Diplomacy is an art that stems from politics and politics is all about conflict resolution. Diplomacy is an art that evolved initially to deal with problems in the relationships between countries. Diplomacy is a fine art, heir to centuries of epochal deal making, system building, peacemaking and conflict avoidance and resolution.
At the core of diplomacy lies the art of communication, communication with credibility, more precisely. Fluency in communication, eloquence combined with economy in the use of language and possessing the antennae to pick up surround sound, the reverberations from the ground, is what makes good diplomacy tick. Diplomacy is the art of restraining force and enhancing power, with the unintentional effect on occasion leading to a reduction of power. The distinction between force and power in this context is as important as the clear understanding of the interconnection between the two in a fluid and changing international context.
On the contrary, diplomacy means assessing the situation in its entirety without jumping to conclusions and taking the best possible course of action without hurting the feelings of others. It is indeed an art worth mastering, albeit a difficult one. being too outspoken without being considerate of others feelings can be looked down upon and you could be labelled as harsh or aggressive. “it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it” that really matters. The words you choose are crucial to how you are perceived.
Using aggressive terms such as “should”, “never”, or “can’t” will not do you any good. Instead use more subtle words like “you may consider” or “it looks like”. When you are trying to be diplomatic while conducting business, your body language must be very calm even when everything is falling apart in your mind. Your body posture conveys a tremendous amount of information about the way you are really feeling on the inside.
Even if you feel a rush of anger coming your way or feel offended in the middle of a conversation, do not give up, instead take a minute to “breathe” and think on the matter. The demands of openness and transparency in policy deployment and articulation, real-time communication, countering fake news and alternative facts in a post‐truth world, clarity and conciseness, are all upon diplomacy.
Diplomacy in an age of social media is beginning to leave its ozone chamber, its protected past, to become interactive, better networked and more people-centered and people-friendly. Many social media platforms boast of followers and subscribers that equal the populations of large-sized countries. According to Twiplomacy, the most-followed world leaders on Twitter have one thing in common: they have discovered Twitter as a powerful one-way broadcasting tool.
The inner work of diplomacy must go on, there will be peace to make, wars to end, refugees to help, international laws to uphold, rights to protect, trade barriers to remove, terrorism to be prevented and so much more. Diplomacy is the art of advancing an idea or cause without unnecessarily inflaming passions or unleashing a catastrophe. It involves an understanding of the many facets of human nature that can undermine agreement and stoke conflict, and a commitment to unpicking these with foresight and grace.
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