The professional listeners --- I am aware of the risk of building a case for an ingroup which claims a special attribute, but I need to make a note on the good listeners.

The United Nations diplomats used to flatter themselves as being "professional listeners".

Indeed, diplomats accredited to the Permanent Missions to the United Nations in New York and Geneva spend most of their active time listening to the statements of delegates in various conference rooms. It is not mere listening: it is very careful listening because normally the diplomatic reports to their Capitals were based on what they heard in those meetings.

In a couple of years of exercise, a versed diplomat could develop a special ability to detect what is relevant, meaning or new in the torrent of words they hear everyday. Of course, they also make their own interventions, but that is just a fraction of time they spend in meetings.

When I first attended the meetings of Commission of Human Rights in 2001, in Geneva, we used to have 12 hours of debates per day, in four meetings (10 am - 1 pm, 3 - 6 pm, 6 - 9 pm, and 9 pm - midnight). Some delegations were big enough to afford changes of shifts. Mine, no!

So, please, can I have your permission to call myself, occasionally, professional listener?

PS 1: Fortunately, this practice was discontinued because of its costs! Now, the meetings of the Human Rights Council must end at 6 pm. But, hey, do not enjoy yourselves too early: there are meetings during the "lunch break"!

PS 2: Unfortunately, the species of professional listeners is endangered, almost disappeared. The laptops and the smart phones do intercept the attention of the diplomats, and the profession of listeners is on the wane .....

Source author: Petru Dumitriu PetruD@diplomacy.edu