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Comment on TJ Walker on CNN – Speaking Secrets of Barack Obama by Devin Weiss

Devin Weiss — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:08:18 +0000

Barack Obama’s book, “The Audacity of Hope,” has a catchy title. It has an idea of bravery mixed confidently. There’s nothing Pollyanna about it. I may not support almost everything he tells, but he’s our president, and for me, he creates belief. That can do more for any nation than any volume of backroom deals. Hope gives us energy, and energy sustains us through trying times. Boy, we’ve had them. I’m from West Texas, and I did not vote for Bush. When McCain ran against Obama, I was a citizen of Arizona, but I gave audacious hope a chance. The fight for progress and laying the foundations of prosperity will not be over. I’ve seen the quips of those who don’t think Obama can make it. But step back a moment. Would anyone have all of us fail just to tarnish the star of an incumbent for whom they did not vote? Trying to keep our priorities straight, let’s work together with this president and build our future.

Comment on by TJ Walker

TJ Walker — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:41:22 +0000

I think they should have had a short statement that expressed sympathy for Mr. Smith but then laid out in a very clear way what their policy is, why it is fair to their customers and why it was applied this time. They seemed a little fuzzy.

Comment on by Bill

Bill — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:21:12 +0000

Since you think that Kevin did well, what could SWA have done better?

Comment on by TJ Walker

TJ Walker — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:27:32 +0000

Thanks for sharing Bill. I still think Kevin got his story out quite well, as you would expect from a famous media guy with a huge following. Enforcement on a policy like this is always going to be difficult for any airline. I feel sorry for the airline and the other people on the plane than I do for Kevin. Sorry!

Comment on by Bill

Bill — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:10:05 +0000

Interesting. You (and the news outlets) view the story as whether SWA’s policy on people who take up more than one seat is fair. That’s a valid story, and it has been in the news before, but it’s not Kevin’s story. His story is about unfair enforcement of a policy that he mostly agrees with. (Here’s some of the story: http://silentbobspeaks.com/?p=393)

What’s interesting to me is that Kevin’s story has been changed to fit a pre-existing frame, which is the debate over the policies themselves rather than how they’re applied.

Comment on by TJ Walker

TJ Walker — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:22:38 +0000

Thanks for writing Bill.

I guess we are looking at different media. I thought Kevin Smith came out looking better than SW Airlines and that his message was carried more in all media coverage.

The more I think about this issue the more sympathy I have for the airline. There is simply no easy way to tell a customer that they are so fat they are making fellow passengers uncomfortable because the heavy person’s fat is billowing over into what would normally be the hand, arm and body space of a fellow passenger. But it is simply unfair for a passenger who has paid full price to have to scrunch over at a 45 degree angle, thus losing half their space to make room for an out-sized person.

Comment on by Bill

Bill — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:58:12 +0000

I respectfully disagree with you on a couple of points:

1. If the question is “who is right?”, then you need to keep in mind that Kevin maintains that he does fit in one seat and even demonstrated this to the employee trying to remove him by putting the armrests down.

2. You have accepted Southwest’s contention that Kevin usually buys two seats, which if true suggests that he knows that he’s too fat for one seat. Kevin has disputed this, but I think an interesting question here is, “Why are the media consistently presenting only Southwest’s side on this point, and what could Kevin have done to articulate his side more clearly?”

3. If the question is “did Southwest do a good job telling their story?”, keep in mind that Southwest posted two separate (and inconsistent) apologies, and they even told Kevin (two days later, by phone) that the real reason for his ejection had nothing to do with Kevin’s size.

4. If the question is “how did the media do?”, it’s clear from the above that the real story of this has not yet been told by any media outlet.

(Note that the above points are not about whether Southwest’s policy is a good one, or how it is applied in general. I’ve stuck to this specific disagreement, and have taken the policy as a given for the purposes of this discussion.)

Comment on Don’t let your speech Get snowed in by alli berman

alli berman — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:52:31 +0000

your Don’t let your speech Get snowed in video is not loading…
just a heads up

i enjoyed your presentation at the powermastery session months ago

alli

Comment on Here is the rough draft for the intro for my new book on public speaking by Dino Preze

Dino Preze — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:48:28 +0000

you have a great blog, i bookmarked it so i can get back fast and often, good luck.

Comment on Anyone can speak as well as Martin Luther King by Are You Speaking Fluently – or do you suffer from a vocal virus? | Public Speaking How To

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:19:13 +0000

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