Why high stakes communication is so difficult?

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Most need to realize how much work goes into delivering a high-stakes communication. It's high stakes because you are either going to win or lose. Bad things happen when you lose. Unfortunately, Joe Biden lost in his presidential debate with Donald Trump because he could not deliver even an acceptable high-stakes communication at the presidential debate. Based on Biden's poor performance, some in his party want him to end his presidential campaign.  I will explain what you need to do to avoid this predicament. Note, Trump was terrible in the debate, but this blog post focuses on Biden since he was atrocious.

Since job interviews are a form of high-stakes communication with which we are familiar, I will use the presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump to show how to communicate effectively and win. They were both interviewing for the job of the president of the United States in front of 50 million viewers. Joe Biden knocked himself out in the first 90 seconds, so Donald Trump was declared a winner in many polls after the debate. Trump now has an excellent shot to be the president unless something significant changes before November 5th, 2024 when people make a hiring decision.

In my book "Winning Speech Moments," I stress  three key elements you must master: Message, Content, and Performance. This may sound simple, but it requires dedicated practice. You can't just wing it. But with practice, you can feel prepared and confident in any high-stakes communication situation.

Below is what you are trying to convey with message, content and performance.

Message
What you plan to do or deliver.

Content
What are things you want people to know so they can trust that you can deliver if hired.

Performance
What do you want people to feel so they trust you that you indeed will deliver on your message.

This is it. You would think everyone would be able to win in high-stakes communication, but it is one of the hardest things to do.

Why?

You never get to test this with the decision-makers. You must use your instincts and make smart guesses. You only get one shot to win.  

Most people don't have a message, their content does not amplify their message, and their performance could be better. The result is they don't get a job, and the interview becomes a waste of time for both. 

If you integrate all three, you have a good shot to be hired.  It sounds simple but is very difficult to execute. 

High-stakes communication is about trust.  Just as we go to movies because we trust the actors to deliver a performance that makes us feel. You must be able to make your audience trust you.  You can't be an effective communicator if you can't inspire trust. Your performance is key to building this trust. The performance is the most difficult aspect of high-stakes communication.  Your visual is sending signals and everyone can see it. 

In these three attributes, Biden did not have a message, his content needed to be more precise, and his performance could have been better. Meanwhile, Trump at least had a message (America is bad because of Joe Biden); his content was filled with untruths and exaggerations, but was very clear when he said, "I did not have sex with a pornstar." His performance was ok in that he did not make weird faces or interrupt Biden (which he couldn't do based on the silent mic when it was not his turn to talk). Trump won because he at least knew why he was there. Biden didn't.

So let's turn to your high-stakes communication: Job Interview.

Message
You must have a message about why the employer should hire you. You must show them how they will make money. You must keep repeating this since this is the only thing that matters to an employer.

Content
You better be able to answer questions briefly while amplifying your message. If you can't stay on message, then you are confusing the interviewer.  

Performance
This is about persuasion, trust, and delivering results. Does your performance show that? 

As you can see, I have simplified this, but it requires a lot of work to succeed in high-stakes communication. If it is hard for residents, then just think how hard it is for people who rarely engage in high-stakes communication.

So what can you do?

Practice, practice, practice.

I recommend you get a high-stakes communication coach or get my book. The reason coaching is important since only they will tell you ahead of time what's working and what needs to be improved.  You don't want to find out when you don't get hired.

​People need to work on this money skill and not wing it. They get frustrated when they don't win. Communication is hard, and it is a must skill today to succeed. AI can do a lot of wonderful things, but it can't deliver a performance that results in a win. Only you can do that. So don't get intimidated by AI; just work on the most important skill for success: High-Stakes Communication.

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I guide people succeed when they must win, such as getting a good job, advancing in career or winning a sales deal.
I wrote a practical, no-nonsense book on winning throuhg speaking titled Winning Speech Moments: How to Achieve Your Objective with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere. 

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Email: [email protected]
​Phone: 732-847-9877

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