Communication Style of the

Honorable Lee Kuan Yew

1 COMMUNICATION SKILLS
A prolific writer and speaker throughout his long career, Mr. Lee was a storyteller
par none.
He was articulate and convincing, he always chooses the right blend of words,
phrases and sentences to achieve maximum impact.
The greatest example of how Mr Lee wielded the power of words probably occurred
when he gave a series of radio broadcasts as part of the Battle for Merger. Through
a series of 12 radio talks, scripted and spoken personally by Mr Lee himself, he was
able to convince Singaporeans to encourage his cause.
Many would know that Mr Lee depended on his wife Mdm Kwa Geok Choo to assist
in vetting his speeches. A master of the English language herself, Mrs Lee worked
closely with Mr Lee to produce stirring speeches that were not only simple to
understand but memorable and impactful

2 STRAIGHTFORWARD COMMUNICATION
Lee Kwan Yews style of communication reflects the kind of leader he is. He tells
you straight what you need to do in order to lead a better life.
Idran Junadi, Account Director

I grew up watching Lee Kuan Yew on TV and at political rallies, and to this day, I
have not seen another local politician with the same fire and force of conviction that
LKY displayed in the earlier years. He was always brutally honest and often
controversial. If you were the opposition and facing him at a political debate, God
help you. Many local correspondents have shared that no global statesmen terrified
them more than our very own Lee Kuan Yew.
Maureen Tseng, Director of Client Services

Lee Kuan Yew displayed very direct to the point and very honest in his opinions.

3 SIMPLE LAYMAN LANGUAGE

My purpose in writing my books is to get the average O level graduates to read
it and understand it. So, my wife was my scrubber. You know, Im an orator, or at
least I try to be.- LKY
So, I have [oratorical] flourishes when I speak. You must have flourishes because
then you capture peoples attention and you expand on it; then youre able to go
back and repeat it, but not in words. So she tells me, look and shes a draftsman;
as a lawyer, she did all the drafting of agreements, contracts, conveyances and so
on; so she uses words precisely she says, Why do you want to write it like this?
The O level boy will not understand this. Why not use a simple word instead of this
polysyllabic word?

This is how he began to write simple, clear, crisp, which means, no convoluted,
sentences. Lee Kuan Yew in Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew: Citizen Singapore:
How to Build A Nation (Giants of Asia)
He refined his writing style to be even more direct and concise, to write in short
sentences and in the active voice so that the man in the street could understand
what he wanted to say.

4 INSPIRING THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

Excerpts from Mr Lee Kuan Yews speech to Ministers of State and senior civil
service officers at the Regional Language Centre on February 27, 1979:
I want to convince you, first, of the importance of clear, written communication;
second, that you can master it, if you apply yourself. The use of words, the choice
and arrangement of words in accordance with generally accepted rules of grammar,
syntax and usage, can accurately convey ideas from one mind to another. It can be
mastered, even though you are not an Englishman.- lKY
He encourages government officers to do not write in code when writing notes,
minutes or memoranda, so that only those informed to their thoughts can
understand. He asked them write so simply so that any other officer who knows
nothing of the subject can still understand them. To do this, avoid confusion and
give words their ordinary meanings, he said.

He also believes in simplicity of sharing of ideas. He once said But somebody

wanted to impress me by dressing up his ideas in many important words. Next time
impress me with the simple way you get your ideas across to me. This serves as
evident how he was fond of simplicity and not ambiguous of his choices.

I speak as a practitioner. If I had not been able to reduce complex ideas into
simple words and project them vividly for mass understanding, I would not be here
today. LKY

5. HIS STORY TELLING TECHNIQUES

Lee Kuan Yew is famous for his story telling techniques like conversational language
which is not so popular other famous politician. His classic examples:
Anecdote (on how Americans perceive Singapore)
They dont know where Singapore is, they are not interested. They think of only
Michael Fay, then maybe caning, chewing gum strange odd place this Singapore.
Book, Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew (March 13, 2013)
Conversational Language

You lose nothing by being polite. The answer is No, but please say it politely and
give the reasons Explain to me why No. Dont change No to Yes. Dont be a
fool. If there was a good reason why it is No, it must remain No, but the man must
be told politely.
at the Victoria Theatre, September 30 1965

6. HIS CULTURAL VALUES AND BELIEF SYSTEM IN

COMMUNICATION
On bilingualism, Mr Lee practised what he preached he took up Chinese lessons
and made sure his children were educated in Chinese in their early years. He was
clear that English had to be Singapores language of business and administration
but he saw the need for Singaporeans to learn a second language Mandarin, Malay
or Tamil so that they could be rooted in their culture and values through their
mother tongues.

I want to convince you, first, of the importance of

clear, written communication; second, that you can
master it, if you apply yourself -Lee Kuan Yew

A man bows as he pays his respects to late former Prime Minister Lee Kuan
Yew at Tanjong Pagar community club, in the constituency which Lee
represented as Member of Parliament since 1955, in Singapore March 23,
2015.