Starmer v Sunak: Who Came Out On Top?

✨Starmer v Sunak: Who came out on top? ✨

Stopped by for a political analysis? Remember, this is the Speakologist! So, my analysis of the debate is from a public speaking perspective. Interested? Read on!

🔔 Spoiler alert! Whilst both are Starmer and Sunak are polished performers, no knockout blows were delivered on the night.

🧐 Here’s my analysis of their performance – what they did well and where they could improve.

Of course, you spotted it. 👀 They’ve both have had extensive public speaking coaching – as all public figures do! But there is one big area where both are still unfortunately lacking. 😢

But first, what did they do well? 👌

✅ Clarity: both spoke well with clarity and precision, each articulating their points logically. Pass mark to both.

✅ Delivery: both had a calm and measured style as they sought to underline their control of their subject matters. Well done to both for containing their frustration and not losing control. Pass mark to both.

✅ Body language: both had good postures, gestures and eye contact. Rishi seemed to have a better measure of the positioning of the cameras to ensure he was speaking not just to the audience in the room but also to the audience watching from home. Pass mark to both, with Rishi marginally ahead.

And now, what could they do better? 🤔

❗️Audience engagement and emotional appeal. This is crucial!

When you watch public figures speak, you scour their faces for sincerity and authenticity. You look out for emotional cues that tell you they believe what they are saying and that you can trust them. 👍

Sunak falls on this point. His performance tends to be fairly robotic making him seem slightly disengaged from what he is talking about.

You can see him trying but his face fails to reflect the passion that his words are seeking to portray. He could benefit with some improv classes to get him to loosen up and connect much more with his audience on an emotional level. 🤗

Starmer, whilst marginally better than Sunak on this point, has the puffed up air of a barrister making his point in court. He also needs to let his face reflect more of what he is feeling. For Starmer, it is still a struggle. 😫

📙 Summary?

Overall, both Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak have distinct strengths in their speaking styles.👍  Starmer's clarity and structure reflect his legal background, while Sunak presents his points clearly and concisely, making complex economic and policy issues accessible. 👌

Both could, however, hugely enhance their effectiveness by incorporating more emotional appeal in their body language and facial expressions.

😓 Homework: Both Rishi and Keir need to work on their audience connection. If they do, then maybe, just maybe, at the next debate, one of them will land a knockout blow and be declared the undisputed winner. 🏆

P.S. Find out more about The Speaker Bootcamp at www.thespeakerbootcamp.com