6 things we can all learn about communication from Pete Buttigieg, regardless of politics
"What's the point of having a conversation if you're not speaking to people who don't already agree with you?"
Mayor Pete has made a name for himself as a master communicator.
Watching someone who excels at what they do, especially when they’re at the top of their game, is awe-inspiring. You don’t have to be a basketball fan to be wowed by Steph Curry’s 3-pointers. You don’t have to love gymnastics to be blown away by Simone Biles’ feats.You don’t have to like her music to see that Pink can sing her face off.
And you don’t have to be a Democrat or even into politics at all to appreciate the communication skills of Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has made a name for himself for his ability to knock interviews out of the park, no matter who they’re with or where they take place. And it's more than just him being a good orator. Public speaking is a different skill set than doing interviews, and extemporaneous interactions—arguably a more difficult arena to master—are where he really shines.
What can we learn from Mayor Pete’s impressive and seemingly rare ability? Let’s break down what makes him such an effective communicator and the lessons we can take from him:
1. Do your research
Buttigieg comes across as knowledgeable because he is. He takes the time to gather relevant facts and statistics about whatever he’s talking about. He doesn’t just offer empty talking points; he backs up his points with facts and figures and examples, which gives him credibility. If he doesn’t know enough about a subject to speak intelligently on it, he doesn’t pretend to. He deftly shifts the conversation to what he does know.
2. Keep your cool
It’s easy to get rattled when you’re live and on the spot, but Buttigieg exemplifies “cool, calm and collected” every single time. Perhaps some of this is just his personality, but it’s also a skill that anyone can practice. It really comes down to emotional regulation—learning to manage nerves, fear, insecurity, anger and frustration. No matter what an interviewer throws at Buttigieg, his ability to regulate his emotional responses enables him to respond with clear, logical confidence.
3. Stay on topic until it's time to move on
What frequently happens in political discourse is that someone will ask a question, the responder will start to answer, and then the interviewer will cut them short to deflect to another point or question or topic. One thing Buttigieg is really good at is resisting the urge to bite when that happens. He is incredibly disciplined at staying on topic and driving home the points he wants to communicate before moving on.
One way he does this is by not leaving any long pauses that allow someone to interrupt. Another way is that he always ready to dip into his well of knowledge to bring up relevant information.
4. Understand the 'other side'
So often, people are so focused on their own perspective that they don’t take the time to learn and understand differing perspectives. Buttigieg not only knows the other person’s opposing arguments, but he also understands the language the opposing side uses to make those arguments. As psychology professor Daniel Meegan points out, Buttigieg presents progressive ideas using conservative framing and language, so people on the "other side" can more easily understand and see themselves in his perspective.
Presenting your ideas in your opponent’s framework is a subtle but brilliant tactic that’s incredibly effective. Instead of triggering instant resistance, you give them an opportunity to hear you out—and maybe even agree with you—without compromising their own values and beliefs.
5. Be willing to converse on unfriendly turf
When asked why he goes on Fox News for interviews so often, Buttigieg responded, "What's the point of having a conversation if you're not speaking to people who don't already agree with you?" He is not only willing to engage with people who disagree, but he's willing to go to them and talk to them on their "turf." He calls it “meeting people where they are” and points out that If no one is willing to present different ideas on a one-sided network, that network’s viewers simply never get to hear them.
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This may actually be Buttigieg's greatest strength, which at its heart is more about a genuine desire to make a difference and to make sure people have a chance to hear different viewpoints than it is about rhetorical skill.
6. Be kind, courteous and fair
No matter where Buttigieg is interviewed or who is interviewing him, he always shows up in a spirit of good faith and expresses gratitude for the opportunity to converse. He doesn't come in with guns a-blazin’ and there’s no air of antagonism on his part. He listens to different perspectives and offers his own, genuinely creating a conversation in which differing viewpoints are heard. He may have to utilize the other skills in this list to prevent those conversations from going off the rails, but he does so without ever appearing rude or argumentative. Few people are able to walk that line, but he does and does it well.
Even if you don't agree with Buttigieg on anything, there's no question that the guy is a master communicator. That's likely a combination of innate ability, an excellent education and practiced skill, but there are things we can all take from observing him, regardless of what we believe or where we fall on the political spectrum.
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An Irish woman went to the doctor for a routine eye exam. She left with bright neon green eyes.
It's not easy seeing green.
Did she get superpowers?
Going to the eye doctor can be a hassle and a pain. It's not just the routine issues and inconveniences that come along when making a doctor appointment, but sometimes the various devices being used to check your eyes' health feel invasive and uncomfortable. But at least at the end of the appointment, most of us don't look like we're turning into The Incredible Hulk. That wasn't the case for one Irish woman.
Photographer Margerita B. Wargola was just going in for a routine eye exam at the hospital but ended up leaving with her eyes a shocking, bright neon green.
At the doctor's office, the nurse practitioner was prepping Wargola for a test with a machine that Wargola had experienced before. Before the test started, Wargola presumed the nurse had dropped some saline into her eyes, as they were feeling dry. After she blinked, everything went yellow.
Wargola and the nurse initially panicked. Neither knew what was going on as Wargola suddenly had yellow vision and radioactive-looking green eyes. After the initial shock, both realized the issue: the nurse forgot to ask Wargola to remove her contact lenses before putting contrast drops in her eyes for the exam. Wargola and the nurse quickly removed the lenses from her eyes and washed them thoroughly with saline. Fortunately, Wargola's eyes were unharmed. Unfortunately, her contacts were permanently stained and she didn't bring a spare pair.
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Since she has poor vision, Wargola was forced to drive herself home after the eye exam wearing the neon-green contact lenses that make her look like a member of the Green Lantern Corps. She couldn't help but laugh at her predicament and recorded a video explaining it all on social media. Since then, her video has sparked a couple Reddit threads and collected a bunch of comments on Instagram:
“But the REAL question is: do you now have X-Ray vision?”
“You can just say you're a superhero.”
“I would make a few stops on the way home just to freak some people out!”
“I would have lived it up! Grab a coffee, do grocery shopping, walk around a shopping center.”
“This one would pair well with that girl who ate something with turmeric with her invisalign on and walked around Paris smiling at people with seemingly BRIGHT YELLOW TEETH.”
“I would save those for fancy special occasions! WOW!”
“Every time I'd stop I'd turn slowly and stare at the person in the car next to me.”
“Keep them. Tell people what to do. They’ll do your bidding.”
In a follow-up Instagram video, Wargola showed her followers that she was safe at home with normal eyes, showing that the damaged contact lenses were so stained that they turned the saline solution in her contacts case into a bright Gatorade yellow. She wasn't mad at the nurse and, in fact, plans on keeping the lenses to wear on St. Patrick's Day or some other special occasion.
While no harm was done and a good laugh was had, it's still best for doctors, nurses, and patients alike to double-check and ask or tell if contact lenses are being worn before each eye test. If not, there might be more than ultra-green eyes to worry about.