Even the most ardent critics of the Prime Minister agree that Modi has raised the reputation of India and Indians globally and his every foreign visit takes it higher.
I had the privilege closing working with his communication team so his speeches are of special interest to me. I have highlighted the strategies deployed by Modi while addressing US Congress on his recent visit which attracted nine standing ovations despite his less-than-perfect English:
Modi Knows His Audience Well: Some of the critics question the choice of language, why it was not Hindi? The speech was delivered in English deliberately, despite the PM’s unease with the language. Many times the message is lost in translation and he wanted to ensure that not to happen.
Modi’s speech contained concern, care and connection for the senators. He talked highly about America, American Indians and American Dream. He talked about shared values and shared vision. Plus, his choice of Blue jacket and Gamcha with red lines were not accidental.
He personalized the speech by first naming the Congressmen who were absent because of their demise, he referred to senators of Indian origin and the blush on VP Kamala Harris’s face was noteworthy when he referred to her.
He spoke about what Americans love to hear and what matters to them with absolute pride in talking about his country highly.
Modi Knows Himself Well: The Prime Minister was unabashedly authentic. He was dressed in Kurta Pyjama with Modi Jacket. In the beginning, he greets with ‘Namaskar’ not ‘Namaste’ (a more popular version of the Indian greeting in the Western world) because the word carries more gravitas. Knowing his discomfort with language, he thoroughly depended on teleprompter which I feel was a very smart decision. He even recited a poem in Hindi written by him. He was thoroughly at ease, he sipped water before talking, he took adequate pauses and let the audience stand up and clap, barring a couple of instances (mainly because of his language limitation), he displayed powerful body language and induced humor from time to time.
Modi Talks Data with a Context: Mostly while telling data, he also gave context. He referred to 850 million people using smartphones, he compared it with the population of Europe. When he talked about 2.2 billion doses of COVID vaccines given, he did not forget to mention ‘Free of Cost.’
Modi Loves Acronym Manipulation and Rhyming: AI is a buzzword these days and he gave a new twist by using America and India. His speech was filled with rhyming phrases like:
democracy, demography and destiny
passion, persuasion and policy
space and sea
start-ups and semiconductors
farming and finance
Modi Plans and Prepares Well: The shouting of ‘Modi Modi Modi’ in the US Congress was not without a plan. Before his speech, many people are carefully invited. In this case, he made sure the people in the public gallery are his supporters. Months of preparation go into planning his Business Meetings, Public Interactions, and Government Engagements. Where Modi stands out is making sure that he makes every minute spent in a foreign land newsworthy.
Modi Closes the Loop: Modi started his speech with ‘Seven Summers ago’ referring to his last joint address to US Congress and closed with ‘When I was here in 2016, I said our relationship is primed for a momentous future, and he connects that by adding ‘that future is today.’ It was the perfect ending to the speech that led to congressmen thronging for his autograph on the print of his speech text print.
This speech has taken India’s relationship with the United States to unprecedented levels diplomatically, economically and politically. I frequently say a leader is known by how he communicates and Modi aces the game every time.
If you wish to master the craft of leadership communication, feel free to reach out.
Change your game!
Vivek