ABSTRACT
Diplomacy is all about top people quietly sharing positions and proposals. When they meet, someone has to record what was said in a way that others might use. Sooner or later all diplomats stand up in front of an audience to convey their basic messages. They need to know how to structure a speech or presentation, and how to deliver it convincingly and engagingly. Official entertainment is all about the thin line between success and embarrassment, if not disaster. Diplomats need to pay meticulous attention to detail and protocol. Any substantive diplomatic course has to include sharp operational training in negotiating. Diplomats at all levels from the start of their careers need to be good at listening creatively, and looking out for ways to redefine problems to achieve imaginative solutions that leave everyone more or less happy on different levels simultaneously. The greatest of all diplomatic skills is judgement. That comes with experience.
