Happy New Year!

Bert Decker is an American communications expert and national commentator on NBC's Today show. He is an author with a global audience. He is a professional speaker, blogger, and founder & CEO of San Francisco-based Decker Communications. So, when Bert announces his Top Ten Best & Worst Communicators of The Year, people listen.

In fact, of the over 600,000 savvy people who come to Rugged Elegant Living each month, last summer -- while I was on vacation -- our audience grew, thanks to Bert's 2004 list.

Throughout the entire month of August, his list was in the Top Ten of our most searched stories.

And that story was published last December!

So after a challenging 2005 around the world, Bert asks us ...

What entrepreneurial leader is #1?

Is George Bush on the best or worst?

And how does the cast of FEMA stack up?

This year's List of Top Communicators highlights the best and worst from business, politics, entertainment, and sports.

Bert invites us to take a look and see how communications skills helped make or break his list of notable individuals.

Let's start with Bert Decker's worst communicators of 2005.

As always, we can learn from both the worst and the best.

The Ten Worst Communicators of 2005

Michael Chertoff

#1 - Michael Chertoff

The Secretary of Homeland Security is number one this year and only partly for his role in the FEMA incompetence during Hurricane Katrina (after all, he is the boss.)

His primary problem?

He does not inspire, and never has.

It's not just because he is always backing and filling in what he says about FEMA's problems, but he does not inspire confidence in how he says it.

He was never a good communicator, and in appearance alone, is aquiline in feature and harsh of tongue.

No warm or fuzzy feelings here, and the things that come out of his mouth do nothing to counter his uncaring appearance.

The experience of Chertoff is not positive.

To learn more about Chertoff's background, please explore:

#2 - Jeannine Pirro

In August, she announced running against Hillary Clinton for her New York Senate seat, and as she read her announcement she lost a page, asked "does anyone have page 10?" and then left a 30-second excruciating pause while she fumbled around.

Maybe her campaign didn't end with that major error, but she dropped out of the race a few weeks ago.

First message: Don't read speeches!

Second message: When you lay an egg, acknowledge it, and move on.

#3 - Michael Brown

The ex-Director of FEMA took most of the heat for the messed up operation, and deservedly so.

At least from what he communicated.

He was not forceful or direct, lacked eye communication and had little animation.

Which probably reflected his leadership – although we don't know that for sure, we always infer the experience of the leadership of a person from the experience of their communication.

#4 - Mark McGuire

Poor Mark McGuire.

If only he had been more prepared and coached for his Senate testimony in the steroid hearings.

Eyes moving like a scared rabbit, he stiffly invoked the Fifth.

Perfect example of how we believe what we see, and not what we hear.

If he was that uncomfortable at the plate he wouldn’t have hit even one home run, much less 70 in one year.

This was a strike out.

#5 - Martha Stewart

Despite a banner year for Martha – out of jail, two new television shows, and a new magazine – she's among the worst.

Though not quite as stoic as she was pre-incarceration, her mannerisms and lack of expression result in a communications experience that is aloof and tedious, rather than warm and engaging.

And when you contrast her version of The Apprentice with that of Donald Trump's, it's easy to see why she was cancelled, while he's casting his next season.

#6 - Lee Raymond

CEO of Exxon/Mobile gives us another strike out in televised Congressional hearings.

Mr. Raymond is symbolic of the stonewalling that has been unfortunately forthcoming from the oil companies in the wake of outrageously high gas prices.

We all want someone to blame, and it is so easy to blame the Oil Companies when we have CEOs testify in a stiff, unanimated and obfuscatory way.

They could use some expert training for such an important performance.

#7 - Angie and Markus

These two finalists from Seasons 3 and 4 of The Apprentice were fired by The Donald because of their lack of communication ability.

Angie was just unfortunate -- her nervousness did her in as she stumbled and umm'd and ahh'd through an executive presentation.

Markus was totally unfocused, and unfortunately for him hilarious in the process. Here are two people who beat out hundreds of thousands to get on the show, and when the pressure was on, did not know how to communicate.

Harriet Miers

#8 - Harriet Miers

Another case of where we are saddened when one's shining moment is eclipsed by a lack of communication ability.

The time to learn and practice is before the spotlight is on.

In stark contrast to preceding and successful candidate John Roberts, poor Ms. Miers seemed lost in the process of her nomination for Supreme Court Justice, and left almost no choice but withdrawal.

The image that is symbolic of her short campaign is one of sitting almost orphan like at the end of a couch while waiting for an interview.

We want and respect more confidence, force and energy from our leaders to be.

#9 - Tom Cruise

A perfect example of overdoing it (a la couch jumping on The Oprah Winfrey Show).

Though well regarded as one of Hollywood's most talented and successful actors, he takes his profession to the extreme, and remains a thespian off camera.

His every word, movement and laugh appears methodically contrived and rehearsed (see Washington Post 5.26.05) -- even in candid interviews.

There is nothing natural or trustworthy about him.

#10 - President George Bush

The problems of the President would not go away if he was a great communicator, but they might be at least cut in half.

President Bush continues to be inconsistent in his communications (see posts from 12/18-19), and only adequate in the informal and casual.

In the formal settings (which are when we most often see him) he is formal, and does not connect with the listener through eye communication and smile as past presidents have.

On the contrary he continues to appear awkward and stiff, and he does not read teleprompters well.

Not good for a President.

It's been a tough year for President Bush.

In 2004, he ironically made Bert's Top Ten Best Communicators.

This year, the President of the United States was not so lucky.

And now, "The Ten Best Communicators of 2005" ...

It's 3am in the morning, and I can not get back to sleep.

At 2 o'clock the alarm had to be set to give my baby an antibiotic. The sound of alarm shook me to the core. And now I am awake. This usually happens if I've gotten at least two hours of sleep.

After tossing and turning for nearly an hour, I decided to go downstairs and put on a pot of tea. I looked in the pantry and found exactly what I was searching for:

There are three tea bags left.

On the back of the box is a quote by Diane Loomans, author of The Laughing Classroom: Everyone's Guide to Teaching With Humor and Play from another one of her books, Full Esteem Ahead. Looman says: