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Abu Dhabi - Emirates Diplomatic Academy (EDA) recently held the first course under its Executive Education programme, on 'Communication and Intercultural Awareness'. Held from June 9 to 11, the course aimed at developing the knowledge and skills of executive level diplomats stationed abroad at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), to enable them to communicate effectively with different cultures around the world.
The three-day session, conducted by senior faculty members from the Clingendael Academy (Netherlands Institute of International Relations),covereda range of in-depth topics and interactive exercises, and looked at cultural and professional behaviour in the international context, especially the underlying structures of culture and the concepts and perceptions that revolve around them.
"Our first Executive Education course on 'Communication and Intercultural Awareness' was a comprehensive, insightful and value-adding effort that kept the participants continually engaged throughout the three day course.",stated Mariam Al Mahmoud, Director of Executive Education at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy.
Ms. Al Mahmoud added, "The interactive courseand its diverse components helped shed light on the details of intercultural communications by examining its various dimensions and implications in the context of region-specific values, social norms and perceptions. The session enabled the members of the diplomatic corps to gain insights on implementing the best practices when dealing with international issues, reflecting the positive message of the UAE built on mutual respect and openness to all cultures."
Ms. Al Mahmoud said the first coursehas set the stage for a comprehensive academic offering under EDA's Executive Education courses that dynamically combine rigorous academic knowledge, contemporary research, and high-level practical experiences that enhance the skill sets and competencies of government employees in the fields of international relations and diplomacy.
The first training session commenced with an overview of 'Public Communication and Public Speaking', in both theory and practice, and included exercises on presentations, critiques and evaluation of feedback,in addition to delivery of speeches and closing assignments.
Day two focused on 'Effective Personal Communication - Influencing Others', which covered the theories of effective influence in policy creation, role-play and special exercises on policy meetings. It introduced participants to the skills of dealing with power differences, resistance and difficult counter-part meetings.
The final day of the course concluded with a retrospective on the key course outputs and concepts, including understanding intercultural communication as a personal and cross-cultural competence. It also featured self-assessmentexercises throughinteractive group discussions and case studies.
Presenters from the Clingedeal Academy included Mr. Taco van de Poel - Senior Skills Trainer and Mr. Tim Masselink, Training and Research Fellow on International Negotiations, European Union, Communication, Behavior and Skills Training, bothspecialised in presentation techniques and effective influencing. They have been providing intercultural trainingfor numerous groups of foreign diplomats around the world.
The Emirates Diplomatic Academy (EDA) was established by Cabinet Decree No. 29 of the year 2014, as a pioneering integrated academic and research centre dedicated to strengthening the UAE national's foreign policy knowledge and delivering high-impact education and training for diplomatic capacity development.
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About Emirates Diplomatic Academy
The Emirates Diplomatic Academy (EDA) was established by Cabinet Decree No. 29 of the year 2014, as a pioneering integrated academic and research centre dedicated to strengthening the UAE national'sforeign policy knowledge.
EDA's Board of Trustees includes distinguished leaders from government, academia and industry. The Board of Trustees ensures that the Academy adheres to the purposes for which it was created and that the Academy's integrity and financial resources are preserved for its current and future objectives.
EDA aims to build a broad knowledge base in the field of international and diplomatic relations, while providing technical and advisory support to UAE government entities, and while strengthening cooperation with major training centres and universities to exchange experiences and best practices.
For more information about Emirates Diplomatic Academy, please visit www.eda.ac.ae
© Press Release 2015
