Disc5
Communications across Cultures
In August of 2009, then U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at a press conference in the country of Congo in Central Africa. During the interview, one of the questions asked upset her. Although the questioner said afterwards that he misspoke, it did not lessen the drama of the situation. Watch the clip (1:00 mintue) and pay close attention to Secretary Clinton’s emotions.
Discuss the questions below:
How does the emotion shown by Secretary Clinton credit or discredit her position as leader?
Would you judge Secretary Clinton’s response as an emotionally intelligent one? Explain.
How could Secretary Clinton frame her response so that it gave the same or similar message without the edge? Is it likely to have been more effective or less?
Video attached