AFSA offers the resources below to help members with speaking presentations and local outreach on the Foreign Service and the role of diplomacy. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact us at speakers@afsa.org.

Local Outreach

• Sample Letter of Introduction to Send to Organizations/Schools ( Word | PDF )
• Designing the Perfect Bio
• Share the Story of the Foreign Service
• Organizations Interested in Speakers
• Tips and Best Practices

AFSA Resources

• Talking Points
  • Talking Points for General Audiences
  • Talking Points for Student Audiences
  • Talking Points for Military Audiences
  • Defending Diplomacy & the Foreign Service
• Videos
  • "Economic Diplomacy: What Diplomats Do and Why It Matters"
    • Economic Diplomacy Talking Points and Other Resources
• AFSA’s National Outreach and Advocacy
  • AFSA President’s Column
  • "The State of the State Department and Diplomacy" with Ambs. Stephenson and Yates
  • Congressional Testimony
• Ambassador Tracker
• Senior Official Appointments
• The Foreign Service Journal
  • Economic Diplomacy Works Collection
  • Diplomacy Works Collection Part 1
  • Diplomacy Works Collection Part 2
  • The Foreign Service Journal Archive
  • FSJ Special Collections
• Inside a U.S. Embassy

State Resources

• State by State Map
• USAID Reports and Data
• USAID News and Information
• USAID Storytelling Hub
• Diplomacy 101
• Consular Affairs By the Numbers
• HR Fact Sheets

Other Resources

• U.S. Global Leadership Coalition
• The American Academy of Diplomacy
• Council on Foreign Relations
• Association for Diplomatic Studies & Training
• United States Institute of Peace

AFSA Background Information Package

• About AFSA: Background and History
• AFSA Annual Report
• Latest FSJ

Request a Copy of Inside a U.S. Embassy

We will send you a copy of the latest edition of Inside a U.S. Embassy, along with order forms. Speakers Bureau members may use this as a personal reference and/or as a door prize or gift at the event you speak at. Please introduce “Inside a U.S. Embassy” in conjunction with your talk, as probably the best general introduction to the Foreign Service and its work, and please make the order forms available to attendees. For your free copy, please email fsjedit@afsa.org, reference the venue (the date you are speaking and the organization you are speaking to), and the address you would like the book sent to.

For additional information, please click the link below:

www.afsa.org/inside

Standard Language to Use in Promoting an Event

AFSA asks that you please use the following language in all print and electronically disseminated material promoting the program as well as in introducing the speaker:

AFSA is the professional association and labor union that represents nearly 17,000 active and retired Foreign Service employees. The Speakers Bureau is part of AFSA’s overall effort to educate the public about the work of the Foreign Service and the importance of diplomacy in U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Please note that ideas expressed by the speakers represent their personal perspectives and do not necessarily reflect official U.S. policy.

Clearance Guidance to Retired Speakers

While clearance is generally not required for remarks made by Speakers Bureau members (unless explicitly speaking on official U.S. policy), speakers are reminded of their responsibility NOT to divulge classified information and to use great discretion and to err on the side of caution in discussing any Unclassified but Sensitive information.

Careers in the Foreign Service – How to Apply

• Foreign Service Officers
• Foreign Service Specialists
• USAID Careers