Have you noticed that the two people leading the poll for the Irish Presidency are running decidedly positive campaigns?

Is this a backlash against an increasing trend towards negative communication in Irish elections over the last decade?

Perhaps, yes. It may be that the Irish electorate is growing tired of politicians who prefer to concentrate on why you shouldn’t support the other guys instead of the compelling appeal of what they offer.

And there are some lessons in this for public speakers…

Negative arguments drain energy

While there are many things Ireland should happily import from the United States – including a ‘can do’ attitude and a climate that supports entrepreneurial efforts – we should be slow to adopt communication arguments that are built around adversarial comparisons.

A disproportionately high percentage of mainstream advertising (for products and politicians) in the US is comparative in nature- speaking to why A is better than B.

And the snag with this is 2 fold:

1. You are supposing that your audience knows something about B
2. You are asking your audience to both think negatively about B and  positively about you

The first of these is dangerous, because there’s a good chance your audience doesn’t know (or care) much about these other products/people – but – now you’ve got me thinking about ‘t’other guy’!

The latter is asking your audience to multi-task. And I’ll let you into a secret; most of us are not great at this! But, even if we can manage it – thinking negatively drains an audience of energy and reduces the likelihood that an audience will be favourably disposed to a speaker.

Be a builder not a demolition artist

And the moral of the story for speakers (including politicians)?

You stand a greater chance of energising an audience towards taking action if you build reasons for shared enthusiasm.

A positive approach that builds on what is possible and how your audience can be catalysts towards making such ideas happen is always more engaging than one that builds on problems or faults.

Remember, while focusing on convincing people why they can’t or shouldn’t do something can succeed in getting an audience’s dander up – this tactic is rarely used by CEOs of major corporations.

This is because negative messages compete for attention with what a speaker wants people to do; taking collective action that can lead to solutions and mutual success. 

Positivity sends out uncluttered messages that motivate audiences

We all want to feel good about ourselves and feel we are making a difference.

Positivity helps you tap into this well of goodwill found in all audiences.

When you avoid carping about others, your credibility shoots up and people are more likely to trust you.

And you, as a speaker, feel better about yourself too. It’s a virtuous circle.

Over to you…

Are you surprised that the positive candidates are doing so well in the election?