The Prime Minister of Russian Federation Vladimir Putin is great public speaker. Russia needs him - Essay Example

Vladimir Putin as a public speaker One can trace back the history of public speaking to many public speakers such as Mark Antony, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, and Kennedy who influenced the minds of millions through their powerful orations. Public speaking is an art that is mastered only by a few and when I think of good public speakers the name of Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister of Russian Federation, comes first to my mind. Putin’s speeches never sound boring to the audience; on the other hand, his style of presentation has attracted the attention of many.

Putin’s ability to adapt his public speaking in accordance with the needs of his audience is remarkable. His speeches are interesting, focused, and witty he makes use of a number of metaphors in them. His unique body posture, tone modulations, assertiveness, conviction, openness, boldness and diplomatic strategies make him one of my favorite public speakers. The five elements involved in effective public speaking are, “who is saying what to whom using what medium with what effects?” (The Definition of Public Speaking).

Analyzing Putin’s speeches one can identify that they combine these elements to a large extend. For Jaffe, “public speaking occurs when one person prepares and delivers a speech for a group that listens, generally without interrupting the speaker’s flow of ideas”( Jaffe, 2009, p. 1). In the case of Vladimir Putin his words are highly valued not only by the Russians but also by the international community and as such he can be regarded as an effective public speaker. Vladimir Putin’s historical speech at the Security Conference in Munich, on February 10, 2007 has captured worldwide attention.

Addressing the large number of defense ministers, parliamentarians and other representatives Putin strongly criticized the United States in trying to create a "uni-polar" world. In his short but powerful speech he severely condemns the United States that has “overstepped its borders in all spheres - economic, political and humanitarian, and has imposed itself on other states” and he warns world nations that the United States’ policy would only result in disasters (Watson, 2007). Vladimir Putin’s speeches demonstrate immense optimism and he firmly believes in the potential power of the nation’s political system.

While may criticize that there is no modernization in the nation, the nation was stagnating and that corruption goes unchecked in the nation, Putin has defended himself effectively by citing the concrete deeds undertaken by the government. He emphasized on the nation’s ‘successful diversification into different industries,’ the large amount of foreign investment in the energy sector, and postulated that the purpose of “modernization is not to change the political set-up or overhaul state institutions, but to refine and preserve the system and justify the central role of the state” (Why Russia needs me: The prime minister defends his record, 2011).

On the other hand, there are many who regard Putin as a ‘down-to-earth ruler who feels at ease with rough-speaking truck drivers’ and all of his public relations resemble that of well-planned election campaigns (Why Russia needs me: The prime minister defends his record, 2011). It is also worthwhile to consider Vladimir Putin’s state-of-the-nation address to the Russian Federal Assembly on May 10, 2006 where he shifted his attention from foreign policy to domestic and economic affairs where he brought out “a detailed plan for reversing Russias drastic demographic decline, and a pledge to boost the countrys military defenses against both global and local threats” (Bigg, 2006).

To conclude, it can be stated that Vladimir Putin is an effective speaker and political leader who has a unique vision and charismatic personality that lures the attraction of his audience. I am extremely attracted by the flow of his speech, the choice of diction and the variance in mood and tone. He has a special power to convince his audience and his speech at the Security Conference in Munich has in fact taken world attention away from the United States to Russia. As Dlugan makes it clear “good speakers stick to what they know.

Great speakers research what they need to convey their message” (Dlugan). As such it can be seen that Vladimir Putin’s speeches stem from clear cut and well-planned thoughts and they do have the potential to influence his listeners’ minds and brains. ReferencesBigg, Claire. (2006). Russia: Putin Speech Puts Domestic Concerns Before Foreign Policy. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 22 Aug. 11 from: http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1068299.htmlDlugan, A. (2007). The 25 Essential Public Speaking Skills Every Speaker Must Have.

Retrieved 22 Aug. 11 from: http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/25-skills-every-public-speaker-should-have/Jaffe, Clella. (2009). Public Speaking: Concepts and Skills for a Diverse Society. Revised 6th ed: Cengage Learning. “The Definition of Public Speaking”. Jonathan Steele. Retrieved 22 Aug. 11 from: http://www.speechmastery.com/definition-of-public-speaking.htmlWatson, Rob. (2007). Putins speech: Back to cold war? BBC News. Retrieved 22 Aug. 11 from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6350847.

stmWhy Russia needs me: The prime minister defends his record. (2011). The Economist. Sep 9th 2010. The Economist Newspaper Limited, 2011. Retrieved 22 Aug. 11 from: http://www.economist.com/node/16996991