VZCZCXRO8814
RR RUEHAST RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHMRE RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR
RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #0425/01 1170318
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 270318Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8669
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNOSC/OSCE POST COLLECTIVE
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0267
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0289
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1968
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0711
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0765
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000425 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN (PERRY) 
INFO SCA/PPD (VAN DE VATE), IIP/G/NEA-SA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO PREL TX
SUBJECT: PAYNE MOTIVATES TURKMENISTAN'S CIVIL SOCIETY 
 
REFERENCE: ASHGABAT 345 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (U) Health and political communication specialist Dr. Gregory 
James Payne breathed new life into the value of public speaking 
skills by showing how effective communication is essential to 
leadership.  Post was pleased to host Payne as part of its U.S. 
Speaker program from March 3-12; his visit coincided with and worked 
well in tandem with that of Dr. Elbert Ransom [reftel].  In addition 
to reviewing the basics of good public speaking with a range of 
audiences, Payne broached the topic of free speech and state 
propaganda powerfully but indirectly by discussing the mechanics of 
public marketing.  His humorous, interactive teaching style 
surprised teachers and students in Ashgabat, Turkmenbashy and 
Dashoguz, who rose to his challenge: "be a leader."  END SUMMARY. 
 
DR. PAYNE, THE GREAT COMMUNICATOR 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) Dr. Payne's audiences ranged from students at Turkmen State 
University, Turkmen-Turkish University and the Azadi World Languages 
Institute, alumni of U.S. Government programs and civil society and 
members of the Ministry of Health, the Parliament of Turkmenistan, 
and state media.  He met with groups of over two dozen young 
teenagers each at an after-hours school in Anau supported through a 
Democracy Commission grant, and at bustling community NGO Keik Okara 
in Ashgabat.  By popular demand, the Public Affairs Section 
organized two last-minute public speechwriting seminars featuring 
Payne, and each of his audiences demanded CD copies of Payne's 
presentations from post to share with others.  Each audience 
reacted, some with outright joy and some with trepidation, to the 
edgy message that individuals have the power to persuade others 
through language and symbol.  In a state still under the influence 
of turgid, authoritarian, nationalistic propaganda, Dr. Payne 
encouraged local audiences to analyze how public messages influenced 
their behavior.  Simultaneously, he walked students through a 
structured process of self-expression and leadership. 
 
¶3.  (U) The size of Payne's student audiences at the higher 
educational institutes in Ashgabat ranged from 45 to over 100, as 
organized by those institutes.  Starting timidly, the crowds soon 
loosened up with Dr. Payne's humorous examples of cross-cultural 
communication "signals" -- such as differing ideas of adequate 
personal space, eye contact, and hand-shaking.  Thereafter, the 
personality of the students shone as students introduced themselves, 
with the occasional student admitting that he or she wished to be 
President or Prime Minister of Turkmenistan someday.  Dr. Payne 
coached the students to think of themselves as leaders, and 
demonstrated through examples in current international affairs and 
politics how credibility, accountability, and one's ability to 
identify with one's audience are critical components to effective 
public communication.  Payne made frequent references to the 
Internet, showing students where they could find funny and thought 
provoking public service announcements, songs and other materials he 
used in his communication classes in the United States. 
 
STATE INSTITUTES LISTEN WITH INTEREST 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (U) In a meeting with 60 state journalists -- most in their 50s 
-- at the House of Free Creativity (the headquarters of state media, 
separate from the publishing house) Payne "pushed the envelope" in a 
presentation emphasizing the value of a free media, among those 
schooled in Soviet methodology, and whose recent careers have been 
working for the state in one of the world's most closed media 
environments.  Despite PAS staff's curiosity about whether he may 
have gone too far, too fast for his audience, the next day's major 
daily newspapers contained a positive and accurate, if not detailed 
readout of the event, indicating at least an acceptance of post's 
outreach effort on this subject (septel). 
 
¶5.  (U) In a talk with 15 members of Turkmenistan's Parliament, Dr. 
Payne discussed international political communication, campaign 
advertising, and credibility.  He fielded questions on negative 
campaign advertisements and America's credibility with the world due 
to the Iraq war, and how a politician could lose political -- and 
personal -- credibility.  (Comment:  Members of the Parliament are 
all elected from one party and generally serve as a rubber stamp for 
executive decisions.  End Comment.) 
 
 
ASHGABAT 00000425  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6.  (U) A presentation for and discussion with 20-25 academics and 
government professionals of the Institute of Democracy and Human 
Rights in the Office of the President focused more on the value of 
intercultural exchange and role of stereotyping in political 
communication.  He also responded to a wide range of questions on 
U.S. politics and elections for this very interested audience.  Some 
were hopeful to have continued contact with Dr. Payne -- and as with 
all his audiences in Turkmenistan, Payne offered to initiate regular 
webchats with his students in the United States, or perhaps to 
initiate an exchange program to take groups of students or 
professionals from the United States to Turkmenistan, and vice 
versa.  The openness of these discussions at state institutions 
would have been unthinkable prior to the death of President 
Saparmurat Niyazov in December 2006. 
 
¶7.  (U) Dr. Payne was the guest of honor at a lunch on health 
communication on March 8, 2007 -- auspiciously scheduled on the day 
the Ministry of Health signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding 
with USAID partner Capacity to promote efforts to combat the spread 
of HIV/AIDS.  Two ministry representatives -- one of whom heads the 
Health Information department (public health programming) of the 
ministry -- joined six representatives of USG health programs 
implementers for a discussion of public health campaign methods and 
theory.  Dr. Payne introduced a public service announcement for the 
National Cancer Society that successfully encouraged U.S. voters to 
vote for an increase in taxes on cigarettes.  The ministry 
information representative frequently interjected with examples of 
ministry public health education initiatives such as advertisements 
and health discussion programs for state television.  She seemed 
anxious to combat any suggestion, however nuanced, that the host 
government might needed any advice or assistance in such efforts, 
and she clearly tried to avoid interaction with the other lunch 
participants.  Despite this unease, the fact that the ministry 
representatives attended the lunch at the A/DCM's residence and 
engaged in such discussion -- not to mention the signing of the 
Memorandum of Understanding -- represents a positive shift from 
Niyazovian times. 
 
OLD HABITS 
---------- 
 
¶8.  (U) The one dark spot in Dr. Payne's program was the local 
government's obstruction of a seminar held in Turkmenbashy city -- 
where the American Corner has been closed for nearly a year.  The 
presentation, scheduled to be held at the Turkmenbashy Hotel -- 
about which post had informed the host government because hotel 
space qualifies as state-controlled -- was delayed by local 
government officials who demanded to see Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
permission for the event.  After the presentation, post received 
word that participants at the session had been called and harassed 
by local government agents. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶9.  (U) As with all Embassy Ashgabat outreach efforts, steps forward 
always come with a step or two back.  In the case of Dr. Payne's 
visit, post took many more steps forward than anticipated.  The 
month of March yielded much more positive feeling from the host 
government than post has ever experienced.  Dr. Payne arrived just 
at the right time, his program (blending seamlessly with that of Dr. 
Ransom's) brought many fresh and attainable ideas for further 
exchange with local audiences.  End Comment. 
 
¶10.  Dushanbe Minimize Considered 
 
BRUSH