Power Of The Spoken Word: The Lesson From Hitler

Paint him as the biggest villain in human history if you please, but give the devil his due. Adolf Hitler was a deeply perceptive person with a keen understanding of human psychology. That he could mobilise masses by playing to their emotions with such scientific precision is a tribute to his genius. He was the master choreographer who rarely failed to make ordinary folks dance to a tune.

Why are we discussing Hitler? Well, oratory is the prime mover of public sentiment and politics in our times. And the German dictator surely knew a thing or two about its potential as a tool of psychological manipulation. In his autobiography, Mein Kampf, he draws a comparison between the written word and the spoken word. We mention them in fragments here.

“…all formidable events which have changed the aspect of the world were carried through, not by the written but by the spoken word…”

“It is out of the question that the French Revolution could have been carried into effect by philosophizing theories if they had not an army of agitators led by demagogues of the grand style…The same happened in the case of the gigantic Bolshevik revolution…It was not due to writers on Lenin’s side but to the oratorical activities of those who preached the doctrine of hatred and that of the innumerable small and great orators who took part in the agitation.”

He was convinced that the writer hardly had the same direct emotional impact on the masses as the demagogue had, because while ”the writer does not know the reader at all’, the orator can feel the pulse of his audience and innovate.

Perhaps here’s a lesson for our politicians trying to change the political status quo: They must speak to the masses skillfully, and effectively instead of depending on teams of writers to do the job. Writers, for all their skills, have limited bandwidth. They cater to a small group of people, and the impact of their writing is never immediately apparent. Not so the case of a speaker communicating directly with a live audience. He is like a brilliant stage artist who can judge from the reaction of the crowd whether he has lost them or kept them engaged and enthused. In case of the former, he would shift either the tone of his speech, its direction or the topic altogether.

It’s not a skill easy to master. Wit, sarcasm, humour and earnestness must be in the right mix to provide gravitas to messaging. Some are born with it and some improve with meticulous practice. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a natural at it while most of his contemporaries in politics have developed the skill over time. The difference is while the latter can engage their audience at rallies at the most, the former can hold them in thrall.

However, capturing the attention of an audience cannot be a poll time exercise only. Polls don’t happen every other day. To keep a positive public perception about themselves going on a continuous basis, parties need to have a team of smart spokespersons to occupy the media space. Print media, as we have mentioned earlier, have a restricted reach; television reaches much wider, as do social media which can accommodate text, audio and visuals on a single platform and be interactive as well. It requires skill to be a good spokesperson as well as a social media communicator. Spokespersons must be confident, well-informed and quick in delivering a rebuttal or defending the party. Since they articulate the party’s stand on policy and ideological matters and spearhead the attack on political rivals, they need to think on their feet.

The BJP, always serious about correct and positive communication, has been particular about having on board people who can hold their own during debates and at press meets. Not so in the case of Congress. Despite having knowledgeable people to present its views, it has not managed to groom a bunch of spokespersons to speak coherently on its ideology or policies. One of the major factors behind its ouster from power more than a decade ago was its inability to connect to the masses through competent communication. Party leaders spoke at cross purposes on matters of public and national import and the message on ideological position on issues was never clear. Not much has changed ever since. A good beginning in the revival effort for the Grand Old Party would be to have a team of sharp spokespersons in all languages. It can take a cue from its biggest rival, the BJP.

The power of the spoken word has been acknowledged across civilisations and ages. Hitler may not have been original in his acknowledgement of it; his genius lies in making a successful experiment on a huge scale out of it. Of course, the world knows the dangerous consequences of using demagoguery to flare emotions and spread hatred. Hitler’s Nazi Germany is a case in point. But political players serious about surviving in their cut-throat world can only ignore it at their own peril.