What did one of Britain’s top storytelling and speaker coaches learn from a Trump rally?
As a storytelling and speaker coach, I am usually behind the stage in rehearsal rooms, hotel rooms, green rooms or board rooms, crafting, dissecting and honing speeches, refining messages, and coaching leaders on their delivery.
On a hot southern Sunday afternoon, two days before the US election, I moved from message crafter to consumer in a 10,000-capacity outside amphitheatre in rural Macon, Georgia.
Sitting among the crowd at a Trump rally in Macon, Georgia, I was ready to experience the event not as a practitioner, critic or counsellor but as an audience member, embedded amongst the congregation, immersed in the energy, the rhetoric, and the reactions.
This wasn’t political: I wanted to get past the commentators and their agendas, the pollsters and their flawed predictions. I tried to step into the shoes of the people whose attention speakers strive to capture.
I found a fascinating blend of passion, performance, skill, strategy, and storytelling elements with lessons for anyone wanting to persuade with words.
Some sniffy speechwriters have been critical of Trump’s speeches and his delivery. But a speech has to have a purpose. It doesn’t have to be pretty. His purpose was to get out the vote. To those snobby critics, I say: “Which client of yours ever got 77m people to get out and vote for them?”
To snobby critics, I say: ‘Which client of yours ever got 77m people to get out and vote for them?’
l am lucky enough to have friends in the US from both sides of the political divide. A Republican friend organised “special guest passes”, which gave us VIP priority parking amongst farm trucks and a fast-track VIP entrance, which bypassed the carnival queue. But we sat amongst the crowd.
There was fast access to toilets and loads of merchants selling Trump merch – but the longest queues were for the hotdog and burger stands. There were more Trump T-shirts and caps on the backs and heads of the casually dressed attendees than in the merch stalls.
I used the word congregation. All business leaders want to build tribes of believers rather than employ employees. These attendees were all believers who were going to a version of their church. There was a religious flavour to it far beyond the National Anthem and the prayer for which the whole crowd stood. My formerly friendly neighbour turned frosty until I explained I was from London. She instantly forgave my non-singing.
Business leaders spend money and effort trying to create and maintain a company culture. IBM people call themselves IBM’ers. Facebook people call themselves Facebookers. Devout Trump supporters buy and wear his merchandise or create their own. It is textbook tribe building.
The backdrop to the rally was the iconic four-word, 21-letter narrative and story: MAGA. If only every company had something like THAT!
Here are my other key takeaways for any business interested in learning from the success of MAGA.
Know your customer
Trump wasn’t trying to convert his audience. He was telling them they were right in what they perceived and believed. They were his focus group.
The event spoke the language of the audience and spoke to them. I have seldom seen messages crafted so well or resonate so perfectly. If you want to get a German to do something, speak German.
Relevance is a key element in my speechwriting code. While Harris and her “limousine liberals” had the endorsements of faraway millionaire celebrities, Trump’s campaign spoke the language of the kitchen, the church and parents struggling to put bread and milk on the table and gas in the tank.
Be clear what you want
The messages were consistent, clear, simple and constantly repeated before Trump’s appearance.
The repeating sub-themes were totally in sync with his campaign theme – plus the massively repeated mantra: Get Out And Vote. Get your family out to vote. Get your friends out to vote. Get the neighbours you like out to vote. Hell, even get the neighbours you don’t like out to vote.
I have never heard such a clear and consistent call to action so often and clearly stated. It was the most potent takeaway from any communication event I have ever heard, seen or experienced.
Story and narrative are everything
Storytelling was centre stage in all the speeches, songs, videos, posters and the revolving slideshow of dark vs optimistic images and messages on the big screen.
The slogans were simple, clear and repeated: Trump Will Fix It, No Tax on Tips, Make America Wealthy Again, Make America Healthy Again.
The ominous, warning images were equally simple, clear and repeated. More of the last four years means more immigration and more crime.
The narrative arc has a point where the character must make a choice. The articulation of how things were, how they are and how they could be depending on whether you get out and vote was crystal clear.
How things are was described in clear, everyday words: “the higher price of gas, the higher price of milk, the higher price of bread”. The clunky words “cost of living” were never mentioned.
How things would be under a Harris Presidency was equally clear. Higher prices of gas, milk and bread and the threat of even more immigrant-related crime.
The choice was clear. The call to action was obvious and then articulated.
Perfect storytelling. Storytelling kills data every time. Business leaders, whatever their title, should view themselves as chief storytelling officers for their organisation.
A range of advocates and testimonials
Twenty local and national attendees appeared and gave laudatory, mercifully short speeches in order of rank and importance before Trump eventually made it onto the stage.
I recognised Marjorie Taylor Greene (who got the loudest reception), Herschel Walker (former Georgia Bulldogs football star and failed Republican nominee for the Georgia Senate seat), Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Steve Scalise, Robert F Kennedy, Stephen Miller and Marco Rubio.
These speakers built the anticipation and underpinned his broad local and national support.
I have worked with CEOs of serious companies who have often asked me to train young employees to appear for the first time on a big stage in large company meetings, giving their experience and perspective. This broadening of the storytelling skills within an organisation helps retain and engage the stars of tomorrow. It is always better than having the boss as the only speaker.
Be optimistic and upbeat
Music and videos of Trump or Trump campaign adverts played constantly until the speeches. Familiar, happy, nostalgic, patriotic music at Trump rallies deliberately reflected, reinforced and underpinned the themes and messages central to his campaign and public image. What’s more nostalgic than “Make America Great Again”?
It was a feel-good, happy, optimistic Sunday afternoon festival-like family. Spindly teenagers sat next to their bearded BMI-rich fathers and placard-waving mothers. People danced in the aisles to their favourite songs.
Classic rock anthems, patriotic ballads and pop hits dominated the playlists, creating a reassuring carnival atmosphere full of nostalgia and national pride. Rousing melodies like God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood, while tracks like Trump’s favourite song YMCA by the Village People, lent playfulness to the atmosphere.
These deliberate choices full of 80’s American rock anthems were designed to evoke emotion, energise the crowd, and underline an “everyman” connection.
A leader is only a leader when people are happy to follow them. Leaders should be aware of how their behaviour, actions and words make their people feel.
Trump’s speech
Trump came on stage at 19:40 – 80 minutes late, but they didn’t mind. He wore a black overcoat for the whole event and wore an eloquent black cap with MAGA in yellow letters. Proud Boys colours.
He performs like a rockstar – replaying all the crowd’s favourite jokes, anecdotes and attacks to which they laughed, smiled, nodded, waved placards and applauded. He was a showman, and he delivered a show. It was a “greatest hits” event.
Trump has learnt from Hemingway. While Harris’s speeches were full of long sentences and multi-syllable words, Trump spoke about the price of bread, gas and milk. No tax on tips.
Hemingway was once criticised for not using big words. His response: You don’t need big words for big ideas.” Good advice for every leader.
One big surprise
Trump brought an articulate, angry, Hispanic mother on stage. Her daughter had been murdered the previous Tuesday. The arena went deathly still. Her sons stood behind her. She spoke fast and furiously. Literally. She talked about her daughter and what had happened.
Then, she endorsed Trump and embraced him. Her sons shook hands with him. The crowd stood and applauded her. Life got very real, very fast.
In contrast to the overall upbeat tone of the event, the harsh reality of this murdered girl struck deep.
There is no lesson from this tragic human moment. Just a stark reminder that choices have consequences.
Peter Botting is an executive leadership, storytelling and speaker coach