President Obama’s former United States chief of protocol
looks at why etiquette and diplomacy matter—and what they can do for you.

History often appears to consist of
big gestures and dramatic shifts. But for every peace treaty signed, someone
set the stage and provided the pen. As social secretary to the Clintons for
eight years, and more recently as chief of protocol under President Obama,
Capricia Penavic Marshall has not just borne witness to history, she
facilitated it. For Marshall, diplomacy runs on the invisible gesture: the
micro moves that affect the macro shifts. Facilitation is power, and, more
often than not, it is the key to effective diplomacy.In Protocol, Marshall
draws on her experience working at the highest levels of government to show how
she enabled interactions and maximized our country’s relationships, all by
focusing on the specifics of political, diplomatic, and cultural etiquette. By
analyzing the lessons she’s learned in more than two decades of welcoming world
leaders to the United States and traveling abroad with presidents, first
ladies, and secretaries of state, she demonstrates the complexity of human
interactions and celebrates the power of detail and cultural IQ. From
selecting the ideal room for each interaction to recognizing gestures and
actions that might be viewed as controversial in other countries, Marshall
brings us a master class in soft power.

Protocol provides an
unvarnished, behind-the-scenes look at politics and diplomacy from a
unique perspective that also serves as an effective, accessible guide for
anyone who wants to be empowered by the tools of diplomacy in work and everyday
life.