Last week a team of Clingendael trainers set out for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to deliver a three-day training course on presentation skills and intercultural awareness at the recently established Emirates Diplomatic Academy (EDA). The training was held at EDA's brand-new office building in Abu Dhabi from 9-11 June 2015 with a total of ten Emirati diplomats taking part.

The EDA has been founded in 2014 and aims to be the hub for all diplomatic and professional education for the Emirati government and will offer an Executive Education and a Post-Graduate Diploma programme. It will thereby combine both research and training to strengthen the UAE's overall foreign policy. The Clingendael Academy has been chosen to deliver various trainings sessions for these two programmes on location at EDA.

The training delivered last week was particularly special for Clingendael and EDA. Not only was it the first training undertaken within EDA's Executive Education programme, it was the first training delivered at EDA ever. Both the Clingendael team and EDA-staff were aware of this historic occasion: whether it was by being the first trainer to write on the brand new white board, or simply by experiencing the bustling activity and tangible excitement for this ambitious undertaking.

The Clingendael trainers used their signature style of combining theory with interactive lectures, self-assessments and simulations to fully immerse and continually engage the participants throughout the course. The addition of a camera during the public speaking sessions also added to the interactivity and critical self-analysis of the participants' own skills. Finally, the intercultural communication sessions provided the group with useful examples and insights to effectively communicate with different cultures, when stationed abroad in the future.

Both Clingendael and EDA can look back at a most successful training and collaboration. We are more than confident that this is but the first of many successful trainings and the beginning of a wonderful partnership.

For more information on Clingendael trainings for EDA, please contact the project coordinator Hans Wurzer.  

Do you want to know more about EDA and its programmes? Be sure to take a look at EDA's website

   - 17 June 2015