You Were Born to Speak by Newman Richard

Author:Newman, Richard [Newman, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Richard Newman
Published: 2018-12-01T16:00:00+00:00

UK 2010

The first ever live televised election debates in the UK happened in May 2010. I was asked to go on BBC radio immediately after the first debate had finished to give my views.

There was a heated argument on the radio between representatives from the three major parties, Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat. They were all keen to say that their candidate did the best job at the debate and had the best policies. To break up their discussion, the interviewer turned to me for a report on the communication styles of the leaders.

I told them this was a visual debate to win swing voters. Some people will always vote for one party or another. The people in between were the important ones to think about, because they were open to influence.

Gordon Brown, who was the current Prime Minister, arguably had the most experience to lead the country. However, his communication style was very difficult to watch. He would continually make fists and bounce them up and down. He had developed a strange breathing habit, sucking a lot of air in with his mouth wide open, as if gasping. He seemed bullish and lacked warmth.

Some people suggested that this was just his style, so there was nothing he could do about it. I disagree. You only have to look at the speech Brown gave a few years later in support of Scotland staying within the UK to see his true style on display. He gave a terrific, rousing speech. His voice was impassioned, he made broad sweeping gestures. If he had spoken that way when campaigning to be Prime Minister, I believe he would have gained more support.

David Cameron was the clear favourite to win before the TV debate. He was ahead in the polls and the election was his for the taking. His performance at that first debate didn’t live up to expectations, though. He held on to the lectern, with his chin in the air, leaning back slightly. This made him appear stand-offish and aloof. In fact, when Nick Clegg (the third contender) mentioned that Brown and Cameron had not given clear answers on how they would pay for their policies, both men simultaneously stepped back from their lecterns in an awkward retreat. Overall, Cameron seemed competent, but his style during the debate lacked charisma.

Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, was the outsider. His party was trailing far below the other two in the polls. He was most likely given a place on the stage just to make the debate a bit more interesting, to avoid it being just a back and forth discussion between the two main party leaders.

Clegg had nothing to lose and everything to gain. His style was more relaxed, assured and warm. He stood centred, making strong gestures and speaking with a naturally powered voice. When an audience member asked a question, he responded by asking the camera crew to move so that he could see the lady speaking and answer her directly.

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