The No Confidence motion is over, the UPA won and the markets are upbeat. Finally the country can get back to business. And as the Finance Minister P. Chidambaram put it smugly, "No reform will be 'Left' out now"...
But despite all the allegations, all the mudslinging and all the treachery that goes with a No Confidence motion, there is one aspect that I highlight here, which is no where political in nature. And that is the superior display of communication skills that one rustic "son of the soil" displayed on Tuesday.
I have always maintained, as my friends will bear testimony, that Laloo Prasad Yadav is one of the best communicators in Indian Politics today. For all the jokes that you may make about him, no matter what Shekhar Suman says, he still can hold an audience rapt. His speech in the House on Thursday bears solid testimony to this fact.
Let me explain my argument by starting with the fundamental question:
What is Communication?
The Oxford Dictionary defines Communication as:
To me communication has nothing to do with command on the language, impressive style, proper grammar or immaculate pronunciation. Communication is getting the message across. Period.
So what makes Laloo an excellent communicator?
I see three distinct points of distinction:
Simplicity: Laloo would make John Maeda [The Laws of Simplicity] and Jack Trout [The Power of Simplicity] exceptionally proud. His language is simple. His ideas are simple. Hence, there is no one who can claim that his oratory is above their level of understanding. So more people understand and appreciate what he says.
Humour: The classic hallmark of all Laloo interactions is his use of humour. I have always maintained that humour is one of the easiest and best attention arresters, the others being sympathy, intimidation and pronography. Lalooji's wisecracks are witty, sarcastic and his unique delivery causes no hostile reactions. So after every joke, everyone's listening to the talk in rapt attention, waiting for the next one coming. Audience attention guaranteed.
[Also no apologies for the spelling of Humour. I learnt English from the British.]
The use of Metaphors: This is the Laloo signature. He can use the most amazing array of metaphors, from ridiculous [comparing Bihar roads to Hema Malini's cheeks] to downright philosophical [comparing the behaviour of the Left to Kalidas, who once cut the branch on which he was perched]. The metaphors stem as an offshoot to the simplicity aspect. Everyone understands the content of the metaphor, everyone understands the context.
A professor of mine once told me, when we were debating our effectiveness as communicators in Business School, "Don't measure yourself by the complex presentations that you give or the superbly fluent language that you use.... rather measure yourself by the ability to explain to the chaiwala [tea stall owner] what you do for a living or what latest management theory you learnt from HBR. If you can do that, you're a great communicator!!"
Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav is a lawyer by qualification. I have no idea whether he's read Aristotle's Rhetoric or ever taken a Public Speaking course. He may not have the polish and diction of Jawaharlal Nehru, the inspiring rhetoric of Martin Luther King or the audience arousal of a Barack Obama. But if he can keep that most unruly of audiences, the politicians in the Lok Sabha, either in total splits or listening in rapt attention, He is a great communicator.... and there's no doubt to that!!
I hope someone uploads his speech to Youtube!! If that happens, the link comes here first!!
Update:
I found it... here it is!! Laloo's Speech on Tuesday!! Too bad if you don't understand Hindi... ask someone to translate it for you... it'll be worth it!!
But despite all the allegations, all the mudslinging and all the treachery that goes with a No Confidence motion, there is one aspect that I highlight here, which is no where political in nature. And that is the superior display of communication skills that one rustic "son of the soil" displayed on Tuesday.
I have always maintained, as my friends will bear testimony, that Laloo Prasad Yadav is one of the best communicators in Indian Politics today. For all the jokes that you may make about him, no matter what Shekhar Suman says, he still can hold an audience rapt. His speech in the House on Thursday bears solid testimony to this fact.
Let me explain my argument by starting with the fundamental question:
What is Communication?
The Oxford Dictionary defines Communication as:
communication
• noun 1 the action of communicating. 2 a letter or message. 3 (communications) means of sending or receiving information, such as telephone lines or computers. 4 (communications) means of travelling or of transporting goods, such as roads or railways.
My definition of communication is "the transfer of a message to the reciever of communication, such that he understands it".
To me communication has nothing to do with command on the language, impressive style, proper grammar or immaculate pronunciation. Communication is getting the message across. Period.
So what makes Laloo an excellent communicator?
I see three distinct points of distinction:
Simplicity: Laloo would make John Maeda [The Laws of Simplicity] and Jack Trout [The Power of Simplicity] exceptionally proud. His language is simple. His ideas are simple. Hence, there is no one who can claim that his oratory is above their level of understanding. So more people understand and appreciate what he says.
Humour: The classic hallmark of all Laloo interactions is his use of humour. I have always maintained that humour is one of the easiest and best attention arresters, the others being sympathy, intimidation and pronography. Lalooji's wisecracks are witty, sarcastic and his unique delivery causes no hostile reactions. So after every joke, everyone's listening to the talk in rapt attention, waiting for the next one coming. Audience attention guaranteed.
[Also no apologies for the spelling of Humour. I learnt English from the British.]
The use of Metaphors: This is the Laloo signature. He can use the most amazing array of metaphors, from ridiculous [comparing Bihar roads to Hema Malini's cheeks] to downright philosophical [comparing the behaviour of the Left to Kalidas, who once cut the branch on which he was perched]. The metaphors stem as an offshoot to the simplicity aspect. Everyone understands the content of the metaphor, everyone understands the context.
A professor of mine once told me, when we were debating our effectiveness as communicators in Business School, "Don't measure yourself by the complex presentations that you give or the superbly fluent language that you use.... rather measure yourself by the ability to explain to the chaiwala [tea stall owner] what you do for a living or what latest management theory you learnt from HBR. If you can do that, you're a great communicator!!"
Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav is a lawyer by qualification. I have no idea whether he's read Aristotle's Rhetoric or ever taken a Public Speaking course. He may not have the polish and diction of Jawaharlal Nehru, the inspiring rhetoric of Martin Luther King or the audience arousal of a Barack Obama. But if he can keep that most unruly of audiences, the politicians in the Lok Sabha, either in total splits or listening in rapt attention, He is a great communicator.... and there's no doubt to that!!
I hope someone uploads his speech to Youtube!! If that happens, the link comes here first!!
Update:
I found it... here it is!! Laloo's Speech on Tuesday!! Too bad if you don't understand Hindi... ask someone to translate it for you... it'll be worth it!!
