What to do about Tory?

Tory Whanau’s media problem is obvious; she treats media interviews as conversations. She excused her claim that she sold her car to pay bills on feeling too “comfortable” in an interview. That’s code for letting down her guard – and she has it down almost full-time.

For many leaders, the conversational style works extraordinarily well. Their apparent comfort makes them appear genuine, likable and considerate. 

For Whanau, it is a career-threatening affliction. She tosses out insufficiently formed ideas and musings. There’s plenty of physical cues that she’s nervous and overly keen to please. This is fine in private conversations, but when people expect accuracy and consideration, your comments will be interrogated, and your temperament will let you down. 

Whanau must reign herself in.  She can be conversational in tone, but media (and perhaps many public) engagements must be disciplined and organised. She must be highly prepared, with scripted answers. Kamala Harris is a good example (see below). Unscripted, her desire to be likable leads her to say incomprehensible things, and even adopt her audience’s accent. Scripted, she has passable – albeit saccharine – answers.

Our tips for Tory are: take a moment to consider questions and use prepared answers or move to new topics (stick to three core topics or ideas and do not vary for the next six months), do not introduce any new ideas you have not already tested, make no attempt to be friends with the interviewer, stop (for now) laughing.