искусство убеждения
Alexei Navalny does not lack courage. The poisoned Putin critic returned to his motherland, was arrested and released a new documentary exposing corruption in Russia. Over 100 million views and international calls for his release make you wonder what makes him so persuasive.
Russian roulette
Navalny knows how to practice political judo. Unlike Vladimir Putin, he has no black belt but this did not prevent him from applying the principle of using your opponents’ strength against them. Targeting powerful, well-known people attracts attention; if they respond, you get even more clicks. Putin barely ever utters his name in public and rather refers to him as “this gentleman” or, most recently, “political pedophile”.
It is the rebellion of young people that has put the reigning president in the hot seat during a cold winter. According to a December 2020 poll, only 15% of Russians believed the government had tried to silence the opposition leader. A month later, pro-Navalny protests rose in over 100 cities. When political authorities make mistakes, the opposition makes ground on public opinion.
Three examples
An assassin’s confessions: Navalny fell ill on a flight to Moscow and was found dying in a Siberian hotel in September 2017. The Cinema for Peace Foundation evacuated him to the Charité in Berlin, where doctors found highly toxic Novichok. The nerve agent was developed in the Soviet-era but was still used to kill Sergei and Yulia Skripal in the UK in 2018. Navalny luckily survived and duped an agent of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation into admitting his involvement.
A wave of arrests: The Russian oppositionist arrived in Moscow, where police detained him because of previous convictions. The European Court of Human Rights, however, criticised his trials in the past and called some of the arrests politically motivated. His brother, wife, lawyer and over 2,000 people were arrested at the end of January 2021.
Going viral from prison: Less than 48 hours after Navalny’s arrival and arrest on 17 January 2021, his team uploaded a two-hour documentary accusing Putin of secretly financing an opulent €1 billion palace at the Black Sea with taxpayers’ money. The film fuelled anger over corruption and fired up Kremlin critics across the country.
Putin’s palace
The persuasive power of the documentary results from more than the alliteration in the title. Each of the eight parts reinforces one key message: “Putin is bad for the country because he is increasing his personal wealth at the cost of Russia’s development.” Leading with your conclusion is called the pyramid principle. Applying it adds structure but also substance.
It would be too easy to brush off the film as a baseless set of blustering accusations. The producers back up their claims with figures, files and footage. Providing evidence is necessary to form a full argument, and the fact that you can verify many numbers and documents with some research gives viewers the impression that Nawalny has a point. If Aristotle were still alive, he would applaud the team for how they both built and protected their case.
Two techniques stand out. The first one takes us into the world of argument theory to the terms “multiple” or “convergent”. When you intend to make a complex argument, check whether the subclaims can individually establish your main claim. This makes your position more robust than a subordinative structure because your counterparts will have to prove you wrong on every subclaim. You can see that Navalny’s team followed this approach because each section of the movie claims that President Putin has been and still is benefitting at the expense of Mother Russia.
The second technique comes from rhetoric and is called “prolepsis”. It is a figure of speech where you proactively rebut possible counterarguments in your presentation. Drone footage of the far-reaching territory and blueprints of the imperious interior of the sea resort palace aim to disarm those who argue the documentary is just about raking up old scandals. It is true that similar allegations cropped up half a decade ago. Putin denied that he is the owner and still claims the pompous property is owned by a businessman. Almost two weeks after the release of the documentary, oligarch and Putin’s childhood-friend Arkady Rotenberg went public saying that he wants to turn his palace into an apartment hotel. Navalny argues Putin is the unofficial owner because his family and friends have an indirect stake, and the secret service protects it with a no-fly zone.
It is neither possible nor advisable to deal with every criticism in advance. However, by addressing the main counterarguments, you strengthen your case and take the wind out of your opponents’ sails.
Alexei’s aim
450 members of the Duma will be elected by September 2021. Alexei Navalny will not be one of them. The Central Election Commission barred him in 2017 for at least a decade, yet his allies won regional seats in the last year. Polls show that the opposition is gaining ground while the ruling party seems to have lost more than a third of its support. The voices calling for free and fair elections are getting louder. The documentary aims to increase the pressure and sets out the campaign narrative.
The video does not urge people to vote for “Russia of the Future” but sheds light on the present and the past. Navalny does not act as a hero but a narrator, also appealing to the international audience with English subtitles. The visuals portray Putin as the villain; dynamic pictures, symbols and diagrams engage you from the beginning to the end. Despite the complexity, Navalny knows who his audience are and what they want. He targets those who love Russia and loathe corruption.
Navalny’s film is also successful because it gets to the core of our triune brains. The research aims to improve his ethos and keeps our neocortex busy. Our limbic system lights up whenever he drops a relatable analogy (e.g. between the cost of a toilet and the pension of the average Russian) or a story about nepotism. He always goes beyond entertaining his followers. The video highlights the costs of the ongoing corruption and urges people to protest for free elections and a fair society.
Three tips to persuade better
Practise political judo with powerful people.
Attack your counterpart with multiple examples and sources.
Appeal to our lizard brain by flagging an imminent reward or threat.
Learn the techniques. Boost your confidence. Make your point.
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