{"id":2504,"date":"2016-09-25T14:49:28","date_gmt":"2016-09-25T20:49:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/medianet-ny.com\/wordpress\/?p=2504"},"modified":"2016-09-25T14:50:32","modified_gmt":"2016-09-25T20:50:32","slug":"1st-debate-prep-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/medianet-ny.com\/wordpress\/1st-debate-prep-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"First Debate Prep – 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>How will\u00a0the candidates handle the delivery<\/strong>\u00a0of\u00a0the upcoming debates? While most\u00a0of the effort will be in the content preparation, the non-verbal<\/em> communication will likely become a very\u00a0important\u00a0factor. So what must the\u00a0candidates do to ensure that their intentions match their actions?<\/p>\n

The first Presidential debate of 2016 will take place at Hofstra University in\u00a0Hemptsead,\u00a0NY on Monday, September 26th; \u00a0the second debate\u00a0on
\nSunday, October 9th at Washington University in St. Louis; and, the third debate on\u00a0Wednesday, October 19th at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

In the same order of the debates, the candidates will be in three different<\/em> delivery modes:\u00a0STANDING (lecterns),\u00a0MOVING (town hall forum), and\u00a0SITTING (conference table).\u00a0Let’s focus\u00a0on\u00a0the first debate.<\/p>\n

\"Mitt<\/a>

Romney vs.\u00a0Obama — First Debate – 2012<\/p><\/div>\n

As with\u00a0past setups, this debate is arranged with the candidates STANDING\u00a0at lecterns, at 45-degree angles to one another, on opposite sides, with a center-seated moderator, For 2016, NBC Nightly News<\/em> host Lester Holt will moderate.<\/p>\n

The image on the left shows how\u00a0the setup looked for\u00a0the first of\u00a0the three presidential debates of 2012 (Romney-Obama).<\/p>\n

Focal Points<\/h3>\n

Regardless of words, actions will play a role based\u00a0where\u00a0<\/em>the candidates look at any given moment.<\/p>\n

They\u00a0will each have FIVE major\u00a0connecting “focal” points at their disposal. 1) their opponent, 2) the moderator, 3) the live audience, 4) the camera (home\u00a0audience) and, 5) any\u00a0notes on the lectern. Non-verbal communication will be judged by how the candidates use these five focal points.<\/p>\n

Depending on the particular camera angle<\/strong>, and the depth of field of the shot (wide or close-up) the effect of the eye contact from\u00a0a candidate will be either\u00a0enhanced, diminished, or negligible.<\/p>\n

More importantly, the the SPLIT-SCREEN view<\/em>\u00a0will show the reactions of each\u00a0candidate while the other is speaking.\u00a0Candidates should assume that the split-screen view is always ACTIVE\u00a0and the microphone is always ON!<\/p>\n

If I were coaching either candidate on non-verbal skills, I would make the following suggestions related to: \u00a0the eyes<\/em>, the hands<\/em>, the feet<\/em>, the head<\/em> and the notes<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Eyes Have It<\/h3>\n

When your opponent<\/em> is speaking — look directly at<\/em> the person as often as possible. Avoid\u00a0looking into the camera or toward the moderator or into the live audience.<\/p>\n

The appearance of active listening<\/em>\u00a0by focusing on the person speaking is a leadership skill, while signifying an “empathetic” quality. You also have the option of looking down at the lectern, as\u00a0if making notes, but don’t do this for long periods.<\/p>\n

When you are\u00a0responding<\/em> to the\u00a0moderator or to your opponent, first look\u00a0at\u00a0the person who asked the question or made the comment. Then, limit that eye contact to one or two sentences before turning your attention to the camera<\/em> (home audience).<\/p>\n

Always imagine that the question or comment was meant to satisfy the curiosity of the viewers<\/em>, not the debate participants. Your responses are meant for the viewing\u00a0audience\u00a0and the camera is your best connection to the\u00a0largest number\u00a0viewers.<\/p>\n

