The Foreign Service Journal, March 2021

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2021 37 professional education o • Recognize the difference between informing the American people about foreign policy and persuading foreign audiences through public diplomacy. The language that trumpets a trade deal at home won’t necessarily convince another nation’s pub- lic that it is also a win for them. • Pay attention to the cardinal tenet of persuasive communi- cation: It’s not what you say, it’s what they hear. While most of the world is primed to welcome the new Biden administration, how the United States presents its return will matter. • To avoid the all-too-frequent perception that the United States is tone-deaf, vet foreign policy speeches and statements with public diplomacy professionals who best understand foreign audiences. • Use the full arsenal of public diplomacy. Information messaging alone, no matter how ably crafted and well placed through technology, does not necessarily build support. Com- bine the shorter-term informational goals with medium- and long-term building of relationships to address perception as well as knowledge. • Show up. And not only at the highest-level international meetings. Participate in conferences and colloquia abroad. If the United States won’t tell its own story, others are only too happy to do it for us. • Recognize that optimal effectiveness of the department’s PD operations requires the appropriate functional structure. Correct current PD organizational inefficiencies. • Recognize that public diplomacy professionals have a distinct set of skills and expertise. Staff PD positions through- out the department with seasoned career PD professionals. This should start with the under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, with clear lines of authority over PD person- nel and program resources. Renee M. Earle is a retired public diplomacy FSO who lives in Durham, North Carolina. Reinvigorate the Culture of FS Notetaking As the incoming senior appointees prepare to fulfill President Joe Biden’s charge for America to lead from “the head of the table” internationally, they should reserve a seat for a professional FSO at every engagement. We hope our experiences and insti- tutional perspectives will be used to help shape policy. As the new team takes the field, it should also commit to reinvigorating the culture of notetaking and the basic diplomatic practice of formal reporting, which has witnessed a serious degra- dation in recent years. This is more than just commonsense com- pliance with regulations. Such a commitment would help rebuild the skill of America’s diplomatic corps and restore confidence in American diplomacy among our foreign counterparts. On the practical side, FSOs need to be involved in and report on the highest-level meetings if we are to faithfully carry out and force-multiply the new administration’s policies. Writing suggested talking points for a principal is one thing; far more important for developing the next generation is witness- ing how that principal deploys the points in a conversation. Pandemic restrictions have accelerated the unfortunate trend of a decline in face-to-face diplomacy. But the routine participation in these engagements of everyone from ambas- sadors to entry-level officers will enhance greatly the effective- ness of our diplomatic efforts. As a matter of principle, having a notetaker present in meetings or listening to phone calls also signals to our foreign interlocutors that the appointees and professional diplomats are part of one team, that diplomats are entrusted with the administration’s confidence, and that these U.S. officials are doing the American people’s business and operating in a sys- tem designed for internal transparency. The habit of taking notes and distilling the key points of an engagement is essential to the historical record. What we do and what we say matters, now and in the future. As Ambassador William Burns points out, America needs a new foreign policy that supports domestic renewal. This is not just about security and prosperity; it’s also about strengthening the functional and honorable aspects of government work. Reinvigorating a culture of notetaking and formal reporting will enhance accountability and good governance, while boost- ing the effectiveness of all of America’s diplomats—appointees and professional—in service of the American people. FSO David Fabrycky is deputy political counselor at the U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels.