Professor launches new podcast exploring the sound of politics
A Professor in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Cultures has launched a new podcast examining how politicians speak and the techniques they use to influence people.
The Sound of Politics, hosted by Professor Stephen Coleman (School of Media & Communication), explores what to listen out for when politicians speak, how to recognise their communication strategies, how to strip away the verbiage, and how to speak back to them.
The podcast comes as just under half (49%) of the world’s population head to the polls in 2024 – described as ‘the biggest election year in history’.
Professor Coleman has recorded an initial run of six episodes, with each new episode airing every Friday throughout March and early April. More episodes are planned, including special episodes for the upcoming UK General Election and the US Presidential Election in November.
I have spent many years researching and writing about communication. I am interested in how politicians speak to us, how we speak to them and what we think of each other. In this series we will explore how politicians use language to influence us, we will look at the tricks and techniques they use, and we will chat with some of the world’s best-known scholars.
The Sound of Politics podcast is available on streaming platform Spotify.
Professor Coleman has also joined the new Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, which has been set up to develop a blueprint for the teaching of oracy skills across all stages of education in England. The formation of the commission comes after the Labour Party announced a focus on oracy in its education mission last year.
