German Chancellor Angela Merkel of the conservative Christian Democrats and her center-left Social Democrat challenger, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, will square off against each other on Sunday evening in the only televised debate between the two during the election campaign. It will be broadcast by four networks, and some 20 million Germans are expected to tune in. Political pundits are hoping the encounter will breathe life into what has been a spectacularly dull campaign  so far.

In an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE, Richard Schütze, who has spent decades teaching politicians and business people how to get their message across with the right mix of rhetoric and body language, outlines his expectations for the debate and has some helpful tips for the two contenders.

He also gives his assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of Merkel, Steinmeier, and opposition leader Guido Westerwelle , the leader of the pro-business Free Democrat Party who may well end up as German foreign minister after the Sept. 27 election .

Opinion pollsters believe that televised debates had a key influence on the elections in 2002 and 2005. In 2002, then-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder beat conservative challenger Edmund Stoiber by just 6,000 votes after giving a convincing performance against the Bavarian, a notoriously inept public speaker. And in 2005, pollsters say Schröder managed to mobilize more than 2 million hesitant SPD voters in the final days of the campaign largely because he out-talked Merkel in their TV debate. She still won the election, but had to share power with Schröder's party. Schütze doesn't expect Sunday's confrontation to have such a major impact on the outcome, though.

Who's Got the Better Chances of Winning the Debate?

"This election campaign is being conducted without passion, largely because the two main candidates, Angela Merkel and Frank-Walter Steinmeier , cut rather pale figures. Both are cautious by nature -- modest and not vain -- so the TV debate is likely to be "tired."

Neither Angela Merkel nor Frank-Walter Steinmeier are big polarizers, and they're not prone to polemics. Both are known to refrain from below-the-belt attacks. So they're both starting out equal in terms of the quality of their public appearance. But Angela Merkel has the decisive advantage in that she's the chancellor.

Unless Steinmeier manages to conjure something up out of his sleeve, he's unlikely to be able to knock the chancellor off her throne. Angela Merkel as the incumbent has the advantage of status.

In addition, Merkel has a number of plus points that no one can take away from her. Her eastern German background won her points in that region in the 2005 federal election. And she's Germany's first female leader. That will win points among women voters and it also makes it harder for her male rivals to attack her.

The Contenders' Strengths and Weaknesses

Angela Merkel, the incumbent chancellor of the center-right Christian Democratic Union

Strengths

• The days of the flowerpot hairstyle are long gone. She has also learned a lot in terms of body language. She flirts, throws glances and can unsettle even the most powerful statesman with her impish smile. At a gala evening she can be the impressive political diva who's not afraid to show cleavage. During state ceremonies she's the "queen of lions" in a boring trouser suit striding energetically along military formations. Her countenance can be strict and rebuking. And she often deliberately neutralizes her femininity with those famous Angela Merkel button jackets.

• She is quick-witted and firm when she encounters resistance during public appearances.

• Merkel the trained physicist can convince people by clearly and logically linking cause and effect in her argumentation. She combines this with female rhetoric. For example, she uses many adjectives that you don't get with Steinmeier. Words like "great," "beautiful," "huge," "dramatic," but also super-superlatives like "utmost." Merkel refers to emotions and combines this with her own personal calmness as government leader. Merkel, the message is, is synonymous with the political center.

Weaknesses

• Angela Merkel is a successful communicator but she's not a great orator in the classical sense. Her speeches tend to be schematically stiff and they lack spontaneity.

• Her biggest rhetorical weakness is speaking without a prepared text. When she speaks it often sounds as if she has learned the words by heart. She doesn't vary her formulations much.

• She refrains from making blunt political statements and instead opts for deliberately vague and non-committal statements that often leave audiences confused. She avoids precise statements until she's certain that she can deliver on her pledge.

• She unsettles the CDU's core Catholic voters with statements like: "Sometimes I'm liberal, sometimes I'm conservative, sometimes I'm Christian-social -- that's what the CDU is all about." (TV interview on German public broadcaster ARD on March 22, 2009).

Recommendations

Chancellor Angela Merkel has honed her female way of communication, and that has been well-received. Her unpretentious nature has given her an image of being close to the people. She nurtures the image of being ordinary, and she should continue to play that card. More demanding viewers would appreciate it if Merkel were to commit to crisp, clear, statements of substance. But that's unlikely to happen.

'Years of Reading Files' Has Affected Steinmeier's Rhetoric

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, current foreign minister and deputy chancellor with the Social Democratic Party

Strengths

• Frank-Walter Steinmeier has worked in administrative and bureaucratic positions for decades and has accumulated a lot of knowledge and skill, which also includes tackling highly complex political problems.

• He's increasingly been trying to convey his well-grounded knowledge in brief sentences, copying the rhetoric of his erstwhile mentor Gerhard Schröder, the former chancellor. But in doing so he unfortunately shouts too much and keeps on raising his fists in campaign speeches, which doesn't come across as authentic or convincing.

Weaknesses

• It has been difficult for him to fill the shoes of former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer because he can't match the rhetorical skills of his predecessor.

• Steinmeier's rhetoric is administrative and bureaucratic -- his years spent reading files has affected his rhetoric.

• Steinmeier doesn't use many verbs and resorts to abstract formulations that tend to turn listeners off.

Recommendations

Steinmeier, who tends to be cautious in his rhetoric, must hold more combative speeches now to fulfil his role as challenger. He has potential. His sentences have become noticeably shorter in recent months. He is intelligent enough to work on his style and improve his performance in this respect. He is making an effort to avoid dry bureaucratic German and soapy diplomatic phrases. His speech has become more polished and clearer. And he's wearing bigger glasses. Steinmeier should continue this way.

But in the TV debate he shouldn't go too far with his new style. He should keep on making sure that he remains true to his personality as a studied, competent lawyer. If he imitates the brash style of Gerhard Schröder too much he will lose credibility.

He won't shed the images of the sober technocrat who made it to the top through hard work and tenacity. But his opponent isn't invincible because polarizing and polemics aren't her strong points either.

Guido Westerwelle Is 'Consumed by Ambition'

Guido Westerwelle, head of the business-friendly Free Democratic Party (FDP); likely foreign minister if his party gains enough votes to govern with Merkel's CDU

Strengths

• Guido Westerwelle, who studied law, uses short, concise sentences and he articulates his arguments with razor-sharp precision.

• He makes a great effort to be entertaining and he's good at using puns to ram his point home. He's a quick-witted debater who knows how to put down hecklers with a clever retort. He is gradually shedding his image as a joker and cuts a more serious figure these days by expressing himself more carefully.

Weaknesses

• He remains plagued by his old problem -- he's consumed by ambition and puts himself under immense pressure. People can sense that. When Westerwelle talks one still has the feeling he's about to burst. He's like a volcano that's about to erupt.

• His voice is usually too loud and his tone sounds too tense and too labored. His attacking style usually culminates in prophecies of doom that are tiring and almost irritating, and which he keeps on repeating although they never seem to come true.

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