The political world of the UK was recently stirred by the words of the Conservative party leader Ian Duncan Smith. Aware that he lacks the charisma and stage presence of the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, he sought to assert his authority by declaring “Never underestimate a quiet man!”.

His point was a fair one. Powerful stage charisma is never the guarantee of success nor long term impact, however, the debate raises an important issue for leaders to consider. How important is it for those in leadership to be able to communicate powerfully?

A quick review of history shows clearly that many of the great leaders of current and previous eras were powerful orators who inspired their followers with their words. They brought hope to the despairing, vision to the directionless and clarity to the confused. For example, the words of Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech live on, etched forever on the minds of those who heard them. Powerful communication has always been important for leaders who wish to take others to new and dynamic places.

What is true for leaders in politics is also true for those who lead corporately. The capacity to communicate clearly and dynamically is a powerful asset for corporate leadership. This is especially important in the context of a challenging market. The endemic uncertainty of these times requires regular clarification from those of us entrusted with leadership. Our job is to create communities around words, gathering people afresh around the core vision and values of our organisation. This being the case, it is amazing how little time is spent training and preparing leaders for verbal communication.

It hasn’t always been so. The Classical Greek and Roman traditions had a strong emphasis upon learning oral speech and gave classes to young aspiring leaders in how to make powerful verbal presentations. There emerged a class of professional ‘rhetors’ who made their living teaching the finer points of oratory, delivering ‘rhetoric’. The meaning of this word has changed somewhat over time and has come to mean something very different to its original.

Far from being shallow and superficial speaking, it represented a very strong tradition most powerfully articulated by Aristotle. Contrary to his mentor Plato, Aristotle taught the value of rhetoric which he described as “…persuasive language…a way to knowledge”. This he broke down into three categories of rhetorical proofs – logos (logical argument), pathos (passionate and emotional), and ethos (strength gained from the credibility of the speaker).

A cursory glance at many leadership contexts around the corporate and political worlds should demonstrate how desperately we need a lot more genuine ‘rhetoric’.

So this would appear to be bad news for Mr Duncan Smith. However he, and the quieter leaders he represents, can take heart. One of his predecessors once fainted from nerves when giving a speech to his class in school. Yet that same man, when his country had no arms to protect themselves against violent aggression, armed them with the power of his words – Winston Churchill was truly a man of powerful rhetoric.

So great advice from history would be to invest in the power of your spoken presentation, get some communication coaching, practise in your mirror, video the practice, get some feedback from those you trust – join the school of the ‘rhetors’ and give your people the rhetoric they need and deserve.

Phil Wall
CEO