Kenya's Foreign Affairs and International Trade cabinet secretary Amina
Mohamed during a press conference on the sidelines of the tenth
ministerial conference at the KICC on December 15, 2015. Her ability to
move beyond written talking points to extemporaneously deliver
articulately no doubt makes her a great communicator. PHOTO | DIANA
NGILA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
We are in the age of communication and those who communicated
effectively in 2015 greatly increased their influence while those who
failed ended up losing credibility and goodwill.
This
year’s list was compiled with the help of persons outside the formal
practice of communication who utilised social media and popular online
survey platforms to submit their nominations.
The list is diverse and uses specific examples and tangible take-aways.
Hopefully, readers will use it as a teaching moment and pick lessons.
Great communicators analyse and understand their audience then craft and creatively deliver pertinent messages.
Most
times they receive positive feedback expressed through the audience
engaging in a desired course of action, and even when an audience
disagrees, great communicators will have gained enough goodwill for the
audience holding opposing views to give consideration to their
propositions.
In 2015, the following persons
epitomised the attributes of credibility, authenticity, great delivery,
deep knowledge, likeability, humility and passionate delivery that makes
for great communicators.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS
Foreign Secretary Amina Mohammed
Firm, versatile diplomacy.
Kenya’s top diplomat tops the list this year, and rightly so.
She has been the epitome of consistency and versatility when addressing diverse audiences and manages to always be on-message.
Amb Mohammeddisplayed
that rare ability of being able to communicate a strong point of view
even to opposing audiences without condescending or becoming a
polarising figure.
Her ability to
internalise key messages and move beyond written talking points to
extemporaneously deliver articulately no doubt makes her a great
communicator.
She was clearly a lady in charge and effectively deployed her communication abilities to back her up.
****
President Barack Obama
Inspirational, aspirational conversation
When
Air Force One landed at the JKIA and President Obama jogged down the
long stairway, much scrutiny would be on his verbal and non-verbal
communication during his tour.
The First African American President who traced his roots to Kenya was in a sense “coming home.”
His
tour was carefully themed as “a focus to the future as opposed to the
past” and by the time he stood up to speak to the Kenyan people on his
final day at Kasarani, this theme became more evident.
President Obama’s speech was a masterful fusion of substance and great delivery connecting with the Kenyan people.
He was able to speak hard truths without appearing patronising to his hosts.
****
Pope Francis
Pope Francis
Humble, firm, compassionate delivery.
When
the plane christened “Shepherd One” landed in Nairobi, Kenyan’s were
formally introduced to Pope Francis’s considerate communication style.
He displayed great humility, exhibited good knowledge of the country and its challenges.
His
tour was designed to fit with his overall agenda of accessibility to
the least among us and it was no surprise that he declined any lavish
state dinner and avoided a huge motorcade.
When
he stood to deliver his sermon or speech, his conversational style and
manner combined with a bold message on social justice appealing to the
better side of Kenyans was proof that you don’t have to raise your voice
to communicate and connect.
****
President John Magufuli
President John Magufuli
Authentic and passionate.
When
the Tanzanian governing party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) nominated Dr
John Magufuli as its Presidential Candidate it came as a surprise to
many.
When he eventually hit the
campaign, his stump speech was a masterful fusion of a change message,
hopeful future and a promise to break from the past.
His
authentic passionate delivery backed up with a narrative of his
hardworking scandal-free public service track record greatly enhanced
his credibility.
His direct
communication style, message and passionate delivery made him appear
like an insurgent leading an uprising from within the CCM and his slogan
‘Hapa Kazi Tu’ (all about working) elevated him to the presidency.
Tanzania President John
Magufuli addresses his countrymen. His authentic passionate delivery
backed up with a narrative of his hardworking scandal-free public
service track record greatly enhanced his credibility. PHOTO | AFP
****
Ms Amina Hashi
Ms Amina Hashi
Young, knowledgeable and confident communicator.
If you have never heard of this young land law expert, well, make sure to look out for her in the coming year.
She
is clearly a great legal mind who combined good communication abilities
with deep knowledge on land issues to carve a niche for herself and,
despite her relative youth, has achieved quite a lot.
