Debates

I have seen Scott Walker participate in a few recent debates such as the CNN Republican Debate that took place a few weeks ago. As I posted previously, that debate did not go very well for Scott, which I believe could have been one of the reasons he has dropped out of the race. Anyway, during the CNN Republican Debate, Walker was basically absent and did not have much to say or contribute. Considering his poor performance in the CNN Republican Debate, I decided to go back in time and watch one of his debates in which he participated in last year in 2014. This debate was between Scott Walker and Mary Burke. Mary Burke is the former Wisconsin Secretary of Commerce and the two of them were debating for the Wisconsin's Governor Race. The full debate is attached below: 

on.msnbc.com/1o8dDwo

Analyzing Walkers performance in the debate for Wisconsin’s Governor Race, I notice both strengths and weaknesses in debating skills. In his favor, Walker knows what he wants for the state of Wisconsin and for the United States as a whole. I think this aspect is great and very important. However, when asked specific questions-which don’t always involve his beliefs- Walker answers, but he does so in a very inefficient manor. Walker has a way of wording around the question and coming up with answers that don’t always answer the specific question asked.  In my opinion, when he words around the questions, it makes him look weak. 

I don’t know what makes him look worse, being quiet and not contributing enough or not giving his audience efficient answers. If I was Walkers Campaign advisor the first piece of advice I would give him would (obviously) be to answer the questions honestly and completely. I would suggest for him to try and be more efficient during his debates and the answers he was providing. Not directly answering the questions at hand is unprofessional and it seemed as though Walker was rambling on during his debate with Mary Burke, he was repeating points that he had already made. So, I would advise for him to not be as repetitive and be more open to discussing the other issues at hand. 

On the other hand, I would also encourage him to speak up when necessary. Referring back to the CNN Republican Debate when he barely spoke at all, this was a huge disadvantage for him. I know it sounds contradictory because the first piece of advice would have for him is to ‘quit rambling’ but that doesn’t mean don't talk! I would definitely encourage Walker to find a happy medium where he spoke just the right amount. Not too much and not too little, while still getting his point across. 

Since Walker is no longer running, I don’t think he will have to worry about his debate performance for a while now. However, I would advise him to work on his weaknesses when it comes to his debate performance as well as continue to strengthen his positive debate strategies even further.