This chapter outlines the changing relationship between political
elites and the public. It outlines the challenges of political offi ce contemporary leaders face in trying to both listen to the public to stay popular
and make sound decisions to stay effective. This chapter does this to argue
that effective communication is the key to balancing these two broad,
yet sometimes contradictory, requirements of governing leadership. It will
highlight how governing leaders’ communication is moving away from
traditional, one-dimensional, selling and issue pushing and towards contemporary, multi-dimensional, relationship building. Therefore, this chapter will
highlight a new model for governing leaders’ communication.