Amina
easily uses her systematic communication style to speak with authority,
while deploying an expressive voice that makes you want to listen.
Her
ability to synthesise and simplify complex legal land issues and
communicate the same to audiences that may lack a legal background is
the stuff good communicators are made of.
****
Dr David Ndii
Transforming complex to simple.
One
ability great communicators possess is the ability to transform complex
concepts or subjects into simple to understand messages.
This
Rhodes scholar and Eisenhower fellow who holds a doctorate in Economics
from the University of Oxford has managed to break free from the
“experts curse” (when experts deploy technical language, which a
majority fails to understand).
His
opinions may be controversial, but even his critics admit that he has
effectively been able to break down economics into a simple to
understand subject.
Combine the fact
that he is a passionate speaker who uses techniques like stories and
imagery to pass across his message and you can bet audiences keen to
listen to his presentations will certainly grow in 2016.
****
Inspector General Joseph Boinett
Inspector General Joseph Boinett
Articulate, Systematic steady under pressure.
Professional and credible communication is of essence when it comes to a country’s security communication.
Historically
the appointees to the chief of police position in Kenya have been poor
communicators, with few exceptions like the Former Police Commissioner’s
Maj Gen Ali.
The nomination and
eventual confirmation of Inspector General Joseph Boinnet introduced
Kenyans to an IG who clearly articulated his agenda for the service as
that of building a people centered police service.
Since
assuming office his confidence in his communication ability has
steadily grown as evidenced by his Town Hall meetings across the country
and in subsequent media appearances.
****
Charles Kanjama
A compelling, versatile and engaging speaker.
It
is not everyday you come across a lawyer who can quote Shakespeare, St
Augustine of Hippo and Pope Francis in one sentence while analysing and
trying to give sense to current affairs.
Kanjama,
a lawyer, writer and speaker is a spirited communicator who uses
stories, analogies, references, humour and synthetic parallelism to make
his analysis or speeches come alive.
His
ability to analyse and synthesise diverse subjects into coherent
narratives deployed in a steady expressive voice makes him a great
communicator.
****
Ms Anzetse Were
Great delivery (mastery of content and language).
Anzetse is a development economist and the author of Drivers of Violence: Male Disempowerment in the African Context.
She
has been able to masterfully combine her work in gender programming and
her economic consulting with a masterful ability to communicate.
On
matters of gender programming and rights advocacy her direct
communication style can be termed as hard-hitting yet bearing compassion
and is non-condescending while in her economic analyses and
dispositions she comes across as personable and objective using each
speaking opportunity or media appearance as a moment to instigate
debate.
Anzetse is an articulate analyst who has helped to bring back proper diction on Television debates.
****
Police Spokesman Charles Owino
Steady, calm.
The Kenya Police spokesperson’s office in recent years had lost its credibility.
A
Police spokesperson’s role is to articulate to the public matters
security and it requires the holder to exhibit a high level of knowledge
on technical security matters, possess great communication skills
ultimately enhancing their credibility and generating goodwill for the
National Police Service.
Charles Owino has proved to be a master of the visual, vocal and verbal aspects of delivery.
His
understanding of the visual aspects of communication and mastery of the
stagecraft of presentation saw him deploy good posture, a compelling
demeanour, good dressing, the ability to command attention, great eye
contact and utilised appropriate authoritative and confident gestures.
POOR COMMUNICATORS
Mutahi Ngunyi
Intellectual arrogance and dishonesty.
True intellectuals are like a mirror.
They
not only reflect society; but when they see something wrong in the
image, they strive to correct the aspects which are out of place.
They
do this through communicating tested peer reviewed theories/opinions or
proffering solutions that fall within the ethical standards of
scholarship.
Mutahi Ngunyi took to
social media to present assertions and opinions without including peer
reviewed evidence and eventually some of his Ad Hominem attacks on
certain political personalities and constituencies were called out as
dishonest scholarship.
****
Hon Moses Kuria
Hon Moses Kuria
Arrogant and grossly Inappropriate Communication.
