I spent three hours last Tuesday fighting with PowerPoint over text box alignment. Three hours. This is absurd, and we all know it. But most of the "AI solutions" aren't actually solving the problem. They're trying to help you think, communicate, and format all
Last weekend, I rebuilt my Claude PKM system. Not because it was broken—it was working perfectly fine. But "working" and "optimal" are two very different standards, especially when you're scaling AI collaboration across an organization. Over the past month, my Claude system had
What This Is: A real-world guide to building a personal knowledge management system that actually works with AI and turns Claude from a chatbot into a genuine thought partner. The Real Problem I'm constantly synthesizing research, connecting patterns across projects, and developing frameworks that integrate insights from multiple
Briefing Checklists are a time-consume bane for many U.S. diplomatic staff. What if we could automate them? This has been the dream for many of us for a long time, but we've finally got the tools to do a first pass at a BCL very well. Over
AI continues to grow at a dizzying pace. This beginner's guide helps diplomats get familiar with AI tools, regardless of their current proficiency.
The Cynefin framework offers a diagnostic tool that helps leaders and teams recognize which type of challenge they face and select appropriate strategies for each context.
The SCARF framework identifies five key domains that trigger either threat or reward responses in the brain during periods of change and transition.
First-hand review of Spain’s pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka—design, audience, programming, partnerships, and takeaways, with photos from the visit.
The 28 core competencies for public diplomacy across five elements—policy, audiences, planning, management, and learning—to guide practitioner growth.
Comprehensive PD monitoring toolkit—scope, purpose, and application; how to use logic models, monitoring plans, and AARs aligned with 18 FAM 300.
Plain-language glossary for public diplomacy monitoring—definitions for AAR, logic model, indicators, outputs, outcomes, targets, and more.
After-action reviews for public diplomacy—download a practical AAR template and see a completed example to capture lessons and plan next steps.
Monitoring Toolkit
Monitoring plans made practical—download a template and see a completed example with indicators, data sources, targets, and actuals.
Monitoring Toolkit
Step-by-step guide to write short- and long-term public diplomacy outcomes—covering attitudes, behaviors, partnerships, awareness, relationships, and skills.
Tradecraft
Download a fillable logic model template plus a completed example for public diplomacy programs—map inputs, activities, outputs, and short/long-term outcomes.
Monitoring Toolkit
How to monitor grants and section-implemented activities—who does what, what to require in NOFOs, and how to use templates for plans and reviews.
Monitoring Toolkit
An in-depth, step-by-step walkthrough of the public diplomacy monitoring process with tips, examples, and ways to integrate monitoring into daily work.
Monitoring Toolkit
Overview of the PD monitoring process: build a logic model, create a monitoring plan, and run an after-action review—roles, workflows, and best practices.
public diplomacy
What PD monitoring costs—free, approved tools you can use today and when to budget for surveys, licenses, or research support.
Monitoring Toolkit
What to monitor in PD—selection criteria to prioritize activities, when to rely on existing frameworks, and examples of good candidates.
Tradecraft
Introduction to public diplomacy monitoring: what it is vs. evaluation, why it matters, and where to start—aligned with 18 FAM 300 guidance.
Tradecraft
What is a media tetrad or a McLuhan Tetrad?
Tradecraft
How developing PD Foundations at the State Department created a systematized diplomatic tradecraft and gave practitioners a unified framework for excellence.
Analysis
This post focuses on what makes a good Expo pavilion, introducing a simple analysis framework and then diving in with a favorite example from Expo Dubai 2020.