The Happy Nuclear Warrior

I have heard this phrase, the “happy warrior,” used to describe several politicians and bureaucrats, but the image of a happy warrior doesn’t have to solely exist in the political sphere. I have worked for amazing communicators who embody this archetype, and I have been at conferences where these people abound. This whole article could be a rehash of Rhetoric 101, but I never took that class (I wish I had in undergrad)… so let's look at this archetype and how we can be a happy nuclear warrior.

If you haven’t heard the phrase before, the happy warrior is a persona device wherein the speaker imparts a sense of optimism and confidence to their audience. This device is the most successful when your audience leaves thinking the speaker is optimistic and confident and feeling that way themselves. My introduction to the phrase was in high school when we read William Wordsworth’s poem “Character of the Happy Warrior” (no I did not remember the name off the top of my head, I absolutely had to look it up when I was writing this), and—from what Merriam-Webster told me—this is the origin of the phrase. Wordsworth ascribed natural discernment, diligence in learning, resolve in the face of fear, and self-awareness to the image of the happy warrior. Is this person single? I’d like to know.

We can hopefully start painting the picture of someone you know by translating these traits to public speaking. The easiest way to identify a happy nuclear warrior is to check in with your response to their speech. I would encourage you to seek these people out and identify on an intellectual level what you like about their communication style—don’t be afraid to take notes, I started this blog from notes I made while listening to Rita Baranwal talk at a conference. Formalizing my thoughts on this device has helped the way I approach speaking, and it will hopefully help you too; the only downside is that this might drive you crazy listening to talks by people who haven’t put as much effort into developing their own rhetorical persona.

Becoming a Happy Warrior

I would like to believe that some people naturally develop the happy warrior rhetorical persona through trial and error, but, to get results in anything, it’s best to practice. Let’s revisit some of the traits that Wordsworth ascribed to the happy warrior:

natural discernment,
diligence in learning,
resolve in the face of fear,
and self-awareness.

These traits undergird that sense of optimism and confidence that you’re hoping to bring to your speech, so you have to start by building up your own familiarity with the topic you are going to be speaking on. One of the first pieces of outreach advice I received was that to communicate a subject simply you have to know the material intimately. I don’t know if the literature on science communication would totally agree, but gaming through the questions you think people will ask and workshopping how to answer them is an important step in how I prepare myself. Natural discernment comes in by knowing what the limits of your knowledge are, and diligence in learning is how you get there. These two traits are the most straightforward to work toward; one way you can probe the edges of your knowledge is to keep asking yourself why until you hit a wall. Resolve in the face of fear and self-awareness are a little harder for me to describe—probably because I haven’t convinced myself that I’m there yet and am maybe hoping this brief introspective aside convinces you I have a shred of self-awareness.

In the moment, after you’ve done all of the preparation and built up your own skills, the biggest difference I have experienced from being in the room with happy warriors is they project their own excitement into the room. That excitement is contagious, and effective happy warriors is that they fill the room by projecting but not yelling. If you’re speaking into a microphone, make sure it is just below level with your mouth and not too close; ideally about 2 inches away from your mouth, but experiment a little if there are monitors on the stage for you to hear how you sound. Often it is not the case that you will have monitors unless you are on a large stage, but try to get a sense of how loud you will sound to the audience by listening to other speakers if you have the option. If you are using a clip-on, keep it roughly 6 inches below your chin, avoid any ties or necklaces, don’t tap your chest in a way that will rustle, and keep your arms away from the cord that connects the mic to the pack.

Speaking Like a Happy Warrior

While the Happy Warrior isn't the only rhetorical persona, there are some things a Happy Nuclear Warrior can really excel in bringing to the field.

Big Ideas, Small Details.
Adapting to the Audience.
Using a Problem-Solution Framework.

When preparing your remarks, I think it’s helpful to structure the segments of your speech as big ideas followed by small details. A happy warrior excites people with broad ideas grounded in concrete details. The ideas are where the happy warrior brings their passion in, but the details should always be tailored to your audience. People say that knowing your audience tells you how deep into a topic you can go, but I argue that you can and should be going into detail with the knowledge that you shouldn’t be focusing on the same details. A happy warrior takes this one step further by identifying what their audience wants to know or will be excited about hearing your perspective on.

Big ideas with small details help the audience know where you are going, and help them piece the details together. What makes the happy warrior stand out here is that they are giving their audience new information or presenting it in a new way that engages the audience. I'm going for the latter in this blog (hopefully people want their audience to be excited and learn new things from their speech). I think it bears repeating that speakers should go in and try to share something new with the audience if they can. I can think of a few talks I’ve been to where the speaker was rehashing the same information I had heard before, and I was not excited to be there. I think that the happy warrior is always trying to bring something new to the table, and that’s what makes them so engaging.

Answering Questions Like a Happy Warrior

While you as a Happy Nuclear Warrior might not always be in the position to take questions, there are some things you can do to ensure you are prepared to answer questions that keep up the Happy Warrior persona.

When responding to questions there are two competing temptations that I experience: the first is to build my response around data and the second is to tell a personal story. While these urges are not totally at odds, and there are definitely times when one is more appropriate than the other, a Happy Warrior responds to any question with a structure that is easy to follow and engaging.

Now this begs the question, what makes for an easy to follow or engaging response? Let's start with the negative of this question. A hard-to-follow response that isn't engaging is full of irrelevant details or too many tangents. I want to distinguish between a story and a tangent here. Stories directly illustrate the point you are trying to make without introducing too many new details or characters that aren't relevant to the broader subject, but tangents are just that--tangents.

I think that the happy warrior avoids these pitfalls by:

organizing responses with lists,
getting to the heart of the question,
and offering footholds.

When responding to questions, structuring your answers with clear lists can help keep your responses focused and organized. This method allows you to address each aspect of the question systematically, making your answers easier to follow and understand. Importantly, there shouldn't be more than 3 or 4 things on the list, otherwise, it is difficult for people to hold each element. Not every response should be in list format, but they should all focus on answering the core of the question directly (hopefully, this is another "no duh" moment). The first step is to think, for a split second, about why the person is asking the question (if it's not clear, ask them to clarify). The next step is to build your answer around details relevant to the why. Avoid veering off-topic or providing excessive detail. By addressing the main point succinctly, you show that you value your audience’s time and are confident in your knowledge.

When I say footholds, I mean a combination of concrete examples and actionable takeaways (which feed into the inspirational element of the Happy Warrior persona). Illustrating your points with real-world examples helps clarify your message and provides tangible evidence to support your answers. By giving your audience actionable takeaways or practical advice that they can use, you ensure that your responses are not only informative but also useful and applicable to your audience’s needs.

When Should You Be One?

While simplicity can be beneficial, ensure you don’t oversimplify complex issues. It’s important to maintain accuracy and depth in your communication, even while staying positive. Similarly, be mindful of not overwhelming your audience with too much information; this goes back to giving the right type of details to your audience. Balance your enthusiasm with clear, concise points to avoid cognitive overload and maintain engagement. While the happy warrior approach is generally positive, there are times when it might not be suitable. For instance, in situations that require somber tones, excessive optimism might come across as insincere.