Too much of a good thing?

21st Oct 11

I’m all for a strong key message, but Ed Miliband, the UK’s answer to Tony Abbott, proves that being a “message bully” doesn’t make you safe, it makes you a laughing stock. You need to show respect to your audience, and the journalist, by acknowledging their question and then working your message in as a contribution to the debate.

This interview was in response to the Teacher’s strikes which wreaked havoc in the UK earlier this year. He has a great message but the way he delivers it is a total fail.

Meanwhile in Australia Tony Abbott’s response to the Carbon tax “Julia Gillard has folded her tent, taken her bat and ball and gone home” was on the lips of every Liberal MP being interviewed that day – verbatim – and widely quoted in the media. They struck the right balance of message and content and effectively characterised victory as defeat in the public’s mind.