Presentation Skills That Will Take You to the Top (Collection), 2/e

66. Spin versus Topspin: The Political World versus the Business World

In the competitive world of politics, jockeying for position is often expressed by spinning, the dark art of attempting to influence public perception in one’s favor or against that of the opposition. Spinning can be as harmless as gilding the lily, or it can escalate to distortion or even to outright deception; however, all the points along that scale are of dubious integrity.

One of the best examples of political spin is the 1998 film Wag the Dog, in which a U.S. president is accused of a scandalous liaison. To limit his damage, the president calls in a Washington spin doctor, played by Robert DeNiro, who proceeds to retain a Hollywood producer, played by Dustin Hoffman, ...