The fallacy of the big speech

President Zelensky has been demonstrating to us all over the last two weeks the power of language; the power of communication. I’m sure like me you have been listening to his dispatches with a mixture of awe, respect and horror.

It can be easy for leaders in all spheres to imagine that an ability to craft and deliver a big speech is an essential component of good leadership. It is certainly the narrative that many people sell. However, is it correct? Is this what really sets good leaders apart?

Well, we can turn to some interesting insight from the world of sport to shed light on this.

Sam Walker is a Wall Street Journal editor with a passion for sport bordering on obsession. Several years ago, he set out to answer one of the most keenly debated questions in sport: what are the greatest teams of all time? Applying a detailed and complex formula, he identified the 16 most dominant teams. Across world sport. Having done this, he decided to try and answer the next most keenly debated question in sport – what is it about these teams that made them so successful? What did they have in common which drove their sustained success? As Sam dug more deeply, a pattern emerged. One which surprised Sam, and even slightly annoyed him. Because what seemed to be the consistent factor was the captain in each of these teams. Somehow this seemed a bit too basic, a bit too easy.

The next surprise was in the characteristics of these captains. They differed in multiple ways from what our general perception is of a ‘great’ leader. One of these areas was how they communicated.

When we think of how to inspire performance in those we lead through our communication, the common image is that of a powerful speechmaker. Someone who can inspire and motivate through their compelling and influential words.  This is not what Sam found though. As he says in his book, The Captain Class: “it was here, in this regard, that the captains…deviated the furthest from our image of what makes an eminent leader. These men and women were not silver-tongued orators or fiery motivators. They didn’t like giving speeches. In fact, they made a point of avoiding them.”

So, what is it that they did do?

The answer was short-burst, high-energy communications.

Not only this, they used much more than just words. They used tone. They used body language. And they made sure they were engaged, focused, and energised.

Sam details some explosive insight from his ring-side seat during a 2016 basketball game between the New Orleans Pelicans, and the San Antonio Spurs (one of his top 16 teams). He had come to watch how captain Tim Duncan communicated with his players. Tim was someone with a less than exciting public persona, and certainly did not consider himself a vocal leader. Throughout the game, whilst on the surface the captain appeared contained and calm, what stood out for Sam was Tim’s eyes. He continually used them to communicate with his teammates and officials and convey powerful meaning. Whether that be shock (at a referee call), delivering a key message to a player, or observing everything going on. Everything was calculated, all powerful, he never broke eye contact, and he listened as much as he talked. When one player, Parker, was benched by the coach, Gregg Popovich, at the next break Duncan sprang into action. As Sam Walker tells it, Duncan hurried off the court, walked straight over to Parker, put a hand on his head, and lifted it up in order to lock eyes with him. Asking him ‘You okay?’ Once Parker had nodded, Duncan held the pose and gaze for about three seconds; only then did he take his seat.

Not only does the story above highlight the importance of consistent, regular, impactful communication, it also highlights the different ways in which we communicate.

We communicate through three channels: verbals; non-verbals (body language); and tone. The impact of each of these is hotly contested (not least due to general misunderstanding of the initial research carried out in this area by Dr Albert Mehrabian, a pioneer researcher of body language in the 1950s); what is generally accepted is that all three channels have a powerful impact in terms of what messages people receive. And where these messages are conflicting, body language and tone can have a disproportionate effect. Imagine someone talking to you, delivering a gentle, kind message. If they are using an aggressive tone, and aggressive body language alongside their words, it is likely that you will react more to the tone and body language, than to the message.

In our country now we are hearing most of President Zelensky’s messages through a translator; the power of his message via his demeanour and body language however is coming through loud and clear, along with the words he is using. Not only that, his actions (and courage) are undoubtedly speaking just as loud as his words. We wish him and his country all the best.

For more on this or any aspect of leadership, with a healthy dose of mindset, sport, and I hope usefulness thrown in, do feel free to browse through all the articles in the Huddle, or get in touch with me directly on catherine@sportandbeyond.co.uk. And I highly recommend a read of Sam’s book, the Captain Class, which can be bought from Amazon and all good bookshops.