Abstract
Helio Fred Garcia’sThe Power of Communicationgrabs the reader’s attention immediately. The introduction of the book begins with the story of BP’s official response to the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in 2010. Garcia relates how Tony Hayward, BP’s CEO, struggled to find the right words during this time of crisis. After Hayward delivered his statement, the public felt that BP was not sincere in its handling of such a severe situation, and he eventually left the company. Garcia returns to instances of ineffective rhetoric throughout the book to reinforce that communication has power, but many people use it ineffectively.
The first five chapters ofThe Power of Communicationintroduce readers to basic concepts of communication through a variety of case studies. Chapter 1 uses Senator John McCain’s 2008 presidential bid to demonstrate why the words a speaker uses matter. McCain ran his campaign on a strong economy, but when the economy took a drastic turn shortly before the election, he did not change his rhetoric and continued to stress how strong America’s economy was. Garcia posits that his failure to maneuver rhetorically most likely cost him the election. Similarly, the second chapter demonstrates the need for communicators to value their audiences. To make this point Garcia references the movie rental company Netflix’s announcement about a change in its pricing structure. The video rental company sent an email to its customers that focused on how this change would affect Netflix, rather than subscribers to its services. Garcia states, “It was an exercise in corporate-speak, not in human connection” (p. 31). After receiving complaints about the costs, Netflix sent another email that also failed to appease customers. Eventually, over 1 million customers canceled their subscriptions, and Netflix’s stock price fell over $200.
Chapter 3 stresses action with words, and chapter 4 introduces the concept of the first mover advantage, which reinforces the idea that one must act quickly in any situation. Garcia states, “The longer it takes to fulfill legitimate stakeholder expectations, the harder it is to win, maintain, or restore trust” (p. 80). The fifth chapter presents initiative as part of the power of communication. As President Obama was announcing his health care plan in a press conference, he maintained control for 50 minutes. At the end of his speech he allowed reporters to ask questions, and a reporter asked the president about an unrelated incident. A Harvard University professor, Henry Gates, was arrested outside his home because police mistakenly thought he was an intruder. When asked about race relations, Obama offered his opinion that the police had acted stupidly. This controversial comment received more attention than health care reform, and Obama lost his initiative in the message.
Garcia’s tactical approach to corporate and political communication is grounded in his translation of the U.S. Marine Corps officer training manual,Warfighting, into general principles of communication. Having usedWarfightingwith great success in the classroom, he takes quotes from the book and adapts them to communication. For example, he repurposes theWarfightingclaim, “War is thus a process of continuous mutual adaptation, of give and take, move and countermove” (p. 8) to read “Effective communication is thus a process of continuous mutual adaptation, of give-and-take, of move and countermove” (p. 8). Garcia acknowledges that it was an experimental approach, but he believes, “The lessons ofWarfightinggo well beyond fighting wars or communicating. The book is about how to think strategically. It deserves a broader audience” (p. xxxiii).
In the second half ofThe Power of Communication, Garcia offers specific advice on how to improve as a communicator. Chapter 6 emphasizes the importance of preparing and planning. Garcia states that “projecting thoughts forward is the key to planning” (p. 127), and he provides an example of how HP used its first mover advantage when it discovered an inappropriate relationship between the CEO and the contractor. HP chose full disclosure. Garcia emphasizes strategy and how important it is to be clear on the strategic, operational, and tactical levels. This and subsequent chapters end with lessons for leaders and communicators.
Chapter 7 discusses the importance of physical presence and nonverbal cues in communication. He states that listeners want more than just content; they want to see that the speaker is confident and comfortable. A speaker’s volume, pitch, and speed all add to the listeners’ perception of the message. Chapter 8 addresses content and meaning included in the message. Chapter 9 demonstrates how audience attention and retention affects the message. It is important that the speaker understand the importance of emotion in a message. Chapter 10 summarizes the book while reiterating that effective communicators need to take the audience and the situation seriously. Garcia ends with nine principles of effective leadership communication, some of which include interactivity, reaction, controlling the agenda, planning ahead, and continuous improvement.
The Power of Communicationreads more like a novel than a self-help book thanks to Garcia’s evocative real-world examples and easy to apply concepts. While it is not a textbook, it can be used to enhance any class on either leadership or communication. It is best suited for a senior level class or a graduate class because it can be used for discussion, examination of small case studies, or examples for reinforcing communication concepts. Throughout the book, Garcia discusses leadership as a public phenomenon, and leadership qualities are universal to all disciplines. The reader will walk away with a deeper understanding of the power behind both effective and ineffective communication and how one person or company has the ability to shape its own future. These concepts are essential for all communicators—political, military, or corporate.