PR Lessons Learned From Howard Dean

He seems much more comfortable being an excited, excitable motivator. But the polls are apparently showing that this isn't setting well with voters. So, Mr. Dean is clearly struggling with who he really wants to be. In politics, there are few things more deadly than not knowing who you are. I believe that Dean can resolve this, and that he will do in the near future.

But Dean has walked into the most deadly trap in politics (and PR) - that of being a parody. Consider what has hit within the last 72 hours:

- Dean made Jay Leno: "Did you see Dean's speech last night? Oh my God! Now I hear the cows in Iowa are afraid of getting mad Dean disease. It's always a bad sign when at the end of your speech, your aide is shooting you with a tranquilizer gun."

- Dean made David Letterman: "Here's what happened: The people of Iowa realized they didn't want a president with the personality of a hockey dad."

- Dean made Conan O'Brien "Howard Dean came in a disappointing third place. Afterwards Dean said, 'Iowa is behind me and now I look forward to screaming at voters in New Hampshire.' "

- But probably most telling, Dean has made the eclectic music scene, with dozens of versions of his speech being cut up and put to music, then posted online and being passed around all over the Internet.

I don't envy Dean's managers as they attempt to help him escape from these parodies, especially since this ridicule is directed at, and coming from, one of the foundations of his political base - young, hip voters.

So let's look at and learn from what Dean's staff has him doing to try to escape. Because each of us will probably hit a moment when we'll do something stupid, this is a good learning lab.

1. Dean answered reporters questions openly and bluntly the next day - something along the lines of "I was in front of a bunch of kids who were down in the dumps after giving their lives to a cause for several months. They needed some motivation, so I gave it to them. That's all." (I'm doing this from memory, so it's not exact.)

He also said later: "I have my warts. I sometimes say things that get me in trouble. I'm not blow-dried. I'm not coached,"

Lesson learned - come clean, explain, and apologize if necessary. Hopefully, your constituency, be it voters or customers, will hear your explanation and pay attention to your explanation, as opposed to what the parodies portray it to be.

2. Immediately, visibly, change. Dean has purposely put himself into different
situations, types of speeches, even clothing to try to change his image.

Lesson learned - Give those who are willing to believe the best about you further evidence to say that the incident was a chance occurrence, not your daily mode of operation. This won't necessarily convert nay-sayers, but it may reinforce those who were previously loyal and hopefully those who are sitting on the fence will drop onto your side.

3. Dean and his wife are going on PrimeTime tonight (Thursday) to talk with Diane Sawyer about where they are and how the campaign is going. This brings back memories of how Bill Clinton, together with Hillary, went on a similar show after the Jennifer Flowers revelation, where they were able to salvage his candidacy.

Lesson learned - If possible grab the biggest pulpit you can find, and explain yourself there. The Primetimes, 20/20's, etc. are great, because while they command excellent ratings, they also appear to be a relaxed atmosphere where frank discussion can occur.

Also, notice how both Dean and Clinton brought along their spouse. Spouses, especially if they are accomplished, credible, supportive, and loving (or appear to be), can create an incredible amount of support with a base who want to see the real you. This may be one of the smartest moves Dean is making.

Now, you may not always have a bully pulpit like Primetime available to you, but the bigger the pulpit you can find to defend yourself, the more chance you will have to influence the public.

4. Dean has been willing to laugh at himself. He told supporters today that "I still have not recovered my voice from my screeching in Iowa."

Lesson learned: don't be afraid to laugh at yourself if you can do it appropriately. Keyword: appropriately. Find someone who can objectively counsel you on this. But if you can do so, you'll help to defuse the situation, and turn it to your benefit.

It will be interesting to see how well Dean recovers from this, and whether he is able to pull it off. Either way, it will be fascinating to watch and learn the PR lessons which will be taught by this issue in the next few days.

Finally one other lesson to be learned: whether you're a candidate, a business person, or just a human being, the day will probably come when you will make a mistake. Having a crisis communications plan is key to help you quickly recover. Click here for more information on crisis communications plans.

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