The PD Framework on one page
Distilled from PD Foundations Vol. I, Principles of Public Diplomacy (2023 edition) — public-domain doctrine of the U.S. Department of State. State's internal edition is authoritative; this page is the site's working summary, with the full text linked below.
Contents
The Public Diplomacy Framework is the State Department's mental model for modern, professional public diplomacy. The doctrine defines it in one sentence: modern PD is "adaptive, policy-centered, audience-focused, data-informed, and designed to deliver demonstrable foreign policy outcomes." The Framework names five elements of the work, arranged as equal parts around the purpose they all serve: achieving U.S. foreign policy outcomes.
The five elements
- Apply policy in context. Build a comprehensive understanding of U.S. foreign policy goals in the relevant local context, so you can determine the role public diplomacy plays in advancing them.
- Analyze audiences. Identify specific audiences among the stakeholders on an issue, and select the segments whose attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs are most likely to bring about the desired policy outcomes.
- Develop plans. Create actionable plans tied to clear policy aims and measurable objectives, employing appropriate PD tactics with defined audiences.
- Manage effectively. Set a common strategic vision, enable contributions from the full PD section and its partners, and allocate resources to implement and monitor the work.
- Learn and adapt. Monitor and assess whether initiatives are meeting their objectives, report on outcomes, share results, and use the data to adjust plans and inform future efforts.
How practitioners use it
The doctrine is explicit that the Framework "is not a linear model, a process, or a cycle." Every element relates to every other. Applying policy in context happens continuously, not once at the start. Planning happens at multiple levels in concert with other sections of the mission. Management runs through every stage. Learning cannot wait for the end of a project. Practitioners use the Framework to guide strategic design, planning, management, measurement, and adaptation, and to operate and advocate at the intersection of policy and public engagement.