Speech by President von Der Leyen at the European Parliament Plenary Report

Introduction

The recent Russian invasion of Ukrainian land left the global community shocked. Different peace organizations and trade unions condemned Russian President, Vladimir Putin, actions. The war was detrimental to the global economy that depends on Ukrainian and Russian exports. Europe was one of the most affected regions since the war took place in two of its countries. Consequently, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called the stakeholders to act against the detrimental war. Von der Leyen’s speech sent a message of solidarity through the use of rhetorical strategies.

Speech Brief

President Von der Leyen, the European Commission president, spoke in Brussels on 1st March 2022 at the European Parliament Plenary (European Commission, 2022). Her speech was published on the European Commission website and can be accessed through the link. The president persuaded the European leaders to embrace unity and protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Von der Leyen justified the three economic sanctions against Russia in the wake of the Ukrainian invasion.

Design, Arrangement, and Formatting

Proper organization adds credibility to a speech and the speaker making it enjoyable and easy to understand. Von der Leyen’s used the general format of a speech: introduction, main body, and conclusion (Susan, 2007). The speaker started by greeting the audience and grabbing their attention by use of the words ‘War has come to Europe’. In the main body, she listed and logically introduced the three sanctions against Russia. She explained the economic sanctions with their justifications. After that, she called the Europeans to action by listing the various effects of the invasion on the region. In the conclusion, she summarized the impact of the invasion on Ukrainians and cemented the speech with a message of hope (Hum, 2015). The speech design, arrangement, and format made it enjoyable, easy to understand, and effective among the audience.

Rhetorical Strategies Used

Logos

President Von der Leyen utilized rhetorical strategies to encourage action and persuade the stakeholders affected by the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Logos, one of the most effective rhetorical strategies, was used during the speech delivery. Logos involves enlisting logical reasoning in the fabric of an argument (Han et al., 2019). Consequently, logos allowed the speaker to determine facts and draw evidence-based conclusions. Von der Leyen applied inductive and deductive reasoning during the speech delivery. Inductive reasoning is identified when she said, “Thousands of people fleeing from bombs, camped in underground stations – holding hands, crying silently, trying to cheer each other up.” Furthermore, she used deductive reasoning by saying, “Today, a Union of almost half a billion people has mobilized for Ukraine” (European Commission, 2022). The use of logos made her speech express the war atrocities if not acted against: anarchy and death of the Europeans.

Pathos

Engaging with the audience’s emotions is an effective way of persuading them and calling them to action. Pathos involves engaging the audience through emotions, but not too emotional in conveying a speaker’s logical stance (Han et al., 2019). Pathos should be used as a tactic to further the truth of an agenda, and not confuse the audience with the real message (Adeodato, 2022). Von der Leyen used historical war events to evoke a somber mood in the audience. For instance, the use of the Balkan Wars brought the audience into thinking of the effects of war. In her speech, she said, “Almost thirty years after the Balkan Wars, and over half a century after Soviet troops marched into Prague and Budapest, civil defense sirens again went off in the heart of a European capital” (European Commission, 2022). Further, she used words like ‘a watershed moment’, ‘darkest hour’, and ‘defending lives’, among others to emotionally appeal to the audience (European Commission, 2022). The use of pathos allowed her to emotionally appeal to the audience and justify the economic sanctions taken against Russia.

Ethos

Speakers must deliver a speech that is factual and empathetic by giving a credible speech that can be trusted. Ethos refers to the speakers’ credibility to their audiences and can be enhanced by citing reliable sources, building rapport, maintaining respect, and presenting organized and well-prepared information (Adeodato, 2022). Von der Leyen cited one of the most trusted Ukrainian newspapers, the Kyiv Independent, which was published hours before the invasion began. According to the paper, the invasion was not just about Ukraine, but a clash of two worlds, two polar sets of values (European Commission, 2022). Von der Leyen concluded that the invasion was a clash between ‘the rule of law’ and ‘the rule of guns.’ Furthermore, ethos is identified when she used the word ‘honorable members’ which was respectful to the audience. Ethos made the speech more credible and empathetic showing the seriousness of the aggressive Russian invasion.

Repetition

Speakers employ repetition to emphasize a point and make their speech easier to follow. Repetition is the repeating of words that have already been said, with no particular placement to secure emphasis (Han et al., 2019). In addition to ethos, pathos, and logos, Von der Leyen utilized repetition to emphasize various actions taken by the European Commission. For instance, she said, “We are united and we stay united” (European Commission, 2022). Repetition of the words ‘we’ and ‘united’ emphasized European’s unity of purpose. Furthermore, she said, “Long live Europe. And long live a free and independent Ukraine” (European Commission, 2022). The repeated use of the word ‘long live’ brought an aspect of a peaceful wish for Europe and Ukraine amidst the dreadful events. Repetition helped Von der Leyen emphasize peace-building throughout the speech.

Target Audience, Intended Effects, and Potential Effects

Ursula Von der Leyen’s targeted audience was all the European Commission stakeholders. The audience included European residents, the region’s leaders, various governmental and non-governmental institutions, and anyone affected by the aggressive Russian invasion of Ukraine. The speech’s purpose was to deliver and justify the economic sanctions against Russia as temporary mitigation. The choice of words and the general speech’s design intended to convince the Europeans that the commission’s decision to sanction Russia was prudent. The speaker utilized rhetorical strategies to catch the audience’s attention. The use of historical wars evoked a somber mood among the audience.

The speech also presented some potential effects on the audience. The speech could potentially bring the Europeans together in resisting Russia’s move. The speaker used words of solidarity such as ‘unity’ and ‘long live’ that could evoke anger among the affected persons. Furthermore, the speech could lead to action by civil societies fighting against human rights violations. The speaker alluded to the past wars and listed the effects of the invasion on people and the economy. While the speaker intended to justify the commission’s sanctions against Russia, the speech could potentially evoke unity among Europeans and actions from civil societies that fight against human rights violations.

Effectiveness of Editor’s Choices

The speaker’s choice of words made her achieve the speech’s intended purpose. However, the speaker could have adopted other rhetorical mechanisms like similes to make it more effective. The speech’s organization and design made it flow and easy to understand (Kristaponis, 2014). Furthermore, the use of ethos, pathos, logos, and repetition made the message convincing. Meanwhile, the speaker could have incorporated numeric data to improve the speaker’s credibility. For instance, stating the number of persons killed during the Balkan War could make the audience act quickly. Applying other rhetorical strategies like similes and rhetorical questions could make the audience convinced by the sanctions (Mackenzie, 2011). The use of logos, ethos, pathos, and repetition made the speech effective, but adding more strategies and using numerical data could improve the speech’s effectiveness.

Conclusion

Rhetorical strategies help orators improve their speeches’ effectiveness. The president of the European Commission applied ethos, pathos, logos, and repetition during her speech presentation in Brussels. The speech was well-organized and adopted the general speech format making it easy to understand. The use of rhetorical strategies made the speaker appeal to the audience’s emotions and call them to action. The choice of words made the speech effective in delivering the intended message. However, the speech could be improved by incorporating numeric data and other rhetorical strategies. Ursula von der Leyen’s speech at the European Plenary Parliament was effective.

References

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European Commission (2022). Speech by President Von der Leyen at the European Parliament Plenary on the Russian aggression against Ukraine.

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Mackenzie, J. (2011). Language. The Editor’s Companion, 94–114.

Jarratt, S.C. (2007). Rhetoric. In Nicholls, D.G (Ed.), Introduction to scholarship in modern languages and literatures (3rd ed., pp. 73-102). Modern Language Association of America.