Fareed Zakaria - Intelligent Communication

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Fareed Zakaria
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In today's world of instant and constant news, it is hard to figure out what is worth listening to, reading about and/or watching. However, whenever I can, I try to listen to and read what Fareed Zakaria has to say. If you don't know who Fareed Zakaria is, check out the clip from the Daily Show and then go to his website for more info. He is considered by many to be a leading figure on world affairs and is one of the most intelligent commentators in the media today. One thing that I really like about Zakaria is that he breaks down the news without using gimmicks or being showy.

What Zakaria has done over the past few years is continued to do what he does best - break down international affairs and discuss them with us intelligently. He has been able to increase his profile not by being flashy or trying to be something he wasn't.

What I think has really made an impact in Zakaria's influence is his communication ability. He is someone who is clearly intelligent, and yet he is able to communicate his thoughts and concerns to us in terms that are understandable, clear, concise and effective. There are a lot of really smart people out there, but unless they can communicate their thoughts to us effectively, their message is going to be lost. Additionally, there are a lot of great communicators out there, but their message doesn't make you think about something on a deeper level. Socrates called them Sophists and thought they were essentially windbags who didn't say anything worth learning. While I don't think the art of Rhetoric should receive that label, there are definitely a few worth giving that title to.

Combining the intelligence of Zakaria with his communication ability is something we should all try to achieve. All of us should strive to be eloquent in our speaking and communicating while still contributing to an intelligent discussion. So work not just on your communication ability, but what your content is as well.

Travis