PUBLIC DIPLOMACY 101

Public diplomacy is an evolving concept. However, in simplest terms it is understood to be the effort by the government of one country to influence the public or elite opinion of another country for the purpose of turning the policy of the target nation to its advantage. Public diplomacy is work or activities undertaken to understand, engage and inform individuals and organisations in other countries in order to shape their perceptions in ways that will promote a country’s foreign policy goals. In short the essence of public diplomacy is the shaping of attitudes in other countries in a way which is favourable to a country’s national interests. It is an exercise in persuasion and influence that extends beyond traditional diplomacy by leveraging a much larger cast of players both inside and outside government, and engaging both domestic and foreign public audiences.

Public Diplomacy Categories

There are three broad categories of public diplomacy activities:

1. Public advocacy
2. Issues management
3. Profile Raising and Relationship Bulding

In some cases, communications campaigns may involve all three elements.

Public Advocacy: Public advocacy campaigns support key policy objectives and generally aim to achieve specific results in support of a country’s international interests, such as:

• Winning support for foreign and trade policy positions, particularly in areas such as security, global cooperation and trade/economic policy;
• Seeking support for specific national commercial interests;
• Presenting an accurate or more balanced perspective on a particular issue.

Target audiences can be reached either directly or through third-party ‘influencers’. These can include direct contact with mainstream media, social media or specialist media through personal contact with journalists, targeted media releases, media conferences and briefings. Other platforms can include the Internet, newsletters, speeches, seminars and official visits.

Issues Management: Issues Management is focused on responding to or correcting particular misconceptions, either short or long term. Short-term or one-off misconceptions are relatively easy to handle by using a combination of tools such as news releases, personal briefings, media conferences and/or background papers. Longer-term misconceptions, those that have entered into the public or media mind over a period are harder to shift.

One important way is to maintain a flow of accurate, good-quality information about issues or policies that are misunderstood or misinterpreted by the media or the public. This material should be carefully targeted to media representatives, academics and others whom you consider could play a role in shifting public opinion and creating a more accurate public image. The main aim of this material should be to establish a better general climate of understanding, which will, in time, be reflected in the media and other public platforms.

Other useful strategies might include nominating selected journalists to visit the country, and to focus on specific issues of concern and arranging conferences, seminars and lectures at which the country’s point of view is put forward by visiting experts.

Longer–term profile raising and relationship building: This involves a broad-ranging activities and programmes that promote a better understanding of a country’s culture and values and capabilities, including cultural exchanges, visit programmes, people-to-people links, exhibitions, films and other general events.

Sometimes known as ‘facilitative’ communication, this kind of broad-based approach can also include the provision of general material such as periodicals and reference books on the country to academic institutions and think tanks, providing support to institutes, presenting textbooks on the country to schools and encouraging the inclusion of studies about the country in school curriculums. Profile raising sometimes may involve undertaking public diplomacy initiatives and activities to create a generally favourable atmosphere or impact, rather than to manage a specific issue.