The Leadership Style Of Speech : Martin Luther King, Jr.

More than likely, the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's would not have had the same impact if they had been led by Malcolm X as opposed to being led by Martin Luther King. This notion is primarily attributed to the divergent ideologies professed by these men. Essentially, there were two fundamental differences in the pursuit of Civil Rights as advocated by King and X. The first dealt directly with the question of violence. Martin Luther King was a practitioner of the non-violent demonstrations that Mahatma Gandhi had popularized earlier in the 20th century (Carson, 2001, p. 27). The 'turn the other cheek' ideology propagated by Christianity was perfect in helping African Americans to adopt a martyr image that eventually was responsible for the so-called 'gains' that were earned via the civil rights movement.

Transformational leaders and transactional leaders differ from one another in the manner that they encourage and motivate those who follow them. Transactional leaders are defined as those who focus on monetary and tangible rewards as motivational tools for the daily operations (Marquis & Huston, 2015). Transactional leadership is associated with a clear organizational structure in which managers and subordinates understand their roles and know from whom to receive reward and feedback (Cherry, 2015). This type of leadership style focuses on motivation for the here and now to accomplish daily tasks at hand. This leadership does not focus on forward thinking or growth towards the future (Gellis, 2001).

This paper will analyze and study the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and how leadership skills helped him in accomplishing his goals. The characteristics that made Dr. King a great leader will also be addressed. By studying great leaders, insight can be gained into what qualities they possess.

Martin Luther King Jr., used ethos in his speech, “I Have a Dream” to build on trust and connections with the audience. He made the audience know he knew exactly what was going on currently with their struggles and racism issues. In this quote King Jr. explains how African Americans have been mistreated, stripped from their self-hood, and robbed their dignity over millions of years and it has to be stopped and changed.

Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered as one of the greatest leaders of modern humanity. Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of his leadership was his ability to adapt to whatever leadership style was necessary for any specific scenario. He could be a transformational leader if people needed to be mobilized, a servant leader when followers needed to be led by example, or a charismatic leader when he gave any one of his plethora of monumental speeches. Not only could MLK perform in each of these leadership roles, but he excelled at them. Dr. King was one of the greatest, most versatile leaders ever. We will discuss why in the following paragraphs.

Our world is filled with many successful leaders. The gift of being a leader can be learned; however some individuals have a natural born talent to be a leader. Each leader has his or her own unique leadership style. The gift of being a leader can be learned. Certain individuals are born with a charismatic style and can easily be a leader. A successful leader is one who can inspire and motivate people towards a goal. Martin Luther King Jr. was an individual with a born gift to lead people. The following paper will discuss how Martin Luther King Jr. was able to inspire and motivate people with his effective leadership style.

In the most paramount time of racism in America, there a voice that enacted a call for change. Martin Luther King was a Baptist minister and social activist who spent countless years, fighting for a civil rights. It was on the date of August 28th, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln memorial is where King made his leap of faith and spoke out on the injustice of African Americans. His dream for African Americans to be equal, appealed to the emotions of his audience. The desire to live a civil life and not be oppressed was felt by many. Martin Luther King delivered a speech that would immensely make an impact on the country.

The pinnacle of the civil right’s movement had produced many of the most influential and well-known activists in the nation such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After his assassination, people took their grief to the public and called for acts of violence to deal with the sudden loss. As their anger continued to rise, Cesar Chavez published an article, in which he urged people to come to their senses and take a less violent approach to the situation. Chavez states that only through nonviolence will people continue to strive towards the peace that they and Dr. King have so long looked forward to. He appeals to his audience by relating to their commitment to God and struggles in everyday life in order to garner their support. He also

The leadership of General George S. Patton can be viewed as an example of transactional leadership. This type of leadership makes followers of an “organization achieve objectives through rewards and punishment”. This can be shown in the scene in Patton where he is meeting his new soldiers for the first time. As he is driving through the streets of North Africa, he sees his fellow soldiers are poorly dressed and not all in uniform. Soldiers had just finished a

To explain a situation or argument successfully, one must understand and be able to use rhetoric and its devices. One prime example of the use of rhetorical appeals is in “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. In this letter, King simply responds to certain criticisms and explains his presence in Birmingham. He does this effectively by building a historical ethos, appealing to heart-wrenching pathos, and using undeniable logos; which will all be discussed in this essay.

Transactional leadership on the other hand was first described in 1947 by Max Weber; he first coined "rational-legal leadership — the style that would come to be known as transactional leadership — as the exercise of control on the basis of knowledge” (Spahr, 2014). According to Spahr (2014), characteristics of transactional leaders include: focus on short-term goals, favor structured policies and procedures, thrive on rule following and doing things correctly, revel in efficiency, left-brained, inflexible, and opposed to change.

The study of effective writing, speaking and the art of persuasion is known as rhetoric. Throughout time it has preserved its key purpose of educating individuals. Rhetoric not only covers what one could say but also how one might say it. Rhetoric is the use of effective language, which includes pathos, logos, and ethos (Burton). Rhetoric is comprised of five core categories, also known as canons: invention, style, arrangement, delivery, and memory.

Thirteen-year old Jesse Murphy had just sat down to his much loved supper of barbecued ribs with red beans and coleslaw when the phone rang. The yellow phone hung on the kitchen partition and was just steps away from the dining room table.

There are varieties of leadership styles. Niccolo Machiavelli and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, are opposites in their characterization of what makes a good leader. One justifies that the “end justifies the means” while the other directs us that “it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends” (King). I agree with the latter of the two believing that the first one burns bridges, while the latter builds them. However, both leadership styles exist today.

As described in the book, “communication is the process of conveying information and meaning” (Lussier & Achua, 2007). My leader Martin Luther King Jr. was the most conspicuous and eloquent leader of the African American civil rights movement. He inspired the African Americans to fight their way through white oppression using non-violent way to arms. He is well known for his ‘I have a dream’ speech that he made in august 1963, during the civil rights march on Washington. Martin Luther leadership was deeply anchored in speeches. He was a transformational leader based on the steps and decisions he took to see his visions through. He clearly communicated a concrete and powerful vision, he had a dream which he clearly articulated to his followers, giving them clear call to action and inspiring them to share his vision and to show support. This is what people like; they want to follow a leader who has clear direction of where he is going or where he is taking his followers. This made him popular. People need a leader who cares about their values, wants, hopes, and aspirations. His ‘I have a dream’ speech brought awareness and humanity to the American people about civil rights.