Discussion: Communicating for Change
After the Charleston, South Carolina shooting in 2015, Mitch Landrieu, Mayor of New Orleans, proposed to the city council that Confederate statues be removed from the city. Following court rulings in favor of the council, Landrieu gave a speech challenging the city to move forward to remove the monuments and lead New Orleans forward in reconciliation.
For this discussion, you will not be arguing a position on this contemporary issue. Instead, you will be assuming the role of a change vision communication consultant. Using Communicating the Change Vision as a guide, you will assess Landrieu’s 2017 speech for effectiveness.
Make sure you respond to each prompt, give specific examples in your assessment of the seven elements, and use level one headings for each of the prompts.
According to Kotter, “That shared sense of a desirable future can help motivate and coordinate the kinds of actions that create transformations.” Is the Landrieu speech consistent or inconsistent with this premise? How or how not?
Which of the “Key Elements in the Effective Communication of Vision” can you identify in the speech? Give examples.
What is the impact of the presence of those elements in the speech? Be specific.
Simplicity
Metaphor, analogy, and example
Multiple forums
Repetition
Leadership by example
Explanation of inconsistencies
Give-and-take
Is the Landrieu speech effective in its purpose to cast vision for a different kind of future for New Orleans and beyond? From what you have learned, what would make the speech stronger?
