Mastering Diplomatic Communication Skills: How to Develop them and Understanding the Potential Limitations

“Diplomacy is to do and say the nastiest things in the nicest way.”

Isaac Goldberg

What is Diplomatic Communication?

The success of your job and career depends on your ability to relate with team members, managers, and other colleagues. Diplomatic communication refers to the use of tactful and strategic language for effectively conveying the message, building relationships, and resolving conflicts between individuals or groups in personal, professional, organizational, political, or governmental contexts. It involves being mindful of cultural differences, understanding the sensitivities and perspectives of different parties, and seeking to find common ground and mutual understanding.

Diplomatic skills are abilities that help professionals strengthen workplace relationships, navigate conflicts, decrease the impact of conflicts, and handle other challenging situations at work.

                                                  https://youtu.be/fXZjutH46po

Nine Skills of Diplomacy under three Categories:

§  Informational skills help you resolve a workplace challenge or crisis. It involves analysing the situation, being aware of all the factors, and communicating using clear and concise language to avoid misunderstandings. Having these skills can help you convey information tactically to team members, managers, and other colleagues.

§  Relational skills refer to how you work with your team members and other colleagues. It involves the ability to demonstrate composure, collaborate with others to find the best solution and exhibit leadership skills to resolve conflicts smoothly.

§ Operational Skills: These refer to skills required to take action, namely, Management, Innovation, and Advocacy.

As all these skills have a component of communication skills, effective communication play a vital role in practicing diplomacy or using diplomatic communication in difficult situations.

Examples of Diplomacy Skills

§  Communication: Communication skills help develop other social skills. Listening attentively to others and conveying your ideas and suggestions concisely helps you build smooth relationships and resolve workplace challenges. Developing the habit of active listening enables you to gain new information, accept new ideas, and understand the perspectives of your teammates.

§  Conflict resolution: Smooth conflict resolution is a core diplomatic skill that can help you navigate challenging situations at work. For example, when working on a project with tight deadlines, there may be chances of disagreements among team members. Maintaining diplomacy and tact helps you stay calm, understand everybody's perspectives, and collaborate to identify the best course of action to resolve the conflict.

§  Tact and consideration: Being tactful helps you build a smooth relationship with colleagues. A tactful person is considerate of the environment and other stakeholders before delivering a message or making a decision that affects others. Developing professional consideration helps you avoid making insensitive statements that could offend your colleagues and increase workplace tension.

How to Develop Diplomatic Communication Skills

Here are a few ways to develop and hone diplomatic communication skills:

1. Develop active listening skills: Active listening helps you understand the views of others and consider different perspectives. Being willing to listen to others' opinions helps you earn the trust of your teammates. You can show your active listening skills by using statements like:

•  "Thank you for sharing your honest opinions."

•  "I understand what you mean."

•  "I value your suggestion."

2. Use the right words: Choose your words carefully so that you do not offend or hurt others, intentionally or unintentionally. While providing your thoughts on sensitive topics, ensure that you use helpful and kind words and avoid blaming others or being defensive. Instead, you can explain your point of view and perspectives respectfully without hurting others. For instance, when you are upset over a team decision, you can mention: "I am uncomfortable with the decision made in today's meeting. Can we discuss ways to make it beneficial for all?"

3. Use positive words: People react better to positive words during a challenging situation. When dealing with customers or team members, use positive language that shows that you are working to overcome challenges. Focus on what you can do instead of shifting the blame to external factors. For instance, instead of telling a client that a product feature is currently unavailable, you can use positive language: "Let us assure you that our team is working on priority to include the feature in our next release. We promise to update you as soon as it is available."

4. Adapt your communication style to suit the situation: Always try to understand your audience and the situation before delivering a message. Understand the different communication channels like email, text, group meetings, or one-on-one conversations and choose the best one that fits the situation. For example, team meetings are a better choice to discuss budget cuts, as they allow for discussions and questions from team members.

