By Eric Seidel, CEO
The Media Trainers®
Under fire and possibly targeted for criminal investigation, ACORN, the umbrella organization for a plethora of community and labor groups is attempting to repair, or at least control, the damage.
Both chambers of the US Congress already have voted overwhelmingly to turn off the federal faucet. This swift action was in reaction to a series of investigative videos at ACORN offices in three different cities that caught workers instructing a couple posing as a pimp and prostitute on how to cheat the IRS.
Long suspected of questionable practices by republicans in Congress, the videos fueled their cause. So, ACORN’s CEO Bertha Lewis has been on a media tour trying to minimize damage.
Presumably she agreed to be on the same Fox News Sunday set with GOP Congressman Darrell Issa of California, an ACORN critic. But by reading her body language, he might as well have been 3,000 miles away in his home district.
Several times, Issa spoke directly to Lewis, yet she never looked at him. Indeed, her refusal to even recognize he was sitting next to her, and talking directly to her, was so blatantly rude it served to diminish her as a person and an executive.
Her obvious intention to ignore the congressman may have made her and her minions feel good, but it served only to damage both her organization and her message.
In the video below, Issa asks Lewis a question and she responds as if a third person has asked it on his behalf. This is body language at its very worst!
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5 comments:
and the crossed arms sure send a negative message as well!
- mitch leff
I saw this live yesterday and felt exactly the same way. While to some degree she was "brave" to be interviewed and discuss the issues with a detractor on Fox News (one step forward), her actiions resulted in at least five steps back.
Wow, that's as bad as David Axelrod's recent satellite appearance on Bill O'Reilly. Axelrod just couldn't stop sneering and rolling his eyes -- even when Billo was joking with him.
It was definitely uncomfortable watching the interview play out on camera. Her body language definitely detracted from the reason why she agreed to be interviewed for the show in the first place.
Eric, how would you have prepared someone in a similar scenario. It's hard to fake civility when you feel strongly about something or what someone stands for.
Jacqui, it's obvious she wanted to publicly snub and embarrass the congressman in person. Otherwise she would've done the interview alone, either before or after the congressman was interviewed. It was a stupid move on her part and only served to validate and reinforce negative feelings anyone might have for ACORN and, now, her.
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