PM Jacinda Adern. Suggested reading: Nobel Prize for a noble woman and PM New Zealand: ‘The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion, and sympathy are just like one body’
Source: Development Academy UK
World leaders have the ability to inspire us, motivate us, shock us and even scare us – there is tremendous power in great public speaking. But despite the fact that they make frequent public appearances and speeches some world leaders haven’t ‘cracked the code’ and don’t hit the right mark when they’re addressing their nation.We have analysed more than 100 hours of footage from press conferences, assemblies, political events and other public appearances over the last 12 months to rank the most eloquent world leaders based on their communication and public speaking skills.
1. Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand
Jacinda Ardern employs an empathetic leadership style very effectively She challenges the common perception that emotional communication shows weakness, instead choosing to approach the public with a softer, emotionally mature touch which makes her very relatable. She has a measured and authoritative sincerity about her – she is kind and compassionate, without shying away from tough issues which makes her a highly engaging and trustworthy public speaker.
2. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
Angela Merkel has received high praise for her handling of the coronavirus, in particular her crisis communication skills, and this is well deserved. She is direct, calm and controlled. She projects confidence and experience at a time that this is in short supply, by keeping gestures to a minimum and her tone of voice even.
3. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India
The Indian Prime Minister is rightly hailed as an exceptional public speaker, for several reasons.Mr Modi engages very well with his audience, using plenty of eye contact and positive body language to help convey his messages. He also varies his tone of voice perfectly to keep his audience interested and engaged.
4. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Mr Trudeau is a very clear speaker, which allows him to connect with people easily.Occasionally cheeky and charming, he is always very well presented which gives him a good platform to work from.He is easy to understand, his tone and pace are good and he exudes confidence.
5. Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland
Nicola Sturgeon has received a lot of praise for her response to the coronavirus pandemic and it’s not hard to see why.She is clear, calm and compassionate. She is not afraid to be tough or emotional, and has a great sense of humour.There’s no sense of performance with Sturgeon – she is very real.