John Stall

As some may know, I spend a lot of my personal and private time coaching corporate executives and agency leaders to learn to be more effective when they are speaking to their customer base and general audience through the media or from a podium.

One of the key components of meaningful and relevant communication is to develop a clear, concise and relevant message in advance and to make sure it is included often throughout any discussion — no matter what else is asked or which path the conversation takes.

Rob Ford’s Mayoral campaign did exactly that and did it pay off for him. He had two primary messages that guided his path: “I am going to stop the gravy train” and “I am going to insure that taxpayer dollars are respected.”

Composing a primary message is no guarantee that it will be received as well as Ford’s was, but his performance is evidence that when the right message is born out of real conviction and delivered with authenticity to a receptive audience, it has lift off!

Ford was criticized by his opponents and detractors throughout the 10-month-long campaign for not fully answering the specific questions that were asked of him during the public debates, but rather reverting to the two or three default messages on which his candidacy was founded. His opponents were clearly frustrated by what they described as his “too simple a message,” as they bounced from pillar to post trying to fit the flavour of the moment. But, no one can disagree today that he was overwhelmingly elected mayor of Toronto by people who “want the gravy train stopped” and “want their tax dollars respected.”

I rest my case, www.johnstall.com.