The 2020 presidential season is heating up with an unprecedented number of Democratic candidates throwing their hats into the ring. With that comes noise. A lot of it.
One person whose name you may not yet know — and probably can’t pronounce — is breaking through the clutter after doing a Pod Save America interview on March 1 and, more recently, a town hall on CNN. I finally made the time to listen to South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s interview and to check out the town hall.
As a communications pro, it’s hard not to hear every interview through a filter. Was the person relatable and authentic? Or too scripted? Did he speak with clarity, differentiation and purpose? Or was it all over the place and forgettable? Did he make any gaffes … like some say Beto O’Rourke did on day one of his campaign, when he said he “sometimes” helps with his kids?
Whichever direction you lean politically, Buttigieg is masterful at getting his message across. Many political commentators are saying that after those two appearances, he’s one to watch. Here are five communications lessons we can learn from his interviews:
- Flip the script. At RoseComm, we say the person who rises to the top is usually the one who changes the conversation. In his interview, Buttigieg talks about doing away with right vs. left and instead thinking in terms of short- vs. long-term. He believes we should talk about policy decisions and political candidates in that context. He talks about Millennials being on track to become the first generation ever to make less than their parents. My point of view may feel best for the short term, but what is the impact on the long term?
- Make it real. Successful communicators know how to make their ideas tangible. This is often done through analogies — “it’s Netflix for X” is a crowd favorite. Buttigieg makes his short-term vs. long-term message real by talking about 2054. That’s the year he will be the same age as our current president. 2054 feels like a long time from now, right? But he wants people to know he will make decisions now that make sense well into the future.
- Make me care. When Buttigieg talks about his military experience, he reminds us he would be the first president since George H.W. Bush (WWII) to have served his country. When asked whether it’s important, he tells a story about how he wrote a “just in case” letter to his family before he left for Afghanistan and left it in a spot they could easily find it if he didn’t return. He uses that story to show he understands the awesome responsibility of being Commander in Chief.
- Surprise me. We always tell our clients they should be as bold as their brand will allow. Buttigieg seems ready to engage on the hottest of topics, not to simply tow the party line. Take climate change. When asked about the Green New Deal and whether a guy from Indiana believes we should eliminate cows, he said “I enjoy going down to get a cheeseburger in South Bend. I just want to not have the city flooded while I’m on my way there …” South Bend has seen two historic floods on his watch. He says we need to avoid getting lost in caricatures, and talk about “what’s actually happening”.
- Paint a picture. As we’ve learned from the rise of videos, memes and infographics, visuals are everything. Buttigieg gets this, too, but he’s invented a new term for it: mental B-roll. He said, “As a mayor, and frankly in the political process, part of what I’m trying to do is just change the mental B-roll that people have when we say a word like climate and get it away from, you know, hunks of ice breaking off the Antarctic and polar bears, and move what your mind’s eye pictures to things like parts of California catching on fire.”
Buttigieg clearly understands the importance of being both a dynamic speaker and consistent in his messaging. He found a way to deliver a story with the same themes while answering different questions in each interview.
We look forward to watching Buttigieg’s journey, particularly as he lands on more people’s radar screens. Let us know what you think in the comments.