Say It Like Obama: The Power of Speaking With Purpose and Vision by Shel Leanne & Shelly Leanne

Author:Shel Leanne & Shelly Leanne [Leanne, Shel & Leanne, Shelly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Business Communication, Motivational, Political, General, Leadership, Biography & Autobiography, Cultural Heritage, Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780071626101
Google: yi2sIxt3tVIC
Publisher: McGraw Hill Professional
Published: 2008-10-03T21:10:07+00:00

WHAT WE'VE LEARNED—

PRACTICES FOR CONVEYING VISION

Leaders have much to learn from the way Barack Obama conveys vision so effectively to audiences. Obama has shown a keen ability to convey vision in a compelling manner, which enables others to understand his vision and inspires them to ultimately embrace it. Leaders can draw on the techniques that enable Obama to do this so well.

When seeking to convey vision in a compelling manner, referencing history can make ideas more understandable and digestible. Listeners can relate to ideas more readily from a prism of shared history and cherished tradition, and may relate better with references to admired historical figures. Efforts to convey vision are more effective, also, when leaders "show, don't tell" at crucial times. That is, effective communicators will draw on vivid language at key times to paint pictures as effectively as they might with visual aids. They know to employ richly descriptive words—a torch instead of a light; a wedge; a bludgeon. They draw on symbolic language for emotional impact. They leverage the power of corollaries to bring about multilayered communication, saying one word while implying twenty others.

The practice of giving ideas physicality can also play a role in conveying vision effectively. "Embodiment" makes ideas more memorable, such as seeing "hope in the eyes." Highly skilled communicators also employ detail effectively, calibrating the ideal amount of detail they provide as they convey their vision. At times, ample detail establishes a depth of knowledge. But skillful speakers also recognize the value of vagueness, allowing listeners to imagine when appropriate with "just enough" detail.

Use of dynamic imagery represents another useful communication technique. Effective communicators find ways to make pictures move in the mind—"brick by brick, block by block, calloused hand by calloused hand." Similarly, backward loops can be powerful, as a speaker takes listeners back in time to imagine how it once was, comparing and contrasting the past with the present with great effect. Finally, effective communicators often offer anecdotes, providing brief narration and short tales to breathe life into key themes. Together, these techniques enable leaders to use communication to convey their vision in highly compelling ways.

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