How New York’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, communicates feels almost radical.
He doesn’t shout, over-explain, or varnish his message. He just tells people the truth – plainly, rhythmically, and with purpose.
When Mamdani stood before a crowd on election night and declared, “We have won because New Yorkers have stood up for a city they can afford… A life of dignity should not be reserved for a fortunate few. It should be one that city government guarantees for each and every New Yorker,” it was more than a victory speech.
It was a manifesto for a new kind of leadership for New York, one grounded in accessibility, not abstraction.
That’s the first thing Mamdani teaches us: real communication begins where politics usually ends: with people.
The politics of “no translation”
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Mamdani described his approach as a “politics of no translation” — an idea that should make every leader pause.
“We have found exactly the way to defeat organised money, which is organised people,” he said. “And ultimately, we believe in a politics of no translation, one that is both direct to the struggles of working people’s lives and also delivered directly. And there is nothing more direct than a New Yorker knocking on another New Yorker’s door.”
It’s an elegant phrase, but also a profound one. Most modern communication is layered in translation, usually through PR teams, consultants, speechwriters and brand managers. Every edit removes an edge, every approval smooths the language until it’s so sanitised it barely says anything at all.
Mamdani rejects that. His “no translation” politics is as much about tone as ideology: it’s the belief that people don’t need to be spoken down to or managed into agreement. They just need honesty delivered in their own language.
Clarity as courage
What’s striking about Mamdani’s rise isn’t his charisma, but his calm conviction. He doesn’t decorate his points; he anchors them. The words are simple but deliberate, designed to connect rather than perform. In that sense, his communication style feels closer to community organising than political campaigning: less broadcast, more conversation.
There’s also a kind of humility in the way he speaks. His messages aren’t framed as pronouncements from on high but as collective statements. “We have found,” not “I have found.” “We have won because New Yorkers have stood up,” not “I have delivered victory.” It’s a small linguistic shift that signals something much larger. There’s a shared ownership of both challenge and change.
Mamdani’s effectiveness lies in that balance of precision and inclusion. He doesn’t retreat into the comfort of jargon, nor does he lean on populist cliché. His sentences are crafted to be understood on first hearing. They carry weight because they respect the listener’s intelligence.
Lessons beyond politics
There’s a temptation to see Mamdani’s clarity as a political anomaly or a quirk of personality. But the lessons extend far beyond City Hall. Whether you run a public body, a charity, or a business, the principle is the same: if people don’t understand you, they won’t trust you.
Clarity isn’t decoration; it’s discipline. Communication that is complex is communication that’s failed. Mamdani’s “no translation” approach works because it removes the friction between intent and understanding. It’s the same rule that applies in strategy, policy, and leadership: the closer you get to plain language, the closer you get to real impact.
Become addicted to metrics and messaging frameworks. Mamdani’s approach is almost analog, human-scale, deliberate, and defiantly unautomated. It’s a reminder that trust isn’t built in data dashboards or campaign slogans. It’s built one sentence at a time.
Beyond performance
There’s an honesty, too, in how Mamdani treats communication as an act of service rather than performance. When he says, “We have found the way to defeat organised money, which is organised people,” he doesn’t posture – he instructs. It’s a direct line from values to action.
That’s the real difference between rhetoric and communication. Rhetoric aims to impress. Communication aims to involve. Mamdani does the latter. And it’s working.
A final thought
It shouldn’t be remarkable for a mayor to speak plainly about dignity, community, and responsibility. But in an age where too much leadership is mediated through consultants and algorithms, it is.
Mamdani’s “no translation” politics offers a rare blueprint for the rest of us. It’s not just how to win elections, but how to lead with language that means something. Because the future doesn’t belong to those who shout the loudest. It belongs to those who can be heard.