Impact of Nonverbal Communication on the Style of Political Leadership in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

Communication and leadership are interconnected and conditioned as it is not possible to manage the organization without communicating, and vice versa. Communication skills are critical to the success of leadership; first to establish a good relationship and then to make an impact on the environment. Successful leadership, especially in politics, requires good communication skills in internal and external, as well as in verbal and nonverbal communication.Communication is one of the most important segments of each political party and political activism ingeneral. Among the main goals which the political parties are trying to accomplish is gaining politicalpower or taking participation in government. The way in which they accomplish the main goals ofobtaining the sympathies and public trust (voters) in order to win the public affection of their programs, ideas and attitudes, is through quality communication and public relations. The expertise in convincing public is nonexistent if there is no quality in the communication of the political parties’ leaders.Therefore, special attention is given to the analysis of communication of political leaders, as well as to the communicational aspects as a qualifying factor of political leadership by which the public support is obtained. In speaking, except for the words, the message is comprised of two other components: the voice and use of the body. Nonverbal expression complements verbal communication without spoken words.One of the typical features of political leaders is the style of nonverbal communication. It is determined by differentiating and specifying characteristic paralinguistic aspects of speech, as well as by combination, the degree and direction of nonverbal articulation of individual physical expression. Based on function of political communication we are introduced to the characteristics of the following channels of nonverbal communication: paralinguistic - ways of using voice, facial expressions, body language and strategy of leaders’ display through communication by dressing, decorating the body and the use of artifacts.Therefore, we can say that the correct use of non-verbal communication by presenting the messagethrough the media has a positive effect on the admissibility of political leaders’ style. This hypothesiscan be proved by analyzing the contents of the statements given by the political parties’ leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the media. The paper will use the methods of scientific description and structural analysis of the content of media statements of political parties’ leaders who participate in the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The paper will show whether nonverbal communication proves significant for individual leaders and to what extent. It will also show whether proper use of nonverbal communication while making a statement by selected media channels positively affects the admissibility of political leaders’ style. The aim of the work is exploration of the modalities of nonverbal communication as a key determinant of effective political communication which establishes leader’s positive image in the public. In that context, one of the goals of the paper is the study of the influence which quality nonverbal political communication makes on voters.The conclusion which is based on the research points at the role and importance of nonverbalcommunicational aspects which are correlated with the style of political leadership.