What do the following two have in common?
• The government of the new straight-laced British Labour Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer
• The feuding, but reuniting, foul-mouthed pop star brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher from Oasis – the Britpop sensation formed in the 1990s now re-forming in the 2020s.
The answer is that Oasis and the Starmer Government are both seeking to benefit from changes in public expectations which they play a big role in setting.
Astute observers may note that Sir Keir’s personal communication style is rather different from that of the Gallaghers.
In the Prime Minister’s case, he’s hoping to utilise his communication skills to strategically manage British public opinion.
He’s seeking to do so in a way that enables what he sees as a tough-but-fair approach to inherited financial challenges which will eventually trigger significant improvements.
If his plan succeeds it will also pave the way to a political bonanza that helps his government win a second term in office.
You can view – from the following TV news report on his Downing Street “Fixing The Foundations” announcement – Sir Keir’s measured thoughtful approach is pitched mainly at the brains of the voters, but also appealing to them emotionally.
Sir Keir is seeking to warn voters about tough economic medicine to come – so that when it’s thrust upon them, they’ll be better prepared to cope without too much resentment.
Simultaneously he’s seeking to persuade voters to hold the previous Conservative Government – which his Labour team has replaced – responsible for making this nasty medicine necessary.
The Prime Minister’s voter expectation management plan is based on his view that the foundations of the British Government’s ways of operating need to be fixed.
His carefully crafted message is that things will have to get worse before they then get better.
In the case of the Gallagher brothers, Noel and Liam are poised to benefit from a joint financial bonanza through a “surprise” set of concerts they stage next year.
It’s called a “world tour” but so far only venues in the United Kingdom and Ireland have been announced.
Ticket sales are already benefitting from the fact that the brothers first set – and have now overturned – an expectation that their past feuding might have prevented such a reunion from ever happening.
The Gallaghers and their backers have been working to ensure that enough fans buy high-priced tickets after being convinced that the brothers can sufficiently control their fraught relationship – to the extent that both of them will perform on the same stage at the same time without any guitar smashing and fruit fighting.
The communication style of both brothers tends to be abrupt, direct and rather chaotic.
But clearly this helps them generate interest – and even to fascinate members of their large fan base.
What follows is an interview which Noel Gallagher recorded last year.
On the surface he downplays expectations of an Oasis reunion.
But watch closely and judge if he’s really trying to pave the way for the re-formation of Oasis – and subsequently build up demand for potential ticket sales – on the basis that he’s able to persuade Liam to join him on stage.
Readers of this ezine who have a delicate disposition must be warned about the colourful and potentially offensive language used throughout the interview.
Be aware that peppering your answers with the help of a potentially offensive vocabulary is never recommended in media interview training sessions run by Michael Dodd Communications.
Check out the interview here:
Also not recommended in my media training sessions is saying anything other than exact truths.
Noel Gallagher is claiming in the interview that he doesn’t care about the prospect of an Oasis reunion.
But the time which has passed since this 2023 recording clearly shows that he was – and is – interested in reuniting with Liam on stage – whatever his gripes about his younger brother.
You may even be able to detect this if you listen closely to his approach when he’s enticing – and directly challenging Liam – to call him to discuss the reunion prospect.
From a mainstream business perspective, communicating honestly and effectively about managing expectations in a rapidly changing world is a vital skill to develop and practise.
Working out your managing expectations strategy – and implementing it through carefully calibrated and rehearsed communications – is important whenever you know there is potentially surprising bad news and/or good news looming on the horizon.
When you’ve planned your expectation managing strategy, getting your communication performances right to put it into action is essential to success.
If you need presentation training to help you communicate your expectation management messages to your various audiences – internal and external – find out about it here:
https://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/presenting-with-confidence-impact-and-pizzazz/
If you and your team need to give great answers to tough questions – as you seek to manage expectations of clients, prospects, staff and others – click here:
https://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/give-great-answers-to-tough-questions/
If you require media interview response training to help you manage the expectations of the public, there’s information about it here:
https://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/media-master-classes
If you need to set up a phone call to discuss your communication requirements in fast-changing times, email michael@michaeldoddcommunications.com to arrange a call.
Meanwhile, returning to the ongoing expectation management challenges of Sir Keir Starmer and the Gallagher brothers, there’s only one person who has had managing expectations experience from BOTH the perspective of a pop star and as a British Labour Prime Minister.
This person is rather unlike the Gallagher brothers.
And his dynamic personal communication style tends to be more personally engaging than Sir Keir Starmer’s approach.
I’m referring to the former lead singer and guitarist for the pop group Ugly Rumours, Tony Blair.
You can see him at the back – third from the left – with fellow group members.
When he was on his way to becoming a British (New) Labour Prime Minister, you can see that Tony Blair had his hair cut considerably shorter.
In terms of expectation management, (now Sir) Tony Blair, is best known for the Labour Party’s theme song in its winning 1997 election campaign: “Things Can Only Get Better”.
If you’d like a reminder of the song, you can hear it below in a Labour TV ad.
If you play the video to the end you’ll be blessed with a moving image of Tony Blair seeming to cast a (New) Labour vote and urging others to do the same.
Enough British voters went on to do so in 1997 to enable the first of Tony Blair’s three General Election victories.
If you think the communication skills of yourself and/or your team can only get better, then do get in touch!