THE POWEROF

COMMUNICATION

“Let rhetoric be defined as an ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion.”

Aristotle

MORE TECHNOLOGY =LESS COMMUNICATION?

ARISTOTLE’S TRIANGLE

CLASSICAL RHETORIC

ETHOS: Character of speaker/writer (credibility/expertise, tone of voice/body language).

PATHOS: Appeal to emotions/values of your audience; empathy but not negative manipulation.

LOGOS: logical structure of argument, clarity of outline, understandable: a beginning, a middle and an end.

“Art or skill of persuading others through argument by appealing to their emotions to influence their way of

thinking.”

LINCOLN’S GETTYSBURG ADDRESS

Anchor arguments solidly

Employ classical rhetorical devices

Repeat your most important words

Use a simple outline

State a clear call-to-action“Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we

think of it; the tree is the real thing.”

Sixminutes.com, Dlugan, Andrew: “Speech Analysis: Gettysburg Address -- Abraham Lincoln”

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow, this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

CHURCHILL ON LEADERSHIP

The right words, nothing more

Rhythm speaks

Facts to build on

Analogies clarify, amplify

Speaker and audience; mutually engaged

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every

opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every

difficulty. ”

HBR, Wreden, Nick: “Language: Churchill's Key to Leadership.”

STEVE JOBS’ KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS

Inspire: viral enthusiasm

Set the theme: single headline

Provide the outline: open/close each section with clear transitions

Visual simplicity/ meaningful data

Dramatism of memorable moment

REHEARSE “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

Youtube, Gallo, Carmine: “Present Like Steve Jobs.”

QUESTIONING COMMUNICATIONS

What COMMUNICATION issues do you see in your company? Internal? External?

How do you communicate for CRISES? How do you communicate under stable conditions? Can you think of examples of CRISIS MANAGEMENT? Exxon in Alaska? BP oil spill?

Who is a GOOD communicator? What is CHARISMA? What can CEO’s LEARN from people like Lincoln, Churchill, Obama, Galán?

Should business people study RHETORIC? Can you TEACH rhetorical skills? Who first developed rhetoric?

Can you think of examples of the LOGOS, PATHOS, ETHOS triangle? Is it applicable to business? How?

How important are NON-VERBAL cues in communicating a message? What is YOUR body language like? Can a person communicate in silence?

BUT MOST IMPORTANT: How do YOU communicate?

EXPRESSING SILENCE

“Failure is unimportant, it takes courage to make a fool of

yourself.” Chaplin