders: Don't open your mouth in response to someone's comment. Keep your mouth shut when you're not speaking. If necessary, speak up if you don't agree with what's been said.

WHITWORTH: Both candidates should have paid more attention to their facial expressions and body language when they weren't speaking.

Regarding former President Trump.

Gorman: There were several communications strategies that worked for Trump, but the most obvious was projecting confidence, which is a leadership attribute.

Crescenzo: He seemed confident without being intimidating. He seemed prepared to deal with any question, any problem. Even if his answer was based on fabrication, he answered with confidence.

STEWART: Trump's boasting has undermined that confidence. When he claims to have twice won golf tournaments at his own resorts, he sounds suspiciously like he surrounds himself with willing “losers.”

GORMAN: It raises the issue of leaders who are fabricating and lying.

Stewart: Leaders should not insult the intelligence of their audience. We all twist the truth to some degree, but we should not blatantly lie about the obvious. Advice to Trump: When the truth is in the public domain, Access Hollywood Between the tapes, Stormy Daniels’ uncomfortably graphic court testimony, and Melania Trump’s conspicuous absence from this campaign trail, you can’t gaslight someone for not sleeping with a porn star.

Gorman: Leaders who don't want to tell the truth sometimes avoid the issue altogether.

WHITWORTH: Mr. Trump constantly spoke in false generalizations and superlatives. On multiple occasions he completely ignored the moderator's questions, instead spending his time restating and adding to previous statements. For example, he never answered a question about the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. If the debates were graded on the quality of facts, evidence and argument, Mr. Trump certainly would not have come close.

Crescenzo: Every leader needs to understand that the praise they give themselves is meaningless. This is Trump's biggest communication weakness. When he tries to justify his lies, he says things like, “I have a lot of friends in other countries, and they all think America is stupid” (summary). It's laughable when he says things like, “I just read today that the American economy I led was the best it's ever been” (summary).

Gorman: Can leaders learn from President Trump's emotional behavior what not to do?

Stewart: Don't be an emotional one-trick pony. Leaders have to project happiness and belonging. If all you show is anger, if your leadership tactics are only threats — a post-apocalyptic world with millions of immigrant criminals, “we live in hell,” or a world of retaliation where your opponents “may be convicted as soon as they leave office” — not only will people not support you, but your less-than-enthusiastic supporters may actively seek an escape route.

Whitworth: Trump's facial expression do not have Their comments were deeply nasty and saying a lot. Trump pouted, smirked, and always showed disdain and contempt for Biden's comments. That's not a response that plays well with most leaders.

GORMAN: What advice would you give to both candidates?

Stewart: Don't shy away from your age. I know that hair plugs and plastic surgery have made your face look unnaturally expressionless.

My advice to all of us choosing leaders is not to rely on tradition. Recent studies have shown that the “alpha male” approach to leadership is on the decline, with an overwhelming preference for leaders based on knowledge and the ability to get the job done in a collaborative way.

Gorman: Great and uplifting words to end on. Thank you, everyone.