Tag Archive for: President Biden

How to Succeed in Your Own Big Boy or Big Girl Press Conference

It’s clear President Biden intends to stay in the race, and last night’s press conference only cements the debacle Democrats find themselves in—he’s staying, but he’s still not great. They needed Biden to be as bad as the debate—a low bar—but even after misspeaking and referring to Trump as his VP and the many “anyways” when he lost his train of thought, Biden did just enough.

Here are the areas he improved in that made a difference:

#1 — He kept his mouth closed. He kept his mouth closed while listening to questions. A big problem for Biden in the debate was his gaping mouth while listening to Trump speak. When listening to a question, always keep your mouth closed and in a pleasant resting position. Eliminate the frown or the happy grin. Lips together and a subtle smile is the goal.

#2 — He projected his voice. While he coughed throughout and occasionally bounced between a whisper and a yell, he projected his voice. A louder delivery helped break through the weakness he demonstrated in the debate. Projecting your voice is the easiest way to sound confident. As a reminder, your vocals and visuals are tied together, and your facial expressions will mirror your vocal projection. So, if you can give a strong vocal delivery, you’ll have a more engaging visual delivery.

#3 — His visuals were great. His makeup was on point, and the lighting was great. No matter how superficial you think makeup and lighting are, they may determine whether you look rested and/or healthy versus tired and sick. His team took the extra time, and it helped. Powder is a must to eliminate shine. Even if you’re working from home, never underestimate the power of good lighting for your virtual meetings and media interviews. We recommend placing two of these behind your computer.

“No comment.”

There are very few times when we recommend you respond to a reporter’s question with “no comment.” But it’s especially poor form when you’re the President of the United States and your citizens are experiencing a total loss of life and livelihood.

Instead of “no comment,” here are a few compassionate ways to respond to a tragedy without getting ahead of the story:  

#1 — Demonstrate empathy. When people are suffering, it’s important to show that you care. If you’re a person of faith who wants to pray for the injured or those who have lost loved ones, offer your prayers. If you’re not a person of faith, you can always say you’re “heartbroken over the news and tragic loss of life.” Whatever your background is, the key is to demonstrate empathy in an authentic way.

#2 — Timing matters. Every tragedy is different, but choosing the right time to talk about solutions and how you’ll work to prevent it from happening again is important. If it’s a natural disaster and there is an ongoing recovery effort, make it clear that you will discuss future preventative measures once everyone who needs help has been helped. In other situations—like 9/11—it’s necessary to communicate that those responsible will be held accountable immediately.

#3 — Show up. The best way to show you care is by showing up. For President Biden, that means traveling to Hawaii to meet with state and local officials as well as the residents who lost loved ones, their homes, and/or their livelihoods. Showing you care always trumps saying you care.