Adolf Hitler, is most often remembered for his atrocities such as the antagonist responsible for starting the second World War and the massacre of 6 million Jews during the war.
However, not everyone realize that he was actually one of the best practitioner of effective communication in the 20th century. Utilizing his charm and effective communication, Hitler managed to unite the whole of Germany to embark down the road to War.
Here is one of his greatest speeches: Triumph of Will
Look at the way he delivered this speech. He delivered this speech with lots of emotion and passion, as can be seen from his facial expression. In addition, he also effectively made use of body language to help convey his message across.
It is my guess that from the way he delivered his speech, people saw confidence in Hitler. Through Hitler's speech people of Germany found hope and they believed that Hitler was the one to lead Germany to glory.
To date, there are not many people that is able to communicate as effectively as him. The closest we have to date is Barrack Obama. The video below is his inauguration address.
As we can see, there are many similarities between Obama and Hitler, effective use of emotions and body language to bring messages across. Both of them made use of effective communication to make people believe in them, to make people place their hopes on them.
I do hope that through years of practice, I will be able to be as good an effective communicator as them.
UCS1001 MME Tri2 2023-24 Dynamic Thinkers
2 weeks ago
Well...you're right: these guys both achieved amazing heights in their ability to move crowds. Charisma, emotion/passion, and eloquence were certainly attributes of Hitler, and Obama has made incredible strides in the same respect.
ReplyDeleteStill, the very name Hitler makes me nauseous. To utter his name in the same paragraph as Obama's seems like sacrilege.
Thanks for this provocative post.
hello Keldren,
ReplyDeleteI think it's an interesting comparison you made between Hitler and Obama..haha in a slightly disturbing way though. I certainly appreciate the videos as it added to your explanation.
I think body language and personal charisma are certainly very important in public speeches which was fully verified in the 2 examples you gave above. Whenever i see Hitler deliver his speech i am reminded of a stage performer who uses the 'dramatic pause' effectively to capture everyone's attention and create a tension before his speech. In fact, another great speaker is Singapore's very own Mr Lee KY i feel. He was able to explain complicated ideas in a much simpler and accessible way to the crowd which was indeed an admirable skill!
Thanks for sharing and it's very interesting :D
Hey Keldren,
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be quite a fan of Obama! I agree with JingYang that our MM delivers very well too. His speeches in his younger days were full of emotions. I myself find public speaking very intimidating and I really look up to speakers like the above-mentioned ones as well. I hope that my public speaking skills will improve with practice and in a way, I'm just glad NUS puts us through all these presentations so we won't die in some boardroom when we're asked to give an impromptu presentation or something like that.
Cheers!
Hey all thanks for the comments.
ReplyDeleteTo Brad: I guess it is indeed not right to put Obama and Hitler together, but if you try to forget what Hitler did, you do have to admire the way he communicate both verbally and non-verbally. =D
To Jing Yang: I agree that MM Lee Kuan Yew is a great speaker in his early days, especially when one look at his declaration when Singapore became independent which is filled with emotions. However, this few days his speeches are more intellectual rather than emotional, which i guess may be due to the fact that age is catching up on him.
To Roy: Yes! I am a fan of Obama. The way he speaks make me admire him. I agree with you and Jing Yang that MM Lee is a great speaker. And I really have to agree with you that public speaking is very very intimidating, your thoughts get jumbled up and you just can't speak properly(at least for me). That is why I am always seeking opportunities to practice public speaking like you. Lets all work together and "squash" this fear of public speaking!
Cheers!
I think Donald Trump is the modern day Hitler. His message about people is how Hitler to get people to follow him
ReplyDelete