This past Sunday, 60 Minutes interviewed both John McCain and Barack Obama in an effort to set the stage for the debate taking place this Friday at the University of Mississippi. The episode captured the attention of more than 14.6 million viewers, further exemplifying the manner in which election fever has consumed us all (even those of us north of the border).

Scott Pelley, who interviewed McCain (Obama was interviewed by Steve Kroft), says that the beauty of putting the presidential candidates on 60 minutes is “we don’t have to take that first answer. We are going to follow up. And then we’re going to follow up again. You don’t have that opportunity in most other broadcast venues.”

While there is no doubt that both John McCain and Barack Obama were on message for their respective interviews, I was of course wearing my PR hat while watching and I couldn’t help but notice how much more crisp, clean and confident Obama seemed than McCain.  It was evident who had practiced for this interview extensively, and who had not; who had better prepared for the grilling style of 60 Minutes; who was ready for television.

During both interviews, the presidential candidates were interrupted, pushed and prodded by their respective interviewers, but Obama never appeared to become flustered, never appeared to seem taken aback and never appeared surprised by the questions he was asked. McCain, to the contrary, when asked, “Are we in a recession?” sounded choppy, bumbled and even said, “I don’t know” as part of his response. Not ideal.

Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, my point is this: how you communicate is as important as what you are communicating. Let this be a reminder to us all: When your client is going to be on television, no matter how well they know their stuff, make sure they practice, practice, practice. The old cliché bears some weight: you never get a second chance to make a first impression.