The importance of emotions in a good politician
Words and facts that excite
The interest in emotions as a central element of communication is breaking through in the political arena. It is not enough to be the ‘best’ and have more ‘social’ proposals to get the support of the voters. The population, years after the research, is discovering the importance of the emotional.
Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to understand, interpret and manage emotions at a personal and interpersonal level. Those with a high level of EI know well their feelings and are aware of how their reactions can affect other people. To exercise the leadership of an organization is essential to possess it, especially valid in the field of politics.
The field of action of the political leader goes beyond his own organization, since in addition to knowing how to communicate with its affiliates, also needs to know how to address the rest of public opinion . Therefore, only the politician who adequately manages the elements of EI can build a solid image.
The importance of non-verbal communication as being directly responsible for public perception is increasingly more evident. The politicians are no longer judged only by their words and their promises, but their appearance, attitude and gestures are also carefully analyzed. An inappropriate gesture or misleading behavior can destroy the reliance of citizens. That is why
intelligent politicians value the management of emotions and see in it a decisive vehicle to generate feelings which allow them to transmit their message in the best conditions.
What the emotions are for?
Emotions modulate our way of seeing and interpreting the world. They influence in attention, memory and logical reasoning among many other issues. Learning how to manage them is much more useful than denying them.
To lead the change is essential to deal with the mood of others.
The ability to transmit passion for change, excitement for ideas and enthusiasm for challenges is the key for connecting with citizens. They want solutions, but they also seek to regain lost confidence in the political class.
When people feel fear and distrust, leaders must know how to guide them and give a realistic hope, rather than drawing a thick veil over it. Incompetent politicians design their policies using emotions to manipulate citizens, creating negative feelings as fear or guilt, which leads citizens to the abyss of skepticism and hopelessness.
A new scenario, opportunity or crisis?
The importance of emotional aspects in communication is more than proven, so, why not give it more importance in politics? About 75% of all communication between humans is non-verbal, hence the importance of building political relationships as an emotional experience. The experiences activate internal motivators which generate the attitude and predisposition necessary to achieve concrete actions: participation, voting, acceptance and, ultimately, change.
The empirical study of the role of emotions in electoral behavior focuses on two antagonistic emotions: fear and enthusiasm. In this continuity/change axis all the electoral campaigns are developed. Research has shown that enthusiasm for a candidate is always linked to a framework of change. It will depend on the ability of the candidates to activate one or another emotion.
However, some political leaders distrust these strategies and despise their utility as a transformative political action. Neglecting what they ignore demonstrate a significant inability to understand ‘the mood’ of the society they aspire to represent. Some people still see emotions as a synonym of weakness.
The renewal of political parties goes through a long road full of obstacles: proposals, objectives, forms, etc. Nevertheless, it would be an unforgivable mistake to revert to the ‘politics of emotions’. There is no time to waste, the path of the emotions is a route that must be started from today.
And you, do you know your emotional quotient?
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