Reminds me of the timeless adage - Actions speak Louder than words - Azmi Shahrin

PRESS RELEASE

Don't Do This! Princeton Public Speaking's Matt Eventoff Offers Five Communications Lessons from the Auto Bailout Debacle

Last update: 9:05 a.m. EST Nov. 24, 2008

PRINCETON, N.J., Nov 24, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The dominating news story today is the plight of the "Big 3" U.S. automakers and whether or not Congress will pass a $25 billion bailout package to "rescue" the industry.

"Executives fighting for the lives of their respective companies made severe communications and messaging errors that EVERY person can learn from," says Matt Eventoff, President, Princeton Public Speaking.

Eventoff offers the following five lessons:

Lessons #1 - ALWAYS remember, YOU, no matter your role, always send a message. It is amazing that Chairmen traveling to Washington, hat in hand, pleading poverty and renewed fiscal austerity, decided it was a good idea to take PRIVATE CORPORATE PLANES for the trip for Detroit to D.C.

Let me put this in context for a small business owner -- do you think it would be a good idea, if you were nearly bankrupt, to drive over to your neighborhood bank in a Rolls Royce to plead for a loan?

It is astounding that not one of the three Chairmen thought that maybe, just maybe, taking a commercial flight (major Michigan employer Northwestern?) might be a better move.

Lesson #2 - If you are presenting on a subject, any subject, you MUST be able to answer basic questions. That means at the minimum a practice session with your staff where you are asked questions that are likely to come up.

The Senate Democrats are on record as being fairly supportive of a bailout concept. It is unbelievable that the executives present could not answer basic questions justifying their request. One day of preparation would have at least allowed answering basic questions.

Lesson #3 - If you say a lot of different things, you say nothing. If you are making a request, you must have a central message. There was no central message at this hearing.

Lesson #4 - If you are debating in a situation where you have a team, it is a good idea to prepare together so that you are sending the same message. The testimony given in opposition to the bailout was from a University of Maryland economist, and he seemed to flummox the other witnesses on a regular basis.

Lesson #5 - Get professional communications training. When you are on an international stage, everything you say and do, whether verbal or non verbal, sends a message. Directly reading testimony is never a good idea. Only two things make it worse -- not having written the testimony yourself, and not practicing beforehand.

About Matt Eventoff:

The President of Princeton Public Speaking, Matt Eventoff is communications and messaging strategist for senior executives at members of the Fortune 100, Fortune 500 and Inc. 500, as well as political leaders in the U.S. and Europe. Matt specializes in preparing and advising corporate and political leaders in all aspects of public speaking, presentation skills training and message development and delivery for more than 15 years.

    Contact:     matt@ppsassociates.com     (609) 681-5044      http://www.princetonpublicspeaking.com    

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SOURCE Princeton Public Speaking

 http://www.princetonpublicspeaking.com  

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