The Foreign Service Journal, June 2018

20 JUNE 2018 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL won’t make as many mistakes and bad promises. Speak when you know where you want the conversation to go and how to get it there . Make the foreign leaders you are talking with think that accepting your policy prescription is their idea. If you hold your tongue and speak when it’s appropriate, you will get the golden ticket—the continuous invitation to return to all meetings. You won’t have to beg to see your key partners; they will want to have your company. Communicate your insights back to others in your government in a way that clarifies your own understanding of the issues. They don’t have the insights you have into the nuances of the issues. You must ensure they get the whole picture—not in great detail, but in great clarity. Be an excellent writer. The maxim always applies that you shouldn’t write to be understood; you should write so that you cannot be misunderstood. n They build a solid relationship, and that allows them to raise difficult topics in the right setting at the right time.