I rarely see movies in the theater these days. Between the
current pace of my life and an ever shortening grace period past opening
weekend that the cinemas provide us these days, I always feel like the moves I
want to see are already gone from the theater by the time I get around to
seeing them. This means that I’m almost always a bit out of those casual chats
among friends that inevitably feature talk of the latest film, the latest Big
Game or the latest whatever.
So, you’ll have to indulge me when I talk about the firm The
King’s Speech, which is probably, for most of you, ancient history. Anyway,
recently I watched the film on demand and found it to be full of lessons on
disruptive technologies and communications. A topic I love so much that I felt
compelled to write something about it.
Enough preamble, then.
If you’ve see the film then you may remember King George V’s
rant to his stuttering son, Prince Albert (later King George VI), about radio:
"This devilish
device will change everything if you don’t.
In the past, all a king had to do was look respectable in uniform and
not fall off his horse. Now we must invade people’s homes and speak, ingratiate
ourselves with them. This family is reduced to those lowest, basest of all
creatures. We’ve become . . .actors!"
In this scene George V is anguishing over the fact that the
new technology of radio was now a force to be reckoned with. In fact, radio
becomes the primary antagonist of the story, challenging the speech-impeded
Prince Albert to hone new speech skills and overcome the obstacles that had
previously held him back.
This story undeniably demonstrates the powerful connection
between emerging technologies and the unique human communications skills
required to master each new innovation. While we often focus on the
possibilities that new technologies, like social media, provide; not enough
attention, I would suggest, is focused on developing the softer skills and
methods required to communicate successfully.
Consider Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats, which were broadcast on
radio in the 1930’s. One of FDR’s
overarching goals was to bring America out of the Great Depression and to
restore confidence in the American people.
To achieve this goal, FDR used radio to communicate in a way that no
other president had ever attempted. FDR
brought new meaning to the term "fireside chats" as he addressed the major
issues of the day. His informal and
relaxed approach helped him gain direct access into the American living room,
where he could calm the fears and restore the confidence of Americans. The
genius of this approach is that Roosevelt was able to harness the technology of
radio to reshape political communication into a family discussion about kitchen
table issues.
Following the era of radio, television played during the
Nixon and Kennedy debates of the 1960’s.
For the first time, Americans could watch the debates instead of simply
listening to them on the radio. Using
the medium of television for this debate gave Kennedy a clear advantage. The majority of viewers who listened to the
debates on the radio thought Nixon the winner. Those who watched on TV chose
Kennedy. Kennedy not only had the
advantage of natural appeal, but he also wore television make-up to enhance his
appearance. Nixon looked thin and pale
in comparison to Kennedy, and his refusal to wear make-up did not help matters.
Kennedy effectively used his telegenics to communicate both verbally and
nonverbally in a personable way. This in turn gave a persuasive quality and
credibility to his ideas. In fact, it is the age of television that brought us
actual actors as political leaders; George V’s prediction has literally true.
Similar to Kennedy in 1960, Obama’s use of the Internet in
the 2008 Presidential election heralded a new era of digital. The Obama team has been credited for having "written
the playbook on how to use YouTube for political campaigns." Beyond just
recycle campaign TV commercials onto the Internet, an entirely new type of
video content (different message, length, production values, voice,
tone)…created specifically for the YouTube environment and audience.
Looking ahead to 2012, it is interesting to ponder what the
impacts of social media (in its relative infancy in 2008) will be on the types
of political candidates who will be successful in the face of this new reality.
A whole new script will need to be written. In fact, the script will probably
be tossed altogether. The social age and its instant/always-on style of access
will require from successful political leaders more transparency, more honesty
and a sharpness of mind. To those candidates cursing their Twitter accounts as
"devilish devices", remember the lessons of King George VI.
Now, I’m going to stop writing this as I may have enough
time to catch the matinee of the Hangover Part II before it’s gone.