Examples of Great Diplomatic Communication

Political Leaders 1. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill Situation: World War II alliance formation. Example: The Atlantic Charter (1941) is a notable instance where Roosevelt and Churchill exhibited diplomatic finesse. They outlined shared goals for the post-war world, promoting democracy and free trade, which solidified the UK-US alliance and provided a vision that rallied Allied nations. 2. Henry Kissinger Situation: U.S.-China relations during the Cold War. Example: Kissinger's secret trip to China in 1971 paved the way for President Nixon's historic visit in 1972. His diplomatic communication with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai helped open China to the West, significantly altering global geopolitics and easing Cold War tensions.

Disadvantages of Diplomatic Communication

While a diplomatic communication style has many advantages, such as fostering harmony and avoiding conflicts, it also has several potential disadvantages:

1. Perceived Insincerity: Overly diplomatic language can sometimes be seen as insincere or disingenuous, as if the speaker is hiding their true feelings or intentions creating trust issues. People may feel that the communicator is not being honest or transparent, and is not authentic which can erode trust.

2. Frustration: Colleagues or counterparts who prefer direct communication may become frustrated with the lack of straightforwardness.

3. Avoidance of Critical Issues to Avoid Conflict: Diplomatic communicators may avoid addressing critical or controversial issues directly, leading to unresolved problems. This style can result in superficial agreements where underlying issues remain unaddressed.

4. Lack of Assertiveness: Being too diplomatic can sometimes lead to others perceiving the communicator as weak or indecisive.

5. Ambiguity and Vagueness: Diplomatic communication often involves being intentionally vague to avoid offending anyone. This can lead to misunderstandings as the message might not be clear. Recipients may find it difficult to understand the true intent or specifics of what is being communicated.

6. Misinterpretation: Diplomatic messages can be misinterpreted as either more positive or more negative than intended due to their indirect nature.

7. Inefficiency: Efforts to ensure that no one is offended can lead to lengthy prolonged discussions without reaching a clear conclusion. Diplomatic communication often involves avoiding direct statements, which can slow down decision-making processes.

8. Diluted Message: Diplomatic language can dilute the impact of the message, making it less compelling or urgent.

9. Lack of Emphasis: Important points may not be emphasized sufficiently, leading to them being overlooked or not taken seriously.

While diplomatic communication aims to maintain harmony and prevent conflict, it's essential to balance it with clarity, authenticity, and assertiveness to ensure that the communication is effective and meaningful.

Dr. Karminder Ghuman, Head of MBA Department, LM Thapar School of Management, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology (Deemed to be University), Patiala

 Based on contents from the book: "The Art and Science of Effective and Impactful Communication"        

https://shorturl.at/x5Qo8

This book has research-based proven tools and strategies to guide professionals regarding the following aspects of communication:

• What is Effective and Impactful Communication?
• What makes Communication so Difficult? How to Overcome Biases and Barriers
• Communication Apprehension
• Communication Frameworks
• Dimensions of Effective Communication
• Communication Styles and Types of Communicators
• Worldview and Communication
• Managing Expectations
• Silence as Communication
• Humour and Communication
• Emotional Intelligence and Communication
• Deception in Communication
• Ethics and Communication
• Personality and Communication
• Transactional Analysis and Communication
• Generation X, Millennials, Generation Z,  and Generation Alpha
• Gender and Communication
• Hearing and Listening: Process of Active Listening, Barriers to Listening
• Mindful Listening and Self-awareness
• Choice of Words, Shades of Meaning (Nuances), Power Words
• Phrases, Figurative Language
• Linguistic Style
• Framing, Reframing, and Spin Doctrine
• Paralinguistics: Pitch and Tone, Pace, and Pause
• Non-Verbal Communication: Body Language, Posture, Facial Expressions, Gestures, Eye Contact, Proxemics, Haptics
• Manners and Etiquettes, Netiquettes, Announcing Bad News and How to Say “No”
• Relationships and Communication: Seduction and Communication, Difficult Communication within a Relationship, Reviving a Broken, Strengthening a Strained Relationship
• Neuro-Listening Programming (NLP)