Maia Moore (G’24) was tossed into a diplomatic trial-by-fire during her summer internship in 2023. As a fellow at the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna, she was tasked with speaking as the official representative of the United States at a United Nations meeting.
With the help of a detailed notecard, she held her own at the microphone. It was just one of many lessons Moore learned that summer dedicated to trying to absorb all the nuances of statecraft.
“I attended these diplomatic receptions and dinners and had no idea what I was supposed to be doing,” she said. “I felt like I survived it, of course, but I definitely felt like there was an art to it that I wasn’t completely aware of.”
Diplomacy was an art form, Moore soon realized. As a Rangel Fellow on her way to the U.S. Foreign Service after earning her Master’s degree in Foreign Service, she had to master it. So when she discovered the Art of Diplomacy class, offered jointly by Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and School of Foreign Service (SFS), she applied immediately.
In a highly selective class of just ten students, Hoyas visit diplomatic embassies and residences around Washington, DC every week to dine with and learn from ambassadors. They’re taught by Mark Vlasic, adjunct professor of law and public policy, and Belgian Ambassador Jean-Arthur Regibeau.
Students meet and dine with ambassadors from Singapore, Thailand, Switzerland and France, to name a few of the embassies students have visited throughout the class’ history.
Decisions of global importance have often been made at the dinner table. Over full-course meals abundant with drinks, hors d’oeuvres, main courses and desserts, students fill the shoes of diplomats to discuss foreign policy, careers in international affairs, and other lessons in diplomacy.
“My hope was to give students the opportunity to learn not just about policy issues, but also to learn how an ambassador does things,” Vlasic said. “How do they leverage a dinner table to persuade senior officials from the White House, the State Department and Congress? How do they engage everyone at the table, both at dinner and after the formal setting?”
Navigating the Dinner Table
If learning table manners in preschool is Dining Etiquette 101, Moore was enrolled in a master class on how to behave at the dinner table. To prepare for each class, students research the ambassador and host country beforehand. Moore said it’s always prudent to arrive early to not keep the ambassador waiting and to compare notes with other students that may be helpful during the evening’s conversation.
Every class session typically starts with a welcome reception to get to know the ambassador. For some students, making small talk over a glass of wine with a foreign diplomat comes naturally. For others, like Moore, it takes practice.
“Some people are really good at jumping in and breaking the ice during that initial awkwardness,” she said. “I’m definitely one of the students who needs time to warm up. I can’t immediately ask a question.”
When dinner is ready, it’s not just a matter of finding a chair at the table. Students follow a seating chart prepared by embassy staff. Moore notes one important lesson from the class was to always follow the host’s lead — to not sit before the host or eat before the host invites everyone to dine.
These were just a few of the dinner table minutiae Moore learned in the class. And she always knew where to look whenever she wasn’t sure what to do. “I usually just watch my professors to see what they do,” she said. “I always got confused about the forks … It’s outside in, but I didn’t know that at all [at first].”
Before dinner is served, students typically introduce themselves to the ambassador, always sure to quip about their interest in or past experiences with the ambassador’s home country to form a more personal connection. “If I’ve been to the country, I’ll mention it. I have been to Singapore, and I do love the food there, so I had to mention it,” said Moore, reflecting on her class at the Singaporean Ambassador Lui Tuck Yew’s home. “That food was bomb.”
Students then take turns questioning the ambassador over ornately plated dinners with dishes from each ambassador’s home country. In Moore’s visit to the Singaporean residence, students discussed Yew’s rise through the diplomatic ranks and Singapore’s politics and geopolitical tensions with China over plates of beef rendang, char kway teow and sea bass with assam curry.
But even as students enjoy their meals, many must stay on their toes. For Moore, she’s thinking about her table manners, what the ambassador is saying, her posture and, of course, whether she’s using the right fork. She’s especially cognizant of her eating pace.
“I’m a fast eater, and I think it’s really awkward to be done eating while everyone has barely started,” she said. “So I intentionally take a few bites, then put my fork down and listen for a little bit. Then I’ll take a sip of water, and then I’ll pick my fork up again and take a few bites.”
Even knowing when it’s the right time to speak is an art form. “There’s a buildup to when you’re trying to jump in and ask a question. We don’t raise our hands or anything,” she said. “After the ambassador is done answering a question, [everyone in the class] makes eye contact with each other real quick to see if anyone else is going to jump in.”
These evenings typically go on for more than two hours. When dinner is finished, students top off their palates with a dessert from the host country alongside tea and coffee before leaving.
From the Classroom to the Diplomat’s Table
As Moore prepares for her first diplomatic assignment in Mongolia, she said the Art of Diplomacy was invaluable in preparing her for the life of a Foreign Service officer.
“The most important thing I learned from the Art of Diplomacy is the art of small talk, as well as the art of listening. Coming in and understanding the perspectives and concerns of the other party helps the conversation flow smoother,” she said. “I also learned to be less intimidated when interacting with high-level officials, such as ambassadors.”
For Moore, being a diplomat has been top of mind since college. After studying abroad in China, Moore interned at the State Department in DC, followed by an internship at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo the following summer.
After living in Taiwan for two years teaching English as a Fulbright Scholar, Moore returned to the U.S. to work at a nonprofit organization while mulling a future in the Foreign Service. As a Rangel Fellow, she chose Georgetown to be in DC and attend SFS.
Two summers ago, Moore felt out of her element in Vienna, still a student and getting her bearings in the world of diplomacy while conversing with influential diplomats and officials. While today she’s still in DC taking language and cultural classes at the State Department to prepare for Mongolia, she said she feels comfortable and prepared for her diplomatic career because of Georgetown and noted how the Art of Diplomacy gave her useful lessons beyond diplomacy.
“I think the lessons I learned from the course go beyond the dinner table and offer lifelong tools for managing relationships, resolving conflicts, and creating successful collaboration,” she said. “I look forward to using these lessons in my professional and personal life.”
Contributed by the Office of Strategic Communications at Georgetown University