When you establish your brand and message based on a trait - such as experience - the worst thing you can do is to bring that trait into question. More than anything, this is a great example of coming off message, especially at this point in a political horse race.

While this is a political clip in the middle of a heated campaign, this rule goes for everyone, no matter what your position. Take great care in establishing your message, as it is crucial and as long as you take to create it, it can be ruined in a matter of minutes. Just ask Eliot Spitzer.

This clip ran on Jim Cramer’s show “Mad Money” on CNBC within the past two weeks. For those unfamiliar with the show, Jim takes calls and emails from readers asking his advice on different securities and financial instruments.

Unfortunately for those listening last week, a lot of money was lost. Within a week of Jim saying that Bear Stearns would a) not go bankrupt b) probably be taken over and most importantly c) do not worry, or sell, Bear Stearns stock, the company, well…everyone now knows what happened to Bear.

This could potentially be a disaster for Jim, as his reputation is one of looking out for the individual investor, the “little guy”, and even though his show and books carry all kinds of disclaimers, the fact is that when takes as emphatic a stand as he did on Bear, fans will listen, and this time it cost them….a lot!

From a messaging standpoint, the problem was that Cramer did not remember his audience and the potential downside that they could face, when everyone was dealing with limited information. Less emphatic an answer, less damage, and less loss of credibility in the long run.

What is even more interesting is this clip from the Today show following Eliot Spitzer’s fall from grace. In this clip, an emotional Jim Cramer talks about his friend’s trials and tribulations — pay attention at the mid-point of this clip, about 1:23 in…

“I don’t want to come on and say he’s a good man, ’cause no one likes him now…”

Not a very convincing response. A sharp contrast to the Cramer commenting on Bear Stearns.

This is not a shot at Cramer at all. Cramer has built his reputation on consistency and honesty. However, Cramer notes in the second clip that “…this is awkward for me, it’s different than the market…”

Probably not very reassuring for his fans that stayed invested in Bear. If you are a public figure, you are your message 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Today at 11:30 am, embattled New York Governor Eliot Spitzer finally resigned after what seemed like an eternity since it was revealed that he has used, as recently as 30 days ago, the services of escorts.

It was bad enough when Mr.Spitzer, upon being faced with the charges on Monday, gave a very, very vague, unapologetic statement, and forced his wife to stand at the podium with him. I have been asked by numerous reporters over the past few days what damage control Mr.Spitzer could have possibly done, or how he should handle the crisis.

The answer is an easy one.

Resign. Immediately. End of story.

What Mr.Spitzer failed to realize was that he had fundamentally betrayed his brand, and his message, upon which he has staked his entire career. Spitzer was relentlessly on message, and his message was that of THE crime fighter, the white knight, the superhero pursuing any and all villains.

The standard crisis communications solution is to do exactly what he did, stand with your wife, whom you just humiliated, at a podium and issue an apology. What Spitzer failed to realize was that his indiscretion was different, the situation was different, and the only thing he could have done is resign immediately and hope to limit the number of media cycles in which he would be the lead story.

From a public speaking standpoint, Mr.Spitzer has evidently learned very little over the past few days as his lack of remorse or emotion in his speech(s), what appears to be his focus more on his position that on what he has done to his family, and what was really a political speech rather than a public apology can easily make one call his sincerity into question.

So what public speaking/message development lessons can be learned from this situation?

1. Never, never, never base your message and your brand on a lie or falsehood. Once you are branded a hypocrite, you have passed the point of no return.

2. Don’t apologize unless you mean it. The appearance of insincerity is worse than no appearance at all.

3. There are no textbook cases when dealing with a crisis. Every situation requires a different strategy, and not every situation has a solution.

This clip really speaks for itself. In this clip from the Dan Abrams show on MSNBC, Congressman Jack Kingston questions why Barack Obama won’t wear an American flag lapel pin.

Only one problem — he wasn’t wearing one as he asked the question. This completely took the air out of his message,and deflected negative attention back on himself, making it impossible to deliver his message about Senator Obama.

It is crucial to stay consistent when delivering your message, no matter what. Inconsistencies within your core message are "message killers" not only taking away the ability to make your point, but putting you instantly on the defensive.