When it comes to utilising the power of brilliant communication, France’s President Macron has commendably been showing the way.
This comes amidst the flames and ashes of tragic circumstances for South America and for the entire planet.
Emmanuel Macron has focused increased global attention in a masterly manner – and prompted action inside and outside Brazil in various ways – on the largely human-ignited tragedy of the flaming Amazon rainforests.
The president achieved this by effectively conveying a powerful, urgent, cleverly-crafted message – to underline the importance of taking urgent action for the sake of the whole world.
Much has been said by many on what appears to be the largely deliberate outbreak of fires engulfing much of South America.
There’s an enormous reservoir of understandable international goodwill towards the Amazon rain forest upon which Emmanuel Macron has been able to draw.
This extends from those for whom the Amazon enjoys a favoured place in their heart – even though they’re yet to experience it…
… and it embraces all those who live in and around the Amazon…
… as well as those who’ve had the immense privilege of being temporarily enmeshed in the splendour of the rainforest, such as the intrepid Amazonian explorer pictured in happier Brazilian days below, inland from Rio de Janiero.
It was President Macron’s breakthrough message – originally encapsulated in single carefully-worded tweet – that did much to propel action at an international level.
“Our house is burning. Literally. The Amazon rainforest – the lungs which produces 20 percent of our planet’s oxygen – is on fire,” he tweeted.
This dramatic central message has been encapsulated in all President Macron’s various communications on the issue.
Other world leaders – from Boris Johnson to Angela Merkel – were subsequently quick to support the cause.
So, too, were big names from the non-political world such as Christiano Ronaldo….
…And Madonna
Even the alleged arch environmental villain, Brazilian President Jair Bolsanaro – held by environmentalists to have been encouraging farmers to start the fires – was grudgingly moved to marginally shift position and send in Brazilian troops to help tackle the multitudinous blazes.
President Macron’s simple analogies involving “our house” and “the lungs” are founded on a powerful combination of both truth-based rationality and emotion.
Another prominent president – who’s better known for his tweets, though less so for his enthusiasm towards environmental protection and tackling climate change – often gets attention through pure emotion.
But I suspect many, including even some of his slightly more cerebral supporters, might agree that his balancing between rationality and emotion isn’t always evident in his tweets.
When I’m working with clients to help them formulate the right message for a situation, I stress that it’s vital to get the balance between rationality and emotion exactly right.
Here’s a free purple-coloured extract from the book “Great Answers To Tough Questions” which explains it – with the help of a diagram of a train…
“Excellent communication involves a balance between facts and emotion.
If it’s all factual, your content could be seen as too dry and dull.
If it’s all emotional, your content could be seen as hysterical and out-of-control.
You can think of a great message as being like a train speeding along the tracks towards its destination.
The tracks guide the direction of the train’s journey.
They represent the factual underpinning of the message.
We can regard this as the GUIDANCE element.
But the train needs some kind of energy to allow it to move.
This energy – diesel, electricity or steam – allows the train to progress. The energy represents the emotional content of the message.
We can regard this as the PUSH element.
The train won’t get anywhere without both elements – tracks and energy.
Your message won’t get anywhere without both elements – GUIDANCE and PUSH.
This allows you to satisfy both minds and hearts!”
President Macron’s tweet provides a powerful effective example of this.
The whole of Great Answers To Tough Questions At Work, and more than 50 reviews (thanks reviewers!), is available in the UK here:
And it’s is available around the world – in paperback, kindle, talking book, CD and MP3 form – with more reviews (more thanks reviewers!) here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0857086391/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_B9szDb2FGVPWN
Working with you to determine your central message – and how to bring it to life – form an essential part of one-to-one and group sessions on media training.
http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/media-master-classes/
And message formulation is also a vital part of one-to-one and group sessions on Presenting With Confidence, Impact and Pizzazz:
http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/presenting-with-confidence-impact-and-pizzazz/
Helping audiences know how to determine their central messages are also woven into communication-boosting keynotes at your conference.
http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/speaking-at-your-event/
Conference keynotes can also include showing your audience the techniques used by specific high profile communicators.
This helps your audience identify that which is effective about what the star communicators do – and what’s not – when studying what they do in the spotlight.
Before the keynote we can select which are the most appropriate high profile performers for your audience to look at.
In the field of business that could focus on the media skills of Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson.
Or in the field of international affairs a keynote could even focus on the communications skills of Emmanuel Macron himself.