The
Gatundu Member of Parliament epitomises the fact that irresponsible,
inappropriate communication coming from an elected leader can destroy a
reputation.
As he continued to fight
charges of hate speech, he also embarked on a media appearance circuit
in which his hubris, unrepentant, bloviating and arrogant disposition
crowned him the villain among elected Kenyan politicians.
To cap it all, it couldn’t get worse than when Hon Kuria walked out of a live TV interview protesting some tough questioning.
****
George Aladwa
George Aladwa
Confrontational, Hostile Communication.
The
former Mayor of Nairobi may not hold any elected office these days, but
his influence as a leader demands that his communication is beyond
reproach.
His confrontational, hostile words uttered at a public rally have ensured that he is also fighting charges of hate speech.
Responsible
communication by political leaders demands that they must continually
conduct a wide audience analysis which not only focuses on the
situational context but also the entire national context in order to
frame a message which will not be deemed inappropriate.
****
David Matsanga
Being a jack of all subjects diminishes credibility
In the field of human Communication people are more likely to be persuaded when a source presents itself as credible.
The
proliferation of Media in Kenya has introduced the phenomenon of
‘experts,’ some who have maintained their credibility due to the fact
that their credentials are well known.
‘Dr’
David Matsanga who introduced himself repeatedly as a Pan-Africanist
with a doctorate in Psychology has spoken on diverse topics.
In
some of the discussions he came across, as clearly out of his depth to
the viewing audience, a most recent example being a discussion on the
Kenyan Eurobond.
****
Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich
Uncertain, negative non-verbal communication.
Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich’s uncertain, wavering communication style failed to inspire confidence this year.
While
The National Treasury faced numerous questions, which required robust,
credible responses from its chief executive, his public speaking
performance was largely unsatisfactory.
He failed to elevate his rhetoric by moving beyond the prepared talking points.
When
under pressure, he revealed his negative non-verbal cues, from closed
and defensive hand gestures to limited eye contact and nervous body
shifts.
****
Presidential Strategic Communication Unit (PSCU)
Un-strategic disjointed communication.
Strategic
Communication within the context of governance can be defined as
infusing communication efforts with a clear policy agenda and master
plan or the deliberate orchestrated use of channels of communication to
move and influence policy or promote an administration’s agenda.
So why did the Presidential Strategic Communication Unit (PSCU) engage in un-strategic seemingly disjointed communication?
****
The Elite Kenyan Athlete
Poor pre and post-race interviews.
The race is coming down to the wire, and up ahead the ultimate price looms.
With
history beckoning another Kenyan athlete gradually pulls ahead and
crosses the finish line securing yet another win for Kenya.
Then comes the moment many are awaiting; a chance to speak to the world.
The interviewer asks questions and the Kenyan athlete struggles to frame a coherent, articulate response.
This scenario was replicated numerous times in 2015.
****
Parliament of Kenya
Scandals unexplained and poor quality of debate.
Even
as the Kenyan national debt and annual deficits increased due to
spending increases and no cuts plus little tax revenues, Parliament grew
more fractured, partisan and limited with ideas.
Kenya’s
parliament was described as lacking depth in it’s debates, and it also
faced serious accusations of bribery among parliamentary committee
members.
The august House did not effectively communicate to respond to it’s biggest scandal.
****
Heshan De Silva
Poster Child for an inconsistent Narrative and loss of Credibility.
Heshan
burst onto the public scene billed as a venture capitalist and young
billionaire who had overcome drugs and depression while on his journey
to success.
It was a good story
delivered masterfully and combined with powerful motivational anecdotes,
he was soon all over our television screens and eventually joined the
lucrative paid speaking circuit commanding six figure-sums per speech.
****
Steve Mbogo
Deceitful communication.
The common trait in many deceitful communicators is evasion, obfuscation and plain distortion of their narratives.
A
young man was introduced as a celebrity millionaire, with political
ambitions and no sooner had the spotlight shone on him than his tower of
cards started crumbling.
As the year
ends some media outlets are reporting that he plagiarised his resume,
and some of the organisations he claimed board membership are
threatening to sue him for lying.
No comments :
Post a Comment