The media have had a field day ridiculing last nights Beer Summit in the Rose Garden.  I don’t know why.  I thought the photo op was priceless.  A President in shirtsleeves who wishes he had “calibrated his remarks,” sipping on his Bud light with a nattily dressed Harvard professor who should have calibrated his actions and a police officer who has shown a superb ability to calibrate SINCE the incident (although he may still wish that he’d walked away). 

The reasons I think it was valuable, priceless really, have nothing whatsoever to do with race relations.    I really don’t think this incident will make a whit of difference on that score.  There is too much history, too much heartache, too much mistrust between blacks and police.  It will take decades to fix that.  And, I am among those who don’t even see this as a racial profiling incident.  There’s just nothing on those 911 tapes that would indicate the police went to Gates house for anything other than a burglary call.  

So back to why it was priceless.  Here are three guys coming together in a civil way and agreeing to disagree.  To me that’s what it was about.  Civility and respect.  In a country where civility is barely discussed, here was an opportunity to see it in action.  It’s hard work, to agree to disagree with anyone.  We get entrenched in our views and self-righteous about every slight, and we often never let it go.  

 So the value of a photo op - is tremendous.  I really don’t care what they said to each other.  I doubt it there was anything said that was noteworthy or important.  They showed up, they talked, and they left with their dignity fairly intact.  It ratcheted down the emotions and showed us that it is possible to have relationships without agreeing with each other all the time.

There’s a business lesson here - when you have personal, negative conflict in your organization- people tearing each other apart - not just disagreeing about what should be done — you need to address it.  You cannot let it fester.  Bring people together around a table and send a message that you won’t tolerate the infighting, backstabbing, plotting, scheming, undermining, sniping and badmouthing.  

By the way, I’m very much FOR apologies.  Read my earlier blog on that topic.  An apology is more powerful, but In the real world it doesn’t always happen.  But healing, even transformation is possible when you bring people together.  The photo op around that table says, we’re grown ups, we can live together, and we can treat each other with respect.  

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Maybe you’ve read Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado.  Parrado co-wrote the 2006 book Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home, with Vince Rause. In Miracle in the Andes, Parrado returns to Piers Paul Read’s 1974 book, Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors (which tells the story of the Uruguayan Rugby team who were alumni of Stella Maris College (Montevideo) who were involved in the airplane crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 which crashed into the Andes mountains on October 13, 1972).

 Miracle of the Andes, however, is told from Parrado’s point of view thirty-four years later.  Last week, I had the extraordinary opportunity to hear Parrado speak.  His gripping tale of survival in the harshest conditions imaginable held the audience in a state of suspension for almost an hour.  As in the book, he takes an introspective journey presenting both the jaw-dropping realities of the 16 survivors’ story and the life-altering lessons he learned from the experience.

While English isn’t his first language, Parrado never the less took us on a remarkable journey with flawless storytelling execution.  He is not a high energy, motivational speaker in the classic sense - in fact his presence on stage is utter calm.  Yet he is simply one of the most inspiring, powerful people you’ve ever seen on a stage because of his ability to allow the story to unfold.  He shares powerful insights and turns them into universal lessons for us all. 

Early on, you learn that the entire group of survivors went on to become very successful businessmen.  Why, you wonder.  He creates the question and then tells you that as a teenager he learned how to make life and death decisions.  As you hear his story you realize after this ordeal, nothing would ever be hard.  We suddenly appreciate how we, too, must be courageous, move ahead and keep going.

Few of us will ever live through such a harrowing experience, however, we can all appreciate and tap into the power of storytelling in our presentations.  Stories not only relate powerful points; they transform the psychological and emotional experience of the audience.  Leaders who tell stories know the power of relating experiences that allow others to share in the insights and learn from them.

