Affiliate News - 11/23/2020 (Plain Text Version)
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FEATURED ARTICLE THE NEW PEACE LINGUISTICS AND POSITIVE LEADERSHIP LANGUAGE Andy Curtis, Graduate School of Education, Anaheim University, California, USA
From Peaceful Language to Peace Linguistics Although the idea of Peace Linguistics (PL) has been around for decades (Curtis 2020), for most of that time, the focus in PL was on using language in ways that help people to feel respected and honored and on avoiding language that might make people feel ‘bad,’ i.e., disrespected or dishonored. Therefore, the goal of the earlier versions of PL was to prevent conflict by promoting positive language use. At that time, the advice was mostly directed to teachers and learners of English as a foreign or second language. Although that advice was a useful starting point, the original PL did not usually address the language used by those people who are in the best position to help bring about peace – or to start wars. Therefore, a New Peace Linguistics (NPL) was developed based on in-depth linguistic analyses of the language of world leaders and others who have the power to de-escalate or to escalate tensions on a national, international, or even on a global scale through the spoken and written language that they choose to use (Curtis, 2020). The COVID-19 worldwide pandemic of 2020 –in which (as of mid-July) more than 13 million people have been infected and well over half-a-million people have died – has focused the attention of NPL practitioners on the language of leaders in times of crisis. For these practitioners, a key question has become: During a global health crisis, what kind of language do leaders use, and not use, to help de-escalate tensions and to promote a positive, peaceful outcome, even in the midst of panic? Learning from the Leadership Language of New Zealand’s Prime Minister: A Linguistic Role Model One leader who has caught the attention of the international news media for her leadership communication style in times of crisis is the New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, who was elected in 2017, at just 37 years of age, making her one of the youngest national leaders in the world. Ardern is also known as only the second world leader to give birth while in office (the first was the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto). The first leader ever to attend a United Nations assembly with her infant child (in 2018). In terms of language and leadership, in an article titled ‘Why We Should All Learn from Jacinda Ardern,’ New Zealand-born CEO Malcolm Poynton (2020) stated that during the COVID-19 pandemic there: “Ardern’s real knack [skill or ability to do something successfully] has been to unite the country through language” (emphasis added). Describing the local landscape in New Zealand during the pandemic, Poynton observed that: “You see the words ‘Be Kind’ on motorway signs and even hear ‘Be kind’ become part of the political discourse … Ardern’s compassionate tone as a leader is breeding compassion amongst others … As a great communicator, Ardern’s regular daily briefings are a lesson in transparency, and consistency” (Poynton, 2020). Ponyton’s observations highlight a number of important points, the first of which comes under the heading of ‘Leading by Example,’ in New Zealand’s case, from the mouth of the Prime Minister to highway signs and talks show hosts. Leading by example is an important reminder that, from a very young age, we generally learn what we see and hear those around us doing and saying. For example, if a parent tells a child to ‘play nice’ with a sibling, but then that same parent is seen berating someone angrily, then whatever the parent’s reason for doing that, the child is far more likely to remember the berating behavior they witnessed than the ‘play nice’ advice they were told. As MIT research fellow Michael Schrage (2016) put it, in the title of his article in the Harvard Business Review: ‘Like It or Not, You Are Always Leading by Example’. Reflecting on his years of leadership experience, Schrage (2016) wrote that: “In over 15 years of asking, no one has ever said they can’t, don’t, or won’t lead by example. To the contrary, executives always … volunteer lead-by-example stories and vignettes”. And in terms of the relationships between our words and our actions, ‘Do as we say, not as we do’ may be one of the most unhelpful and most unheeded of all commands. As Claire Huntington wrote, in ‘What business leaders can learn from Jacinda Ardern’: “Nothing speaks more loudly than when a leader’s actions reflect their words” (n.d.). Poynton (2020) also highlights the positive power of compassion and consistency when communicating during a crisis. His language observations about Ardern were reiterated by others. For example, in ‘All It Takes Is a Leader with Credibility Who Tells the Truth. New Zealand Has One’, Charles Pierce (2020) also noted that: “From the earliest stages, Ardern and her team have spoken in simple language: Stay home. Don’t have contact without anyone outside your household ‘bubble.’ Be kind. We’re all in this together.” In fewer than 20 words, those four phrases capture some of the most important messages regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘Stay home’ is an abbreviated version of other phrases that went global during the pandemic, for example, ‘Stay home, save lives’ and ‘Stay home, stay safe,’ which relates to ‘stay in your bubble’ and ‘stay together.’ It is that brevity and simplicity that makes those messages more powerful and more memorable. The information overload caused by the round-the-clock, round-the-world, 24/7 news coverage was a problem long before the pandemic. Still, with everyone desperate to know what is happening with COVID-19, locally, nationally, and internationally, the problem was exacerbated. Therefore, clear, consistent, and compassionate language that is short, simple, and easily-understood can do much to bring peace and calm to even the most difficult, tense, and uncertain of situations. However, the opposite holds equally true, i.e., leaders who use language that is unclear, inconsistent, and contradictory, sow the seeds of confusion and conflict. For example, Ardern’s “We’re all in this together,” calling on all New Zealanders to take care of each other, regardless of their differences, is in stark contrast to the kind of language used by some other world leaders during the pandemic, which we will consider in the following section. Complementing the use of ‘peace-positive’ language during a crisis, lessons can also be learned from some of the languages that have not been used by Ardern. For example, Poynton (2020) pointed out that, during the pandemic, Ardern said: “Nothing dramatic, no ‘fear-mongering,’ instead, a tone that reminds everyone she understands the challenge and that we’re all in this together,” reiterating the importance of a leader’s language tone, as mentioned above. And in this case, Ardern opposed the notion of ‘them vs. us,’ in which fear of ‘the other’ is encouraged, using scapegoating to avoid taking responsibility. Peirce (2020) also identified four more kinds of language not used by Ardern during the pandemic: “No complaints about the media. No blame-shifting, responsibility-ducking, or daily cheapjack [worthless] self-aggrandizement”, all of which are language behaviors that have been seen and heard being used by some other world leaders, and which may be part of a pattern. For example, in comparing and contrasting Ardern with other world leaders, Poynton (2020) found that: “Ardern’s response has been very different to many older, male leaders of larger countries, who appear to be torn between saving their own skin, saving the economy, and saving lives, and who treat the pandemic as an opportunity for political point-scoring and dishing out blame.” In those two reports (by Poynton and by Peirce), there are more than half a dozen examples of the kind of language that, when deliberately avoided, can help to keep the peace, even during a pandemic. In relation to Poynton’s point regarding “older, male leaders of larger countries,” Uri Friedman (2020), writing in The Atlantic, compared the language of a number of leaders during the pandemic: “German Chancellor Angela Merkel embraces science. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro rejects it. U.S. President Donald Trump’s daily briefings are a circus-like spectacle, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds no regular briefings at all, even as he locks down 1.3 billion people”. However, Friedman (2020) describes Ardern’s leadership style as being “one of empathy in a crisis that tempts people to fend for themselves. Her messages are clear, consistent, and somehow simultaneously sobering and soothing. And her approach [is] working remarkably well”. Empathy is defined as: “the ability to share someone else’s feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that person’s situation” [Link 3] and ‘empathetic’ is one of the words most commonly used to describe Ardern’s communication style. For example, Ruiz (2020) reported that: “Ardern struck an empathetic note (one many Americans are still waiting for from our president), urging citizens to ‘unite’ against the novel coronavirus and ending her briefings with the message: ‘Be strong; be kind.’ It worked: in late April, New Zealand had all but successfully squelched the virus”. This article has focused on the positive NPL aspects of the kind of language used – and not used – by the Prime Minister of New Zealand, but that is not to suggest there is no room for improvement. For example, in early 2020, according to Sam Clench, writing in The Australian Chronicle: “Jacinda Ardern is in trouble … Far from being an overwhelming favorite to win re-election on September 19, Ms. Ardern is at risk of losing power after a single term” as a result of some of her decisions as prime minister which were disagreed with. Also, Massey University professor Suze Wilson (2020) acknowledged that: “not everything has been perfect in New Zealand’s or Ardern’s COVID-19 response. Ongoing, independent scrutiny of the government’s response is essential.” Therefore, Ardern, like all leaders, needs to continue to develop her crisis communication skills. Still, it is also clear that many world leaders could learn a great deal from Ardern’s use of language. References Curtis, A. (2020). ‘Warist discourse’ and peace linguistics in pandemic times. The Word, 29(3), 46-48. Retrieved from: http://hawaiitesol.wildapricot.org/resources/Documents/Word/2020%20May.pdf Friedman, U. (19 April, 2020). New Zealand’s prime minister may be the most effective leader on the planet. The Atlantic. Retrieved from: Pierce, C. P. (7 April, 2020). All it takes is a leader with credibility who tells the truth. New Zealand has one. Esquire. Retrieved from: Poynton, M. (24 May, 2020). Why we should all learn from Jacinda Ardern. IBB Online. Retrieved from: https://www.lbbonline.com/news/malcolm-poynton-on-why-we-should-all-learn-from-jacinda-ardern Wilson, S. (5 April, 2020). Three reasons why Jacinda Ardern’s coronavirus response has been a masterclass in crisis leadership. The Conversation. Retrieved from: Bio From 2015 to 2016, Dr. Andy Curtis served as the 50th President of the TESOL International Association. He has been recognized as a pioneer in New Peace Linguistics. He is based in Ontario, Canada, where he works as an independent consultant for language education organizations worldwide. |
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