Former President Clinton should take a few lessons from his spouse. One lesson that he needs to learn immediately is how to handle hecklers in the audience. She is very good at it. He is not. She turns a heckler’s taunts in into tumultuous applause – for her! He is lured by the heckler’s bait and turns their comments into hand-to-hand combat. She wins. He loses.

The former President always loses these arguments with hecklers. Unfortunately, his lack of discipline when it comes to dealing with hecklers and provocative statements may cost his spouse the nomination. Who wins these arguments? More importantly, who stands to lose as a result?

This morning’s headline, “Bill Spars with Obama Supporter” dominated the 24-hour news cycle. With only a few days until the next state primary elections, do you think that this was the headline that Senator Hillary Clinton’s campaign wanted to see? Of course not. If nothing else, the heckler – or rather, Bill Clinton’s reaction to the heckler – took the spotlight away from Sen. Clinton’s campaign. The focus was once again back on Bill. Not on Hillary. I am sure that she and her supporters were not pleased by this.

Who won the argument? Certainly not Bill Clinton. Certainly not Hillary Clinton’s campaign. The heckler succeeded in getting what he wanted – attention! Attention on him. Attention on President Clinton’s reaction to the argument. Attention directed away from Sen. Clinton’s campaign.

Do you see how hecklers can succeed in grabbing the spotlight? Do you see how easy it is to fall into their trap? Want to find out how to avoid taking their bait?

It’s easy. Hillary Clinton can show us how. Remember the hecklers in New Hampshire who carried signs and shouted, “Iron My Shirt!”? Let’s look at how Sen. Clinton handled that situation: Continue reading “How to Deal with Hecklers” »