For those of you unfamiliar with the story of the crash, below this photo you’ll find an abridged version. If you’re interested in learning the art and magic of storytelling, I invite you to go to our web site www.bates-communications.com and find resources, including free articles as well as my book, audio programs and home study course on How to Speak Like a CEO.  Also don’t forget our next boot camp is coming up in October - our early bird rates are still available until early August.  www.bates-communications.com/bootcamp

FROM WIKIPEDIA

Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, also known less formally as the Andes flight disaster, was a chartered airline flight carrying 45 rugby team members and associates that crashed in the Andes on Friday the 13th of October, 1972. The last of the 16 remaining survivors were rescued by December 23, 1972. More than a quarter of the passengers died in the crash and several survivors of the initial impact had died of cold and injuries by the next day. Twenty-nine were alive several days after the accident, but the number of survivors was further reduced by an avalanche sweeping over their wreckage shelter.

The crash survivors, thinking they would be found and rescued within hours, a day or two at worst, had very little food and no way to make heat in the harsh climate, at over 3,600 meters (11,700+/- feet) altitude. Faced with starvation and the radio news reports they heard that the search and rescue mission for them had been abandoned, the survivors eventually fed on the dead passengers who were preserved in the snow. Rescue teams were not aware of the survivors until 72 days after the crash when survivors Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa, after a 12 day snow trek across the treacherous Andes mountains, found a Chilean huaso who guided them to safety where help was found for the other survivors still trapped at the crash site.

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The story about President Obama’s teleprompter “snafu” was all over the morning news today.

For those of you who didn’t see it, Obama was in the middle of a press conference when suddenly one of his teleprompters crashed to the ground.  You can see the video here: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/07/13/obamas_teleprompter_crashes_during_speech.html

Unfortunately for the President, the snafu brought up chatter in the news circuits about how he has a reputation of relying too much on his teleprompter.  Some news sites and blogs even go as far as to credit teleprompters for his election!

However, this particular incident is a reminder to anyone who speaks - on a stage, in a meeting, in general presentations - that you can’t rely on technology.  Obama had one teleprompter still functioning, but also had printed notes in front of him, which allowed him to continue seamlessly.

Whether you’re using a teleprompter, a PowerPoint, or any other technology to assist you with a speech or presentation; having printed, old-fashioned notes is still essential.  Even better?  Knowing your topic and talking points so well that you can continue unscripted! But that’s a whole other subject…

This “snafu” is also a great example of how to deal with distractions during a speech or presentation.  When the teleprompter crashed, Obama simply said “Oh, goodness.  Sorry about that.” The audience quickly chuckled and he went right back into his speech.

Distractions are inevitable during speeches, large and small.  Whether it’s a cell phone ringing, a door opening, or a teleprompter crashing, don’t allow distractions to ruin your speech or presentation.  Like Obama did, just keep on talking as if nothing happened.  As hard as it might be to stay focused, these are the “little things” that make the difference between being a great speaker and an “OK” speaker.

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The Wall Street Journal’s Cari Tuna reports today that the companies are returning to a process of planning and preparing responses to imagined changes or conditions.  This practice, pioneered by the US military during the 1950’s, helped Shell Oil weather oil supply and price shocks better than competitors during the 1970’s.  It’s not about predicting the future but thinking through the best and worst case scenarios.  

Of course the recession has heightened interest in preparedness.   While we’re all hoping and expecting the economy will rebound at least in 2010, even the most optimistic leader has to think about the unthinkable and plan for it.  Shocks, disruptions, unanticipated consequences, new legislation, geo political forces, even good news that results in huge orders can create stress. 

As you talk about scenarios with your team, I would encourage you to include a communications plan in your scenario building exercises.  Communication plans are often an afterthought and not well executed.  A communications plan it will provide some structure in a stressful time.  

I would also encourage you to sit down with your team and get them involved in the scenario conversation.  In this situation or that, what would they expect in their part of the business?  How would they recommend the company respond?  You will probably hear stuff you hadn’t considered.  Ask them, “What should I be thinking about?”  Get the best minds on your team focusing now, when they can consider it rationally and thoughtfully. 

One reason so many companies have fared poorly these last 12 to 18 months is that they’ve been scrambling to make up responses and communicate in situations they never anticipated.  In crisis communication breaks down; people don’t receive information well, they don’t process it well, and they don’t articulate their ideas clearly.    

I would also resist the temptation to make predictions to your team.  Provide insights about what you think might happen in the coming months and help them see what you see.  You don’t have to have all the answers.  Ask the questions and get other people to help you figure it out. 

To read the WSJ article click here.

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