Once you have made significant eye contact with those watching from home, you can also\u00a0look into the live audience from time to time, but pick five friendly faces among the crowd (of the\u00a0few hundred\u00a0expected). These five focal points (two on your left, two on your right, one in the middle) should be your\u00a0anchors<\/em> to lock onto when glancing into a large group.<\/p>\n

If you have no anchors, you will see\u00a0too many inputs (eyes) and you will likely be distracted when scanning the group.\u00a0Moreover, with the cameras on you in close-up mode, your\u00a0“darting eyes” will make you appear unsure and not in\u00a0command of the topic.<\/p>\n

Hand\u00a0–\u00a0Stand<\/h3>\n

Body language helps\u00a0create INTENTION. If you are directing a comment<\/em> toward your opponent or the moderator, lift your arm and open your palm toward the person as if naturally “reaching out” in order to signify the\u00a0intent to connect. The open palm is a sign of trust. If done naturally (not forced) the intention appears genuine.<\/p>\n

Both hands can be used to direct comments to the live audience and to\u00a0those watching on TV (if a wider camera\u00a0angle is used). Gesture to the width of the audience to include those in the room. A\u00a0slight upward tilt of the wrists could signify a much larger group, such as the country or the world.<\/p>\n

When speaking, avoid gripping the sides of the lectern, and limit the number of times your hands are completely hidden from view.<\/p>\n

Try to maintain a relaxed\u00a0stance<\/em> (shift your weight onto\u00a0one foot or the other). From side-camera angles, a shifted stance will give the appearance of energy (as if the body has the potential of motion). If your stance matches the lectern, you will appear too rigid, and your hands will end up resting on the lectern, diminishing\u00a0your vocal energy.<\/p>\n

Head Tilts<\/h3>\n

While the lectern prevents movement of the body, you can create “proximity” with the tilt of the head. The head tilts are the indicators of perspective, and can even suggest a”tone” of voice.<\/p>\n

Tilt your head slightly back<\/em> to signify a “bigger picture” or a more conceptual view of an issue. Keep your head straight<\/em> to convey facts and general information. Tilt your head forward<\/em>, toward a person or toward the camera, to create a personal connection.<\/p>\n

To establish trust, caring, and a more personal connection — all at the same time —- combine a forward head tilt with a reaching-out gesture.<\/p>\n

Key Notes<\/h3>\n

While speaking, you can occasionally glance down at notes, but do this VERY BRIEFLY or else your eyes will appear closed (looking down), and your chin will drop toward your neck, muffling your vocal tones and dulling your sound.<\/p>\n

The only time you can READ anything is a direct quote or a statement of fact from a published document.\u00a0It would be best to own (know) these things to appear more knowledgeable.<\/p>\n

Note-taking<\/em> is helpful as long as you at least reference something that you appeared to jot down. A lead-in phrase\u00a0like, “As you said earlier….” helps justify an earlier use of a\u00a0note-taking action.<\/p>\n

In summary, command of the issues will be of the highest importance in judging who “wins” the debate, but the non-verbal cues (body language, vocal tones, etc.) will create a lasting impression on the minds and hearts of the viewers as to who appeared<\/em>\u00a0to be more presidential.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How will\u00a0the candidates handle the delivery\u00a0of\u00a0the upcoming debates? While most\u00a0of the effort will be in the content preparation, the non-verbal communication will likely become a very\u00a0important\u00a0factor. So what must the\u00a0candidates do to ensure that their intentions match their actions?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[14],"tags":[21,22,11],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paPH93-Eo","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/medianet-ny.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2504"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/medianet-ny.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/medianet-ny.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/medianet-ny.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/medianet-ny.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2504"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/medianet-ny.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2507,"href":"http:\/\/medianet-ny.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2504\/revisions\/2507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/medianet-ny.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/medianet-ny.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/medianet-ny.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}