The Foreign Service Journal, March 2016

10 MARCH 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL LETTERS Measuring PD’s Impact In the Office of Policy, Plan- ning and Resources for the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, we read with interest James Rider’s December Speaking Out, “Proving Public Diplo- macy Works.” Mr. Rider mad e some excellent observations about the chal- lenges of evaluating the impact of public diplomacy efforts, and the necessity of so doing. To further the discussion, I want to provide information about R/PPR’s work to help PD practitioners and policymak- ers assess the impact of public diplomacy programming. PD practitioners have long known that there is a dearth of data to analyze and shape decision-making in public diplo- macy, leaving practitioners to “go with their gut,” while providing scant evidence of effectiveness. R/PPR is working to remedy that situa- tion by developing a modern suite of tools to create strategies, set objectives and plan, track and evaluate public diplomacy programs carried out across the world. This initiative includes: (1) the global rollout in FY 2016 of the Public Diplo- macy Implementation Planning tool, which ties planned PD programming to the Integrated Country Strategy in a searchable cloud-based platform; (2) the October 2015 launch of the Mission Activity Tracker 4.0 (MAT), with improve- ments designed to gather information on activities, audiences reached and notable outcomes; and (3) the expansion of R/PPR’s Evaluation and Measurement Unit to coordinate PD evaluations throughout the “R family” and prepare research and guidance for PD practition- ers to use in defining objectives and evaluating programs at the post and bureau levels. R/PPR believes it is essential—and possible— to acquire greater insight into the impact of public diplomacy programming. We have increased our audience research capacity, producing reports that provide actionable guidance on target audiences, relevant messages and other topics to help maxi- mize the effectiveness of a post’s limited PD resources. A key component for the success of R/PPR’s efforts is training American and local staff on the importance of report- ing PD activities and demonstrating how they link to mission goals. Clarifying and articulating objectives at the outset of a program, initiative or policy is a core chal- lenge that policymakers and implement- ers must also address together. But creating the tools is only part of the effort. The under secretary has requested additional resources to ensure that we are able to undertake rigorous evalua- tions of the impact of PD programs, and to conduct the outreach necessary within the PD profession to develop a culture that understands and values evaluation. We heartily agree with Mr. Rider’s recommendation to shift from focusing on the quantity of programs to their quality, conceived strategically and evaluated for effectiveness in cultivating the relation- ships and conditions necessary to achieve American foreign policy objectives. We welcome suggestions, ideas and comments from our colleagues and critics. Write to us at RPPREvaluation@state.gov. Elizabeth Detmeister FSO Acting Director, R/PPR Evaluation and Measurement Unit Washington, D.C. Intangibles of Public Diplomacy I retired from the Foreign Service in 1986 but have remained active in AFSA ever since, including four years on the Governing Board. When word came out back in 1999 that the U.S. Information Agency would disappear, I was quite concerned. I felt there was a significant underappreciation (including frommany of my State col- leagues) of what USIA was doing through- out the world. I began my Foreign Service career in 1957 as a disbursing officer in Vien- tiane, but I was able to pitch in with the U.S. Information Service (as USIA was known at overseas posts) during my free time. At my next post, Paris, I lived a few meters down the street from the often- overflowing USIS library. (I have never understood why those libraries were later closed.) And I played various low-key public diplomacy roles throughout the rest of my career. James Rider’s article was very enlight- ening and not surprising. Are our public diplomacy programs overall doing better in this post-USIA period?This is obviously tricky to evaluate, as Mr. Rider notes. Yet there can be no doubt of the importance of such “intangibles.” All FS personnel are, in effect, or at least should be occasional public diplo- macy officers, no matter their specific jobs. PD is indeed a valuable role for all of us. Gilbert H. Sheinbaum FSO, retired Vienna, Virginia USAID and Operational Stress As the authors of the report titled “Stress and Resilience Issues Affecting USAID Personnel in High Operational Stress Environments” (http://bit.ly/