Good at what you do, but struggling with your communication skills? Igotchu! 😎
Yes, your Majesty!
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There is a line in the brilliant musical, Hamilton, where the character King George (who steals the show in every scene he is in) says to the Founding Fathers of the newly independent America..."What comes next? You've been freed. Do you know how hard it is to lead?C ommunicator of the Week Award goes to King Charles for his marvellous speech to the US Congress, in which he deftly reminded the Americans of the principles that the country is supposed to stand for, but which it seems to have forgotten in recent years. "In both of our countries, it is the very fact of our vibrant, diverse and free societies that gives us our collective strength, including to support victims of some of the ills that, so tragically, exist in both our societies today." ​ Whilst he began his speech with humour and the obligatory reminder of the historical commonalities between Britain and the USA, he quickly settled into his theme about the critical importance of adhering to the higher values of good leadership - the rule of law, good governance, protection of the weak, diversity, respect for different faiths, compassion, peace, partnership and more. It was an obvious and yet veiled critique of the autocratic approach to leadership of Donald Trump, but without ever actually naming him or calling him out. And he did it all with quiet grace. It was a masterclass in how to deliver iron-fisted criticism in a royal velvet glove, and the reviews were universally positive, even from President Trump. You may well find yourself in the tricky position of needing to speak some harsh truths to your audience without alienating them. It can be tough, but necessary to do. The key is to first establish your common bonds and use a warm tone without any hint of judgment. This helps you present yourself as a friend, so that when you deliver your criticism, it feels like it is coming from a place of kindness, not animosity. It can be tempting to just avoid speaking the hard truths that you know people need to hear. It is certainly safer. But it will nag at you and sooner or later, the thing you know you should have spoken up about, will manifest itself in a way that is even worse than you feared. Have courage. Choose your words carefully. Deliver it with clarity and kindness. You'll be glad that you did! Kolarele ​ |
Build your Communication SuperSkills
Good at what you do, but struggling with your communication skills? Igotchu! 😎
The temptation to be perfect is often based on the fear of failure, but perfection is not all it's cracked up to be, and failure is never as fatal as feared. Communicator of the Week Award goes to US broadcaster Dominique Dillon. In a clip that has now gone viral, the cameras cut back to Dillon in the news studio, but she had dozed off, and the world saw it. If you are asking yourself how and why a screw-up can possibly be an example of good communication, you are asking the right question....
Sure, it's naive to think that sports should always be a bastion of pure competition, untainted by greed, but when someone just rubs the corporatism in your face, it's always going to go down badly. MisCommunicator of the Week Award goes to FIFA President (at least for now), Gianni Infantino, for his ridiculous proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors. Let's be honest. Corruption has always been a feature of world sport. But usually it is kept below the surface, so that...
Maybe it’s just that I’m old school, but I remember a time (pre-social media) when even politicians were capable of disagreeing without being disagreeable; when the purpose of speech was to persuade, not just to go viral; and the humanity behind the politics was common, not rare. Communicator of the Week Award, goes to PMQs and the entire House of Commons for the respectful, dare I say, reverent manner in which it held Sir Keir Starmer’s final appearance at the despatch box. Starmer was...