Interview: Boji Herzog and Tzipi Livni - opposites in the campaign

It is a bit unfair to compare Tzipi Livni to Boji Herzog in the field of public speaking.  

Because although Herzog is a shrewd politician in 1-on-1, he is probably one of the least successful speakers who have headed a party in recent years (Moshe Kahlon competes for the title). Livni, on the other hand, is one of the funniest, most aggressive and most present speakers we've seen in Israel, and she keeps getting better.

But the Knesset channel asked us to investigate the difference between them, and this gap is an excellent learning opportunity for anyone who wants to improve.

 The key to improvement: study, study, study

Tzipi Livni was not born a brilliant speaker. She just studies and studies, and improves from campaign to campaign. Those who remember her as CEO of the Government Companies Authority in the 1990s will be amazed at the difference. Livni has been working for years with the election team that accompanied Sharon (Reuven Adler, Eyal Arad, etc.), and she probably acquired there the two opposing abilities of stopping and listening to constructive criticism, and on the other hand, attacking without restraint those in front of you.

Herzog is also learning and improving, the problem is that he only started the process a few months ago. And he probably only collects tips and does not maintain an organized process. It's also not at all clear who he's consulting with, but it's probably not an expert.

So Herzog managed to improve on the 'call to action' technique (this is what school graduate sources in the campaign tell me), and he is a little more organized than he was, and he even tries to raise his voice from time to time.

And it is undoubtedly better than it was in the primaries, but what was enough against Shelly Yachimowitz is probably not enough against Netanyahu, Lapid and Bennett.

It's irresponsible to neglect your performance

Correcting the manner of speaking is not an easy thing and requires professional guidance and quite a bit of practice. It is understandable why ordinary people choose to postpone its treatment until another time. What is more difficult to understand is how a seasoned professional politician like Herzog neglected to deal with this problem that has accompanied him since his first day in politics. The only explanation is that Herzog is the head of a party that often elects politicians with a slight speech impediment, such as a constant bitter tone (his predecessor in the position), a shrill voice (her predecessor), a slight lisp (S that sounds like a P, as in the words Ehud and P and Ed) in the previous ones, and a tendency to enter into a shouting match in front of a hostile audience in the one in front of them.

Isn't it about time the Labor Party started paying a little more attention to how it sounds?