While hard to believe, there is still a feeling among many in the corporate and political worlds that believe that “soft skills” are not nearly as important as other skills when determining profitability and business success. Communicating verbally, you know, falls in this category.

The “Big 3 Bailout” was all but a done deal with no effort until the leaders of Chrysler, GM and Ford showed up on Capitol Hill armed with plenty of aides and plenty of facts but precious little when it came to communication ability. The Big 3 may have gotten some form of bailout, but it wasn’t the $25 billion with very little oversight they were being given initially, and it wasn’t without tremendous collateral and brand damage.

Bernie Madoff made $50 billion disappear, shocking everyone. What is shocking is that Warren Buffett, widely considered one of the greatest investing minds of all times, holds Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meetings in Omaha where people are turned away, and information is plentiful, and at the same time billions of dollars were invested with Mr. Madoff with little more than occasional written communications with minimal information, and NO verbal communication.

Caroline Kennedy has declared her interest in the soon-to-be vacant New York Senate Seat,and has had what can only be described as a tumultuous early campaign. Caroline Kennedy may very well prove to be the next Senator from the great state of New York. While her campaign has been extremely rocky, to say the least, I do not believe she has been given a fair opportunity to make her case.

That being said, when the opportunity finally presented itself in the form of a very brief New York Times interview, Caroline proceeded to say “you know” over 140 times. Over 140 times. Over 140 times.

Her platform and number one issue is education. Her background and qualifications center greatly on what she has accomplished with the New York City public schools. What message does 140 “you knows” send? How would a NYC student be graded if he or she said “you know” over 100 times during an oral presentation?

What would happen if you, as a business owner, interviewed a potential CEO who said “you know” over 140 times in his or her interview? Would a banker (if there are any left) lend a few hundred thousand dollars to a small business owner who came in and, you know, said he needed, you know, $150k for, you know, new equipment? What would, you know, happen to, you know, a valedictorian, who, you know, said you know over 100 times in a graduation speech?

Caroline Kennedy is a very educated, very talented woman — she needs communications training, and it is a shame her handlers did not recognize that before she was put in this position. Poor communications cost businesses billions, yes billions, of dollars a year, and routinely costs candidates elections (for both political and corporate office). A lot of this is not quantifiable because it comes in lost sales, lost production, and customers (and voters) who simply turn their backs and walk away.

Of course, none of this matters because, you know, communication skills do not matter!

Yesterday the National Football League announced it was eliminating 150 jobs to help reduce league expenses, blaming the reduction on the recession our Nation is facing.

The average player in the NFL made $770,000 in 2007. That is the average player. There are 32 teams, with each team carrying 53 players on the roster. 

The average NFL franchise is worth north of $1 billion. The average price of a ticket to an NFL game is $72.20.

The point of this is not to hammer anyone for making too much money — far from it. 

The point is that, once again, National Football League, everything you do sends a message.

We are going through one of the toughest economic crisis’ since the inception of the National Football League. Thousands of people are losing their jobs daily.  Many will have to tell sons and daughters that the much desired jersey or ticket won’t be coming this year due to financial constraints.

The NFL has done an admirable job of competing to become the "new" National past time. People live and die for their teams.  Teams are often not viewed as corporations but rather fabric of the community.

Eliminating jobs, blaming financial constraints, sends a conflicting message when the average player makes more in a year than many people will make in a lifetime.  The league’s estimated gross income is projected to be $7 billion, off $50 million from earlier projections. 

The estimated savings to the league through the reductions - $50 million.

The Commissioner made a good move earlier in the week by lowering the cost of playoff tickets by 10% — a positive message. In this economic climate, people need something to cheer for, and often that something is a team or player on Sunday afternoon.

The NFL broadcasts on Fox Network. The President of Fox Network is Roger Ailes, an expert on public speaking and messaging. Roger Ailes coined the phrase "You are the message."

The NFL should review the message they are sending through this announcement. 

 

After endless articles and commentary about the Big 3 bailout, Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy has been able to boil everything down to one statement/lesson.

When not one representative of the Big 3 could articulately explain what the bailout would mean financially, the Congresswoman made a profound statement. Addressing the Big 3 at today’s Congressional hearing, Congresswoman McCarthy stated:

“You have to learn how to speak to the public.”

Amen.

This clip speaks for itself.

The scene is the NBC program Hardball. The host is Chris Matthews. The guests are Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and Congressman Dan Lundgren (R-CA). The topic is the Big 3 Auto Bailout. The lesson is….

Always be aware you send a message. Congressman Meeks advocated for a public bailout of the Big 3 - essentially investing taxpayer money in the Big 3. Matthews asked him a very basic question — “What car do you own sir?” The next minute is difficult to watch as Congressman Meeks answers that he in fact owns a Honda, then stumbles a number of times trying to get his footing back.

Everywhere you go, everything you do, whether you want to or not, sends a message - period. What you say, how you say it, your body language, your clothing, your facial expressions, your posture…each of these sends a message to everyone you interact with, either directly or indirectly.

This is not limited to speaking or appearing on television or in the media. This occurs when you enter a meeting, open the front door to your office, sit at a table at a restaurant, and every other interaction imaginable.

One of the first questions I have always asked salesmen is whether or not they use the product that they are trying to sell. To me, this is the most basic question, and sends a dramatic message, especially if the answer is no.

The much anticipated automobile bailout hearing started a few hours ago.  There is a tremendous amount at stake, from every angle.  The Chairmen of the Big 3 are here to testify.  The UAW is here to testify. 

We have heard for weeks that the future of an industry, thousands of jobs are at stake and billions of dollars are at stake.  Everyone has an opinion.  The major question at this juncture seems to be what happens if nothing happens?  What if it does? What happens to the workforce? This begs even more important questions…

Where are the leaders of Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, and the other automakers who may or may not fill the market void?  Why is no one asking them what will happen?  Why are they not testifying? Have they even been asked?

What message does this send? Stay tuned…