Posted by “…to stand up and say that we are one nation. We are one people. And our time for change has come.” These expressions were made by a man, at a time when the stage was getting set for his ascension as the first US Black President.
Back then, social media was in a fledgling state. Innovation was at its peak. The Silicon Valley had carved a niche for itself as a hub for entrepreneurs. But, it was the effective campaign of Barack Obama that led to a paradigm shift globally as far as the use of social media as a strategic tool is concerned. Innovative learning transcended borders, thanks to the successful deployment of this social media technology. And thus born was a leader, who ushered in popularity to a nascent social media that citizens globally were able to relate to with ease. Tweets, posts, emoticons, and other aspects of this technology started getting explored in a way that was beyond imagination. So, the new electoral strategy not only paid off but unleashed the power of a personality, who was able to offer experiential lessons on what it takes to connect with people (the ultimate decision-makers or destiny crafters). What the use of social media technology reflected was the leader’s willingness to allow his dissection in every conceivable way. How he talked, how he walked (swagger?), what he said, and his mannerism were captured in a way that it was possible to dictate the course of a social learning revolution, perhaps?
Therefore, it is not going to be a surprise to note that 93% of human communication is delivered through body language. For Obama, the ability to speak, intonate, and connect with an audience that is dispersed and diverse is what made him a unanimous choice to the most coveted job/role in the universe!
Paul Ekman, one of the world’s renowned psychologists and the brain behind the ‘atlas of emotions’ terminology has earned the title of the ‘Buddha of body language’. Automated facial recognition technology owes its origin to the 7 universal facial expressions that Ekman discovered. What the technology does is to map complex interactions on face, measuring the degree of expressions to the most granular level possible. Such a methodology has been deployed in areas such as security (checks at airports), food industry, and market research agencies.
In 2005, Princeton University conducted an experiment that could determine the competency and confidence of persons based on facial expressions. What the test revealed was that over 70% of those with a confident façade emerged as electoral winners in various functions of governance. Similarly, a voice case study of former British Premier – the late Margaret Thatcher – by well-known impressionist Steve Nallon was able to highlight the ‘unique experiences’ of the lady leader while speaking at the House of Commons.
Read Here: Some more lessons on the importance of a positive body language in a corporate environment.
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Nallon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Ekman
http://www.ekmaninternational.com/paul-ekman-international-plc-home/training-courses.aspx
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/jan/04/timeforchangehascome
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/03/us/politics/03obama-transcript.html?_r=0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqsAhmTn7n4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFLjudWTuGQ