PD In Practice: Scope, Purpose, and Executive Summary
Scope
PD Foundations is the cornerstone project developing foundational principles that guide the practice of public diplomacy (PD) at the Department of State. This volume is not intended to be an exhaustive accounting of PD work or processes, but rather an introduction to ideas and concepts that will ground the practice of public diplomacy in a common language. PD Foundations is a starting point to successfully planning, implementing, and assessing public diplomacy interventions.
Purpose
The Office of the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy (R) directed the preparation of PD Foundations by the Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources for Public Diplomacy (R/PPR) with input from practitioners and other experts. As such, it provides direction for the interpretation of policy and the design and implementation of PD activities by PD offices and sections, PD practitioners, and others implementing PD functions for the Department.
The PD Foundations project is composed of multiple parts:
- The "Public Diplomacy in Practice" series lays out shared vocabulary and practices for the modern tradecraft of public diplomacy
- The "Contemporary Public Diplomacy" series explores our shared identity through various lenses
- The "Public Diplomacy Theories and Concepts" series contains deeper explorations of core aspects
Application
Guidance established in this volume applies to all PD practitioners serving in assignments abroad and to any headquarters or domestic elements that support, coordinate, or collaborate with PD practitioners overseas.
Public diplomacy practitioners should follow the guidance provided in this publication except in rare instances when PD section chiefs and office directors judge that exceptional circumstances dictate otherwise. The U.S. Constitution, Congressional legislation, the Foreign Affairs Manual and Foreign Affairs Handbook (FAM/FAH), and specific guidance from the Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy (R) take precedence over this document.
Executive Summary
This volume of PD Foundations, "Public Diplomacy in Practice," provides a primer on the foundational concepts that practitioners need to implement and improve PD practices in missions in their day-to-day planning and work. The primary audience for this volume is PD practitioners in the field.
Section Summaries
Section I. Introduction and the Public Diplomacy Framework introduces policy-centered, audience-focused, data-informed public diplomacy and the five core elements: Apply Policy in Context, Analyze Audiences, Develop Plans, Manage Effectively, and Learn and Adapt.
Section II. Strategic planning: A design approach outlines a model for PD strategic planning based on design thinking with a five-step process: Identify policy guidance, Assess current environment, Visualize desired future, Articulate problem statement, and Develop PD approach.
Section III. Detailed planning: Using a logic model walks practitioners through initiative and activity planning using a logic model—a foundational planning and performance monitoring tool highlighting inputs, actions, outputs, outcomes, and indicators.
Section IV. Implementing and Managing covers day-to-day skills for the "Manage Effectively" element, including team management, project management, financial management, and knowledge management.
Section V. Assessing, learning, and adapting highlights the fifth element of the Framework—incorporating learning into future plans.
Section VI. Appendices provides tools for implementing workflows and processes introduced in the main text.
