His challenge, as it is for all leaders, is to ensure that his words serve as prompts for action rather than rhetorical flourishes. You have 1 free article s left this month. You are reading your last free article for this month. Subscribe for unlimited access. Create an account to read 2 more. Business communication.
How to Communicate Like Barack Obama. However, in the time since his election, the world has gotten a close-up view […] by John Baldoni. Read more on Business communication or related topics Leadership and Government. John Baldoni is an internationally recognized executive coach and leadership educator.
Partner Center. New workplaces, new food sources, new medicine--even an entirely new economic system. Tuesday, November 4, will go down as a monumental day in American history, when America elected an African American to serve as its president. What enabled Senator Barack Obama to tear down traditional barriers of race and ethnicity, to become such a historic figure? There were two key factors. His outstanding communication abilities, which enabled him to garner support from one of the most diverse coalitions in American history; and his excellent ability to launch and lead a formidable organization—he exhibited leadership and managerial skills of the highest order.
I elaborate here on his tremendous communicative power. In Say It Like Obama , I still the key communication practices that have enabled Senator Barack Obama to enjoy such a meteoric rise from his position as a state senator in , to president-elect of the United States in Notable among these practices are:. His ability to use communication in all of its forms—from body language, to voice inflection, to gestures—to establish a strong first impression and to sustain that positive impression.
His ability to use communication to tear down barriers and build up bridges, focusing on areas of commonality that enable him to gain support from a diverse set of people. His ability to use oration to win the hearts and minds of listeners.
Simply to acknowledge that the language used to describe members of the Muslim world and other cultures has not been respectful and has, in fact, been dismissive, stereotyping, demonising and alienating is a commitment to mindful communication, a consciousness of how we actually speak to and of each other. To see the full interview from which the above transcripts are taken Click here. In the interview,you will hear Obama often use the phrase 'Here's what I think', or 'I do think Instead of statements of 'fact' or command, as many politicians tend to practice - 'The British People want He speaks for himself, using effective 'I' statements , and expresses his opinions and that of his administration without dictating what 'must be'.
A small difference it may seem, but one which means there is no provocation to retaliate against by those spoken about and dictated to. No need to prepare for 'war' against the oppressive imposition by the dominant power expressed through the ineffective communication used.
The No-blame approach in action Link: BBC News - Obama admits errors over cabinet in this excerpt from an interview with him about the aborted appointment of Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer who were due to be the Health Secretary and overseer of budget reform respectively we see a further sign of the humility and integrity of the new President in his willingness to acknowledge his mistakes.
Many say that a 'no-blame' approach means not being accountable but here we see an example where both Obama and his colleagues are taking responsibility for what happened without adopting the blame approach of pointing the finger or 'covering up' because to acknowledge a mistake would be considered a sign of weakness or failure.
Both come out of the situation with dignity even if the situation itself is regrettable and Obama identifies that No condemnation of individuals whereby the blame is pinned on them so that the President can be disassociated from them and the ridiculous image of infallibility is fiercely protected - but seen to be a sham. Challenging what happened rather than 'who did it' - a constructive approach to communication and conflict resolution, symbolic of honesty, humility and dignity.
Can we practice an approach to politics that has an awareness of how our communication can in itself escalate conflict or resolve it?
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