Identify an individual or organization, you believe, serves as a positive example of an effective communicator. Explain why and how that individual or organization is a positive example of an effective communicator.
Courage and Passion Carries Front Runner to Success
“Well that was a hard blow, but what do you do? You, you make the best of it” (An Inconvenient Truth.) Al Gore has faced a defeat of great magnitude, as he lost the 2000 Presidential Election in the closest race ever recorded. Whether this was an actual loss, to all people, could be debated as he has since then focused his efforts toward another important issue; Global Warming. The former Vice President turned to something he long had a passion for, as he was initially enlightened on the subject of pollution and its effects, while attending Harvard University, before his political involvement. The passion Al Gore shows for the welfare of our planet is truly inspiring and his work has been rewarded with a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 (Nobel Prize 1). His accomplishments in communicating Global Warming are therefore recognized by a legitimate evaluator and he is often credited with being the front runner in drawing attention to the importance of reducing our environmental impact.
Before Al Gore rose to the occasion and took on the inevitable challenges of our planet, the overall significance of climate change was underestimated, down played and considered irrelevant by many, but the environmental activist changed all that. The Harvard graduate worked tirelessly on fully understanding many aspects of climate change, by interacting with scientists who were experts on specific areas of the problem. This eventually resulted in an immense knowledge on the topic and with a knack for public speaking, Mr. Gore began to take on possibly one of the biggest problems our planet will ever encounter.
There are many subjects associated with science which are only truly understood by those who have studied it in depth, as was the case with Global Warming. The problem for many scientists is not that they lack knowledge on a given topic, but instead it is the ability to communicate effectively to the general public that limits the potential of their conclusions and results. Even though Al Gore never completed any scientific experiments or discovered any significant breakthroughs within the field himself, he managed to gain a complete overview of the situation and all areas of this dangerous phenomenon. To be an effective communicator, one of the main ingredients for success is understanding all aspects of the intended subject. This, combined with enthusiasm and an ability to frame the problem using the appropriate strategies, led the former politician to achieve great success in raising awareness. Al Gore managed to communicate ‘science speak’ to the general public in a manner that launched the topic on to discussion boards, class rooms and the media. In other words, he ‘translated’ complex problems and possible solutions into a language, which could be understood by a population with a wide variety of qualifications and premises, effectively adding the topic of Global Warming to the agenda of the day.
To turn down other possible profitable avenues and instead take on a passion, in order to save planet Earth, is incredibly admirable. Mr. Al Gore managed to do what was needed; create awareness on a crucial topic related to our future. The inspiration I have gained from following this activist is unmatched; he took on a problem that seemed to be ignored or rejected by the majority and, turned it into a worldwide topic of discussion.
Sources
"The Nobel Peace Prize 2007". Nobelprize.org. 4 Feb 2012 http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2007/
