TOEFL TWE Topic 2011-11-20

>Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The most important characteristic for a politician or a leader is good communication skill.

--谈领导人物与高级政客的优势特质，一定与口才息息相关，然而传播能力并非首要，作者的立场是口才应该是居第二，德行第一，因为唯有言行一致，群众才会产生信心。
--这一旧真题在雅思出现过，在新托福TWE重现于2011-10-22，全然相似无疑。话说托福与雅思两家对头于生意，却是同样的考英语的使用能力水平。我们培训写作单项，千万不可浪费时间在分雅思分托福的真题。昨日的雅思与托福写作试题相似。今日亦同。真正内行与真正外行的人都是一同承认不好分。其实，连题型都不需要分类，全部应该归于一类：冲突题型。
--英文作文很难，所以是一般考生的弱项，成绩普遍落在阅读，听力与口语之后。外行人说难，内行人也一样叫难。十天突破写作的神话，信之则有，不信则无。把写作说成容易的是补习班教练。困难的写作不可能变成容易，却又可能变得简单，所谓悟其禅。作文舞其圆，简单的起承转合，绕一圈。英文练其道，常习作，道在其中也。
--答题可以打高空，不可以跑题。回答此道试题何其难，是以谢振礼老师打高空，扯出信心为冲突的焦点。口才挂帅，多能服人，可是未必令人产生信心。好的领导言行一致，德行服人，群众肯定对他信心十足。伟大的领导，进一步能制造群众自己对自己有信心。结论是德行胜于口才。

Contrary to the common belief that good communication skill is vital to becoming a leader, actually leadership is practiced not so much in words as in actions that inspire confidence. It may be said that leaders are usually good talkers but the reverse is not necessarily true. A leader had better be recognized as a dealer in confidence, one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way and, in addition, is good at the art of communication as the language of leadership.

A leader's right actions plus perhaps effective words can do magic to get the message carrying confidence across to others and guide them to hope more, dream more, become more, and even fly higher. This refers particularly to an extraordinary leader as a politician whose better ideas lead to popular trust, as often happens in more difficult times. Remember a Chinese proverb to that effect? "Not the cry, but the flight of a wild duck, leads the flock to fly and follow." One's good communication skill, like talking more and speaking louder, might otherwise be just hollow words, should one's deeds not match that kind of virtue which wins trust from followers. Accordingly, it stands to reason that the greater one is in power above others, the more one ought to excel them in virtue since none ought to lead who is not better than others.

To do justice to good communication skill, it is better to look at it as a big advantage rather than a great virtue in the moral sense of the word. As can be seen ever so often, what matters to the audience is the singer and not the song, meaning a crafted talker can move the mob, even though the message may be far from correct politically. And that is probably why so many ordinary leaders are seen, who represent the power of persuasion and not the real aspirations of their followers. From this viewpoint, good communication skill alone may actually make an ordinary leader, but may still be short of making a good leader, let alone a great leader. The difference lies in that a good leader can inspire people to have confidence in the leader. And a great leader can further inspire people to have confidence in themselves as well.

The confidence factor aside, good talkers have always ruled and will continue to rule, with the results of some cases ending well and some ending badly. Therefore it is desirable having the combination of the virtue of leadership and the art of eloquence. Nevertheless, the ultimate truth must be acknowledged that true leadership is always associated with virtuous actions rather than simply with skillful communication in words.