George Bush: Communicator in Chief
Steve Adubato, Ph.D.

President George Bush has dramatically improved his public speaking since September 11. After being seen as a sometimes awkward and ineffective communicator, the President has evolved under pressure into a more passionate, compassionate and comfortable presenter.

Clear on his message, Bush has been free to speak from his heart and more often off the cuff. For the past four months Bush has communicated the way we would hope all Presidents might. Last week, the President faced a difficult and complicated communication challenge-his first State of the Union Address with the nation at war and millions of Americans anxious about the economy.

Yet, presentations aren't just about what you say, but how you say them. So, how did the President do as communicator in chief?

BREVITY. First, the speech was too long-50 minutes plus. Not only did the President seem to tire, so did his audience who politely (and occasionally enthusiastically) applauded where they were supposed to. One of the things I don't miss about Bill Clinton was his ridiculously long speeches to the nation. While George Bush is nowhere near as long-winded as Bill Clinton, he was getting close last week. My advice to the President? Next time, keep your address to 40 minutes or less-30 would be really appreciated.

ORGANIZATION. Overall, the President made smooth transitions and comfortably segued from one topic to the next. The speech was easy to follow. I liked that he focused on what he called the three great goals for America; "we will win this war, we will protect our homeland and we will revive our economy." Three is the maximum number of themes most audiences can handle.

DELIVERY. Not bad, but not great either. Bush stepped on a lot of lines. His timing was off and he didn't seem sure if the audience was going to applaud or not. When they did, it denied him the opportunity to get into a comfortable rhythm. I thought the President could have shown a bit more passion and enthusiasm at certain times throughout the speech.

CANDOR. There were two issues most Americans wanted straight talk on-Enron (and the bankrupt company's relationship to the White House) and fear over the economy. The President never mentioned Enron by name, but rather talked in general about protecting employee's pension funds. What about if the President said, "I'm really disappointed in my old friend Ken Lay, it was wrong for him to tell everyone to keep buying Enron stock while he was pulling his out. We all have to learn from this and make sure it doesn't happen again."

Two more points: I know the State of the Union is always delivered off of a teleprompter, but wouldn't it be great to see a President talk from key bullet points or themes which would allow for a much more conversational tone? In fact, a few years ago, the teleprompter malfunctioned on President Clinton and many say he was at his best until it started working again. Another thing, is it just me or isn't it odd that our President consistently pronounces the word nuclear as "nucular"? Shouldn't he know the difference?

But you know it's funny. Even though the President made a few communication faux pas in his speech, I'm not sure it actually matters with most people. They like the guy. He's real. Real people make communication faux pas. I know I do. Don't you? I'd love to know what you thought of the President's speech. Write to me and let me know.

Dr. Steve Adubato coaches and speaks on the subjects of communication and leadership and is the author of the book "Speak from the Heart." Write to him at The Star-Ledger, 1 Star-Ledger Plaza, Newark, NJ 07102, visit his Web site at www.stand-deliver.com, or e-mail him at sadubato@aol.com.

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