Reflection on Diplomatic Communication Tactics in English Material

       

 

In the 9th week of my academic speaking class, my lecturer, Mr. Udi, covered the topic of diplomatic communication.

He explained that there are the times when we have to communicate problems and we can say it exactly as it is. We communicate directly and there is no impact on the relationship.

However, there are other times, when the situation is sensitive, the stakes are high, we do not know the other people well, or the relationship is key to develop such as in a negotiation or with external customers.

In these situation, we may have to adapt our communication to be more diplomatic and use softened language to land negative messages in a way which reflects the context and relationship dynamic.

 According to the explanation that has been provided above, what is actually diplomacy?

Diplomacy is the process of negotiating between representatives of nations or groups in order to settle issues and develop partnerships.   Diplomacy in communication is the art and ability of delivering information, ideas, or messages politely and effectively, generally in a way that preserves or enhances relationships while minimizing conflict or offense. Diplomats frequently select their words carefully in order to avoid offending others or raising tensions.

 

Now, the question is how to be diplomatic in communication? My lecturer mention that there are 4 things to do to be diplomatic in communication

1. Practice active listening

2. Choose your words carefully

3. Be aware of your body language

4. Be solution-focused

 

There are several tips also that you can do for being diplomatic, here is some points that I got from the speaker:

1. Use softening words & phrases

For example instead of saying “Can I add something here?” you can add the word just before the verb to make it softer “Can I just add something here?”  also if you want to say something like “ I did not understand that.” you can add the word like quite to make it softer “ I did not quite understand that.

Another softened words that can we use is I’m afraid at the first of sentence. This has nothing to do with fear, it is simply a polite less direct more diplomatic way to express something

For example, “ I can’t finish the report by Friday” you can use “ I’m afraid I will not be able to finish the report by Friday.”

2. Use negative questions

In this case you can add a negative question using modal before the subject. For example: “We should try to reduce training cost.” change it to “ Shouldn’t we try to reduce training cost?

3. Listen and show understanding

 Let’s see this dialog to compare which one is better and more diplomatic.

A: We don’t have enough resources to start the project now.

B: I disagree.

A: We don’t have enough resources to start the project now.

C:  I can see your point, but I’m confident the team will be able to manage it.

The response that given by B to A is too short and direct. If you want to be diplomat and using diplomatic communication, you should give a response that show you are listening to them. You can give a response like C to A, it proves that you are listening to them and  show your politeness.

4. Use the word “sorry”

This is one of the easiest things that you can do to make what you want to say less direct and more diplomatic.

Example: “Sorry, but can I just say something here?”

5. Avoid negative words

Example: I think that’s a bad idea.

This is very direct and it sounds like you did not really appreciate someone’s idea. Instead of saying this negative words very direct, you can use the opposite of bad like “ I think that’s not such a good idea”

6. Use modal such as could, would, might

Example: It will be hard to complete to complete the project on time.

You can change it to “ It might be a bit hard to complete the project on time.

After watching the second video that given by my lecturer, Mr. Udi, I found new insights on how to mastering everyday diplomacy. According to Alisher Faizullaev, the speaker of the video, there are two types of diplomacy, everyday diplomacy and international diplomacy. International diplomacy is about diplomacy between nations, while everyday diplomacy is about diplomacy among individuals and small group such as families, and peer groups. Everyday diplomacy which takes place in our everyday ordinary life.

We live in a social life, where we need to interact with other people who have many differences and come from various backgrounds.

To cope with these people we  need to have three very important things, those are:

1. Mindset

Mindset is a spirit of everyday diplomacy, mindset is peace of mind, our inner peace that gives us some stability. Having an open minded will lead someone to have high tolerant and patience.

2. Strategy

It is a way of interacting with others and certain skills which help us to be a diplomat, to implement this strategy in our everyday life

3. Skills

Social interaction skills like understanding others, tactfulness like understanding body languages, and self regulation to calm in facing many situations. It is not a sign of weakness, but it is a way of controlling  your own emotions.

In conclusion, diplomatic communication is very important and we should always doing this in everyday life to show other our respect, and politeness.