Tag Archives: Berlusconi

The Sovereign and the Showboy.

Berlusconi behaving badly is a cliché and a proven media tactic that bolsters his domestic poll rating. Skip ahead to 0:30. Queen Elizabeth is sprightly in decapitating balórdo’s irreverance. There are a couple of points of interest, one is her use of the group’s dynamic and the other her uncharacteristic use of non verbals. In the first case, she uses the group – Berlusca’s peers – to sanction him. Speaking to this third point rather than having a two point dialogue allows her to separate the issue from their relationship and doesn’t afford him a reply. At a stretch, it’s very Fisher and Ury. For sure, switching from two point to three point communication is a good tactic when delivering bad news.

Secondly it’s worth noting that she adopts non verbals that contrast her, flagship-brand predictable, default. Typically, the Queen embodies credibility. A straight posture, arms at right angles, stoic expression and a voice that curls down at the end of her phrase. Here she has her palm up, arm curved and her voice goes up at the end of each word. She’s even moving with some fluidity. It’s all very approachable. Subtle but different. When someone departs from a predictable default, that part of their communication or speech gains more attention and will stick in our long term memory. At the end of the day, by 0:39, her guest is blended back into the group.