Wayward Hayward and the Worst Witch

A Yale University librarian’s list of top quotes of the year caught my interest for a couple of reasons.

Sharing Number One position were unlikely bedfellows – the Chief Executive of BP and a would-be US senator, representing the ultra-right Tea Party.

BP’s Tony Hayward’s “winning” quote – after the death of 11 oil workers in the Gulf of Mexico explosion – was unfortunate in the extreme:  “I’d like to get my life back.”  It was an off-the-cuff remark as he spoke with reporters.

Christine O’Donnell’s comment – “I’m not a witch” – was premeditated, as it was part of a TV advertising campaign.

What they have in common is that both were extremely short sentences and were extracted from much longer dialogue.  In other words, they are easily taken out of context.

But in this sound-bite era, both must surely have been aware that these 7-word and 4-word sentences can and will be sent around the world…left naked and exposed as the embodiment of their message.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair neatly summed up the sound-bite era at the Northern Ireland Peace Accord when he declared:  “This is not the time for sound-bites….but I feel the hand of history on my shoulder.”  Which was, of course, a sound-bite.

Everything’s a sound-bite…and the shorter the better, because it can then neatly become a newspaper headline.

We often remind attendees of our Broadcasting Business Media Training courses that the great thing about speaking on radio and television is that journalists can only take a snapshot of what you’ve actually said.

But the downside is that – they have to use what you’ve actually said!  

So say the right thing every time – even in the shortest of sentences…otherwise the consequences can be dramatic.

It’s worth noting that would-be senator failed to be elected, the BP Chief Executive stood down from his position.