Navigating Communication Challenges at UNESCO

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The chapter explores the intricacies of diplomatic communication at UNESCO, emphasizing the diverse communication styles, languages, and cultural contexts encountered among delegates from 194 countries. It delves into the importance of adaptive communication styles, persuasion, and intercultural understanding in informal negotiations. The discussion also sheds light on the challenges faced by interpreters in conveying nuanced meanings accurately during diplomatic meetings.

In international diplomacy, "communication is everything". This is the main point of this conversation, in which I talk to my friend who works for the UK delegation at UNESCO in Paris. We discuss the work that UNESCO does, and the various communication challenges involved in working together with representatives from countries all around the world, including the collaborative writing of official documents where the use of a single comma can be debated for hours, and the meetings and conversations in which cultural sensitivity and good-will are essential elements for success.

Also includes some communication idioms and guitar playing near the end of the episode.

👉 Episode page with introduction transcript https://teacherluke.co.uk/2024/02/19/869-working-at-unesco-english-in-international-diplomacy/

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