Prof. Dr. Alisher Faizullaev is a scholar, author, diplomatic and negotiation skills trainer, coach, and former Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the United Kingdom, Benelux countries, the European Union, and NATO. He has the diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. He was a Fulbright Scholar at The Fletcher School at Tufts University and the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Georgetown University, as well as a Visiting Scholar at McGill University, University of Cambridge and Western Washington University. He published 9 books and numerous articles on social and behavioral sciences. His scholarly articles have appeared in Review of International Studies, Diplomacy and Statecraft, Negotiation Journal, PINPoints - Process of International Negotiation, The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, Journal of International Relations and Development, Brill Research Perspectives in Diplomacy and Foreign Policy and other journals. His short stories have been published in Uzbekistan, the United States, Russia, and the Republic of Korea. His tho latest books Symbolic Insult in Diplomacy: A Subtle Game of Diplomatic Slap (2018) and Diplomacy for Professionals and Everyone (2022) were published by Brill in Leiden and Boston.

In this episode, we explore the links between diplomacy and negotiation. Alisher shares what it takes to become a great diplomat and why some of these skills are universally applicable in a broader social context. He defines the concept of social diplomacy and explains why we all are diplomats and how we can do it better. Alisher introduces also his new book: "Diplomacy for professionals and everyone" and why and for who he wrote it. Finally, we talk about the importance of becoming a conversationalist, story-telling and what we can we learn about negotiation from fairytales!