“If all of my powers and possessions were taken from me with one exception, I would choose to keep speech, for by it

I could soon recover all the rest.” Daniel Webster

June 2011

 Rhetoric,  Communication  and  Leadership  

Leadership  competence  is  a  function  of  communication  competence.    A  leader  is  only  as  great  as  their  ability  to  communicate.  Without  the  vital  skill  of  communication,  communication  becomes  the  problem  to  a  leader’s  answers.      

Richard B Stephenson Partner, Senior Consultant TrueNorth Consulting AS

Outperform yourself  

Leadership competence is a function of communication competence

No one wheel has ever been reinvented as often as the wheel of communication. New theories are developed monthly, articles are written daily, and dialogues, discussions or debates occur continuously. Rarely does a single issue of any leadership periodical come and go without a least one new article on the “art of communication”. It’s not surprising how often the topic of communication receives focus. It is surprising however how often new communication methods, theories and approaches are developed. According to Nitin Nohria, Professor of Business Administration at Harvard, leaders spend between two-thirds and three-quarters of their time communicating. It’s the means by which we gather information, identify problems, causes and solutions, negotiate shared meanings, develop plans, give orders, put things in motion, develop relationships – in short, these things are what a manager’s daily work is all about. Communication, says Nohria, is in fact the real work of leadership. What do you work on that you don’t communicate to others? Regardless of job or industry success for individuals and organisations rises and falls with our ability to clearly and convincingly communicate our knowledge, ideas, solutions and our passions to the minds and hearts of others. Without the vital skill of communication, communication becomes the problem to a leader’s answers. Communication is the Domain of Rhetoric Anyone who has even thought of developing a new communication concept would greatly benefit from simply applying the principles of the “wheel” of rhetoric, for rhetoric itself is the entire faculty of communication. But what is rhetoric and how should leaders utilise it? No single definition of can pin-down rhetoric. As Aristotle declared, rhetoric has no specific territory or subject matter of its own since it is found everywhere. Since its beginnings, rhetoric’s reputation has suffered a troubled traversal of time. From its recognition as the most essential learning of all the arts, it fell in status to the most dangerous of human tools, and yet further still to how John Locke in 1690 referenced it as “the powerful instrument of error and deceit”. Yet rhetoric rose again to be considered the whole range of communication activities for informing, persuading or pleasing. Today, it is again most commonly defined in Aristotle’s terms: “the ability in any situation to discover every possible means of persuasion.”

According to Aristotle, people are convinced only when they receive a logical message, which touches them emotionally and is delivered by a person with credibility. Whether we wish to inform, entertain or persuade, the toolbox of rhetoric contains 5 broad tools: 1. Intellectio – The first principle of communication: “It’s not about you; it’s about them”. Intellectio is the art of understanding your audience and a scientific toolset for doing so. The key to selling any message to any audience at anytime is to first understand what your audience needs to hear and see to accept it. Without knowing what moves and motivates your audience, you are shooting from the hip and shooting in the dark. 2. Inventio, the muscle of rhetoric, is the science of crafting convincing core content. Inventio consists of three specific communication elements: a clear and compelling message supported by convincing audience-centred arguments supported in turn by the right types and quantity of evidence. Argumentation is a critical key. Knowing the three strategies of argumentation and how to use them is pure power. 3. Dispositio – is the science of structuring messages to remove message complexity and ensure crystal clear communication of your content every time. There are five and only five components in any persuasive message. Dispositio is a wickedly effective tool for powerfully structuring the five parts of any persuasive message. 4. Elocutio – Any argument or message without emotion is dead. Both decisions and actions are based on emotion, not reason. Elocutio is the ability to go beyond communicating ideas logically and clearly. It is the power to stimulate emotion, to focus audience attention on or away from things, to deliver messages which are not memorable, but unforgettable, and to trigger audiences to action. Elocutio is the single greatest reason why the greatest communicators are remembered as great. 5. Actio – All studies in communication report that communication doesn’t take place on the word level alone but also through our bodies. In fact, Standford University studies declare that 60-80% of communication emanates from the body itself. Actio goes far beyond good and bad body language habits to include the concepts authenticity, power dynamics, audience connection, and perhaps most importantly, persona projection. Actio is about aligning not just your message and content to your audience but also your physical persona, which necessarily changes in tact with changes in audience. Actio is about understanding who your audience needs to physically see your message come from in order to accept it. Rhetoric and leadership Regardless of its definition, rhetoric is the primary tool by which we manipulate, influence or control the thoughts and actions of other people. Rhetoric is the roadmap we follow when developing any communication designed to create understanding, to challenge attitudes and beliefs, to change behaviours or stimulate action. Through rhetoric we are

able to build organisational momentum for actions we desire and opposition for the actions we wish to block. These skills are critical to us as leaders in our ability to get things done. Ultimately, rhetoric is the ability to choose the thoughts that others will think and the actions they will take. Great leaders understand their audiences. Great leaders understand what moves and motivates them. They understand what they can and cannot hear. Great leaders understand how to send messages through open doors, not push them through walls. Great leaders know there are only 3 ways to reach and persuade an audience: rational, emotional and value-oriented appeals. They know which of these to use, when and how. Great leaders know how to break down messages however complex to make them understandable to those who may not have the same knowledge. Great leaders know how to say what they say to paint passionate, memorable and motivating pictures. They understand that they still lead by example, and that behaviours, actions and decisions are also ways of communicating. These communications must be aligned and consistent with what they say to ensure the credibility necessary for message acceptance. The power of word The truth of the matter is that words have an enormous potential either to make organisational action happen or to prevent it. Without the right words used in the right way, the right actions may never occur. Our ability to lead and take action depends on our ability to use rhetoric as a speaker, a listener and as a leader. Rhetoric is certainly not the only leadership skill but is likely the most critical leadership skill. For those not skilled in rhetoric, communication becomes the problem to their answers.

I  can  win  an  argument  against  any  opponent.    People  know  this  about  me  and  steer  clear  of  me  at  parties.    

Often  as  a  sign  of  their  great  respect,  they  don't  even  invite  me!  Dave  Barry