Open Memo To McCain Campaign: How To Fix McCain’s Oratory Issues

In today’s New York Times, Mark Liebovich, details McCain’s presentation gap with Obama. As a former debater, I particularly enjoyed this piece. At one point he writes:

By his own admission, Mr. McCain is not a great orator. He is ill-suited to lecterns, which often dwarf his small stature, and he tends to sound as if he is reading his lines, not speaking them. His shortcomings have been accentuated in a two-man race, particularly because the other man — Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee — can often dazzle on stage.

He goes on to detail some of the minor improvements that McCain is undergoing to address some of his issues (it’s worth a read if you’re interested in rhetoric).  Tactical improvement is going to be a topic in our upcoming podcast, so I’ll refrain from suggesting too much detail here, but it’s worth teasing just a few simple suggestions that the McCain campaign utilize to address or mitigate some of his rhetorical weaknesses.  It’s worth noting however that the campaign isn’t likely to listen to any suggestions from young smart person.  My $0.02…

• To deal with lecturn issue, use clear pediums.
• Change the cut on McCain’s suit to fit him better and have him wear bolded ties.
• Stop trying to have McCain deliver prepared speeches.  Certainly in some circumstances they may be necessary, but in general, the campaign should be playing to his strength and having McCain speak more freely (consistent with the message of the day, of course).
• Assuming McCain can develop a bit more discipline, the campaign should smoke Obama out of his hole by dramatically increasing the number of press availabilities McCain holds.  It’s risky, yes. But the campaign is going to need to get more direct McCain-Obama interaction in order to get McCain a stronger foothold in the news cycle.
• And lastly, why isn’t the campaign blasting Obama for not meeting with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani when he was in DC at the end of June?

If you’re interested in hearing a more significant discussion on campaign tactics be sure to check the site later this evening for our latest podcast or subscribe now in iTunes (or any other podcast subscription service).