The  Influence  Strategies  of  Mar4n  Luther  King:  Mapping  the  Strategies  Behind  His  Dream    A  50th  Anniversary  Analysis  of  MLK’s  I  Have  a  Dream  Speech  Washington,  D.C.,  1963        Presented  by  Playmaker  Systems,  LLC  Bethesda,  MD  USA  info@playmakersystems.com  301-­‐654-­‐6500      

I  Have  A  Dream  Influence  Strategy  Map  &  Signature  

Copyright  ©  2006-­‐2013  Playmaker  Systems,  LLC.    All  Rights  Reserved.   Rev.  8.26.13  

On   the  50th  Anniversary   of  Dr.  Mar4n   Luther   King   Jr.'s   historic   I  Have   a  Dream   speech,   the   late  reverend’s  words  are  by  now  well  known.    But  what  were  the  influence  strategies  behind  his  messages?    What  were   the   plays   that   were   being   running?     And   can   this   inform   our   understanding   of   the   man’s   power   and  process?    Using  The  Standard  Table  of  Influence  (see  last  page  or  click  here  for  an  interac4ve  version),  Playmaker  Systems  has   iden4fied   underlying   influence   plays   of   King's   August   28,   1963   address.     From   these   findings   cer4fied  analysts   have   constructed   a   first-­‐of-­‐a-­‐kind   map   and   signature   of   this   American   icon’s   strategic   and   soaring  rhetoric.    King’s  Influence  Strategy  Map.    Shown  on  pages  three  and  four  is  a  two-­‐part  4meline  of  plays  that  correspond  to  15  selected  passages  in  famous  King’s  speech.    The  resul4ng  influence  map  of  plobed  stratagems  and  their  associated  quotes  reveals  a  marked  varia4on  of  plays  beneath  King’s  narra4ve.    Those  instances  where  plays  are  paired  together  are  called  harmonics,  a  conven4on  for  coding  content  where  two  or  more  plays  are  observed.    MLK’s  Influence  Strategy  Signature.    Shown  on  page  five  is  a  composite  of  these  mapped  plays  as  they  appear  on  The  Standard  Table.    The  size  of  each  icon  indicates  the  frequency  of  use  of  a  given  coded  play.    According  to  this  analysis,  King's  influence  strategies  of  choice  were  the  Screen  (5  uses),  Challenge  (4  uses),  Call  Out  (2  uses),  Fiat  (2  uses),  Label  (2  uses),  Mirror  (2  uses),  Recast  (2  uses),  Bear  Hug  (1)  and  Disco  (1  use).    Plays  shown  in  grey  were   not   observed.    What   is   notable   about   this   signature   is   the   concentra4on   of   mid-­‐spectrum   stratagems  known  for  their  abili4es  to  condi4on  a  target.    With  the  excep4on  of  the  Call  Out,  a  provoking  play  that  emerges  twice,  King  employs  a  diversity  of  influence  strategies  –  9  of  24  –  in  the  frame,  freeze  and  press  subclasses  of  The  Table.    With   the   excep4on   of   the   Recast   play,   he   appears   only   to   be   aided   by   strategies  with  mid-­‐   to   high-­‐  transparency  ra4ngs  (i.e.,  no  Red  Herring  plays).    Mar4n  Luther  King  is  rightly  honored  as  an  American  hero  and  a  champion  for  racial  equality.  And  as  judged  by  the  Playmaker  system,  his  greatest  work  reflects  both  an  ac4ve  use  of  plays  but   largely  those  that  are  neither  subtle,   harsh   nor   hard   to   interpret.     In   fact,   the   good   reverend   was   a   man   of   rhetorical   modera4on   and  candor...and  an  expert  prac44oner  in  the  discipline  of  influence  strategy.    

2  Copyright  ©  2005-­‐2013  Playmaker  Systems,  LLC.    All  Rights  Reserved.  

3  

SCREEN    Five  score  years  ago,  a  great  American  [Abraham  Lincoln],  in  whose  symbolic  shadow  we  

stand  today,  signed  the  Emancipa?on  Proclama?on.  

SCREEN    All  men…would  be  guaranteed  to  the  unalienable  rights  of  life,  liberty,  

and  the  pursuit  of  happiness.  

MIRROR    100  years  later,  the  negro…finds  himself  an  exile  in  his  own  land.    And  so  we’ve  

come  here  today  to  drama?ze  a  shameful  condi?on.  

FIAT    We’ve  come  to  our  na?on’s  capital  to  

cash  a  check.  

RECAST    But  we  refuse  to  believe  that  the  bank  of  jus?ce  is  

bankrupt.  

Cont.  

Copyright  ©  2005-­‐2013  Playmaker  Systems,  LLC.    All  Rights  Reserved.  

CALL  OUT    America  has  given  the  negro  people  a  bad  check,  a  check  which  has  come  back  marked  “insufficient  funds.”  

FIAT    There  will  neither  be  rest  nor  

tranquility  in    America    un?l  the  negro  is  granted  his  ci?zenship  rights.  

CHALLENGE  +  DISCO    But  there  is  

something  I  must  say  to  my  people…we  must  not  be  guilty  of  wrongful  deeds.  

         Notable  Influence  Plays  of  Dr.  Mar4n  Luther  King  Jr.  

Washington,  D.C.,  August  28,  1963  

For  details,  click  a  play  above  or  visit  The  Standard  Table  of  Influence  

I  Have  A  Dream  Influence  Strategy  Map  

Cont.  

MIRROR    [Alabama’s]  governor  having  his  lips  dripping  with  the  words  of  “interposi?on”  and  “nullifica?on.”  

CHALLENGE    This  na?on  will  rise  up  and  live  out  the  true  meaning  of  its  creed:    We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-­‐evident  that  all  men  

are  created  equal.  

LABEL  +  SCREEN    Free  at  last!    Free  at  last!    Thank  God  Almighty,  we  are  free  at  last!  

CHALLENGE  +  BEAR  HUG    And  when  this  happens…all  God’s  children,  black  men  and  white  men,  Jews  and  gen?les,  Protestants  and  

Catholics,  will  be  able  to  join  hands  and  sing.  

LABEL  +  SCREEN    I  s?ll  have  a  dream.    It  is  a  dream  deeply  rooted  in  the  American  dream.  

CHALLENGE  +  CALL  OUT    We  can  never  be  sa?sfied  as  long  as  there  are…unspeakable  horrors…signs  sta?ng  “for  whites  only”…[blacks]  

who  cannot  vote.  

RECAST  +  SCREEN    We  will  all  be  able  to  sing  with  new  

meaning:    My  country,  ‘?s  of  thee,  sweet  land  of  liberty.  

4  Copyright  ©  2005-­‐2013  Playmaker  Systems,  LLC.    All  Rights  Reserved.  For  details,  click  a  play  above  or  visit  The  Standard  Table  of  Influence  

I  Have  A  Dream  Influence  Strategy  Map  

         Notable  Influence  Plays  of  Dr.  Mar4n  Luther  King  Jr.  

Washington,  D.C.,  August  28,  1963  

5  Copyright  ©  2005-­‐2013  Playmaker  Systems,  LLC.    All  Rights  Reserved.  For  details,  click  a  play  above  or  visit  The  Standard  Table  of  Influence  

I  Have  A  Dream  Influence  Strategy  Signature  

SCREEN  (SN):    The  borrowing  of  issues,  ideas,  

events  or  symbols  to  project  or  

protect  a  posi4on    

CHALLENGE  (CH): The suggestion or exhortation by a player to adopt

or modify a position.