The Importance of Dialogue in Public Diplomacy

While studying at HELP University in Malaysia in the summer of 2008, I had the unique experience of being involved in ones of the US embassies youth enrichment programs . My American colleagues and I were a part of an English camp in the town of Kuantan on the east coast of Malaysia and were involved in a full day dialogue session with students from the University of Malaya of Pahang, that discussed and compared student life in Malaysia and the United States. The program was sponsored by the Public Affairs Office of the US Embassy, the NGO Era Consumer of Malaysia, and the University of Malaysia Pahang. The day was developed in order for Malaysian students, to have an open dialogue with American students so that their views of Americans were not solely from the media.

In the article Moving from Monologue to Dialogue to Collaboration: The Three Layers of Public Diplomacy, Geoffrey Cowan and Amelia Arsenault, explain how effective public diplomacy should include communication through dialogue. They talk about the three layers of public diplomacy, monologue, dialogue and collaboration and how each are essential tools that should be used; they also continue to include that one needs to be able to distinguish and recognize when each is most appropriate as well. My involvement in the English camp is a great example of the use of dialogue, for it allowed my fellow Americans students as well as the Malaysian students to build and have a mutual understanding of each other and our lifestyles.

The Malaysian students were extremely curious throughout the whole program and were not shy about asking a variety of questions that ranged from rules on university campuses to if we really do have cheerleading teams. It was sometimes very challenging to be the only American representative at a table with 10 Malaysian students, but I tried to be as honest and realistic with my answers. I found it fascinating to see how curious the Malaysian students were about the United States, demonstrating the great impact the United States has not only on foreign government levels, but individuals as well.

I was also very surprised at the amount of knowledge the students had about American politics, however I despised the impressions they had about Americans from the media and I tried to give them a more realistic view of what it is really like to live in America. When I asked my table their impressions of American lifestyle, they brought up Orange County California, huge SUV’s and mansions, and a life with barely any rules. I then had to explain that even though some people in the United States do live this way, many live more simplistic lifestyles than they see on TV shows, and Americans do work extremely hard and long hours.

Just like Cowan and Arsenault note, messages that are designed for domestic consumption will reach international audiences who will interpret or misinterpret them according to their own experiences and culture (14). Hence, the United States must be wary of what exactly is being transported to represent our country around the world. I see the spread of American TV shows as an example of a monologue, and my experience with the Malaysian students as an example of dialogue, where we were able to help overcome stereotypes and forge real relationships.

Communication and collaboration and the use of dialogue in the realm of public diplomacy is extremely important. This incredible experience taught me the importance of dialogue and the amount I was able to learn and teach the Malaysians just from simple conversations and interactions.