How Leaders Talk to PeopleActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning works well for this topic because students must analyze real-world language use to understand how words shape perception and power. By breaking down speeches and practicing communication themselves, they move beyond abstract theory to see how leaders build (or manipulate) connection through tone and framing.
Learning Objectives
- 1Analyze rhetorical devices used by political leaders to establish common ground with the public.
- 2Evaluate the effectiveness of specific linguistic strategies leaders employ to challenge existing systems.
- 3Compare and contrast the communication styles of different political figures when addressing 'ordinary people'.
- 4Identify instances of 'us versus them' framing in political discourse and explain its potential impact on public opinion.
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Pairs Analysis: Speech Breakdown
Provide transcripts of two leader speeches, one populist and one formal. Pairs highlight language features like contractions, personal pronouns, and anecdotes, then discuss how each builds rapport. Share findings with the class via a shared digital board.
Prepare & details
How do politicians try to get people to support them?
Facilitation Tip: During Pairs Analysis, have students first read the speech silently before discussing, to prevent premature influence from a partner’s interpretation.
Setup: Groups at tables with document sets
Materials: Document packet (5-8 sources), Analysis worksheet, Theory-building template
Small Groups: Role-Play Challenge
Groups receive a scenario where they act as leaders addressing citizens on a policy issue. They craft and deliver 2-minute speeches using 'ordinary people' language, then peers critique for authenticity and division. Rotate roles for speaker and evaluator.
Prepare & details
What kind of language do leaders use to sound like 'one of us'?
Facilitation Tip: In Small Groups: Role-Play Challenge, require groups to present their talk twice—once with casual language and once with formal phrasing—to highlight how tone shifts audience reception.
Setup: Groups at tables with document sets
Materials: Document packet (5-8 sources), Analysis worksheet, Theory-building template
Whole Class: Divisive Language Hunt
Project a leader's speech; class calls out divisive phrases in real-time using hand signals. Follow with a guided vote on intent, tallying results to reveal patterns. Conclude with a class mind map of unifying alternatives.
Prepare & details
How can we tell if a leader's message is trying to divide people?
Facilitation Tip: For the Whole Class: Divisive Language Hunt, provide a color-coded transcript so students can visually track repeated terms like ‘we,’ ‘them,’ or ‘elites’ to spot patterns quickly.
Setup: Groups at tables with document sets
Materials: Document packet (5-8 sources), Analysis worksheet, Theory-building template
Individual: Annotation Task
Students annotate a short video clip of a leader's talk, noting rhetorical devices and audience reactions. Submit digital annotations, then gallery walk to compare interpretations.
Prepare & details
How do politicians try to get people to support them?
Facilitation Tip: For the Individual: Annotation Task, model annotating one paragraph aloud first, showing how to mark rhetorical moves and explain their effect in a margin.
Setup: Groups at tables with document sets
Materials: Document packet (5-8 sources), Analysis worksheet, Theory-building template
Teaching This Topic
Experienced teachers approach this topic by balancing close reading with critical skepticism. Avoid treating all simple language as authentic; instead, use students’ own role-plays to reveal how easily rapport can be manufactured. Research suggests that students grasp rhetorical power best when they see it in action, so prioritize activities where they dissect and create speeches rather than just listen. Emphasize that critique is part of media literacy—the goal isn’t to distrust all leaders but to ask nuanced questions about their methods.
What to Expect
Successful learning looks like students accurately identifying rhetorical strategies in speeches and explaining their purpose, not just listing devices. They should also articulate why casual language can feel genuine or manipulative depending on context, using evidence from their analyses.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Pairs Analysis: Speech Breakdown, students may assume that simple language always signals sincerity.
What to Teach Instead
During Pairs Analysis: Speech Breakdown, redirect students to compare the speech’s tone with its context—ask them to note if the leader’s casual phrasing aligns with concrete policies or if it deflects from them, using their partner’s observations to challenge assumptions.
Common MisconceptionDuring Small Groups: Role-Play Challenge, students might believe that using everyday words guarantees a leader’s genuine connection with the public.
What to Teach Instead
During Small Groups: Role-Play Challenge, have each group record their talk and reflect on whether their language choice matched their stated intent or if it felt performative, using group feedback to identify when casual speech becomes hollow.
Common MisconceptionDuring Whole Class: Divisive Language Hunt, students initially overlook subtle ‘us versus them’ framing.
What to Teach Instead
During Whole Class: Divisive Language Hunt, pause the hunt after 10 minutes to ask groups to share one term they found that could divide, then discuss how the term’s repetition builds bias, using evidence from the transcript to refine their detection.
Assessment Ideas
After Pairs Analysis: Speech Breakdown, provide students with a short excerpt from a political speech. Ask them to identify one rhetorical device used and explain in one sentence how it aims to connect with ‘ordinary people’.
During Small Groups: Role-Play Challenge, pose the question: ‘When does a leader’s attempt to sound like ‘one of us’ become insincere?’ Facilitate a class discussion where students share examples and justify their reasoning based on linguistic cues they observed in their role-plays.
After Whole Class: Divisive Language Hunt, present students with two contrasting short statements from political figures. Ask them to identify which statement uses ‘us versus them’ framing and to briefly explain why, using terms they tracked during the hunt.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge students who finish early to rewrite a speech excerpt using the same rhetorical devices but in a way that feels insincere, then swap with peers for peer-assessment.
- For students who struggle, provide a partially completed annotation template with key devices labeled to guide their analysis of a new excerpt.
- Allow extra time for students to select and analyze a speech of their choice from a curated list, presenting their findings in a one-minute summary to the class.
Key Vocabulary
| Populism | A political approach that appeals to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups. |
| Rhetorical Devices | Techniques used in speaking or writing to persuade an audience, such as metaphors, anecdotes, and direct address. |
| Anecdote | A short, personal story used to illustrate a point or make an audience feel a connection with the speaker. |
| Framing | The way a message is presented to influence how an audience perceives an issue, often by highlighting certain aspects and downplaying others. |
| Discourse | Written or spoken communication or debate, especially as it relates to political or social issues. |
Suggested Methodologies
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