An introduction and training workshop on:

Part 1: History of a Big Idea: from Joseph Nye to AvaazPart 2: Understanding and developing Soft PowerPart 3: Soft Power Nation

PART1: Soft Power -History of a Big Idea

Soft Power is a term coined by Joseph Nye, foreign policy advisor to Bill Clinton. The context was post-Vietnam USA: the first time that the world's only superpower had really seen the limits of hard power. Vietnam, only a fraction of its size in terms of money and human resources, had beaten the US through guerilla warfare. America's global dominance however was never in doubt and it was Jo Nye that articulated its soft power – its ability to dominate the globe by other means such as culture, values, products that everyone wanted. People would always want to be in a relationship with the US.

The soft power idea however, emerged into the Cold War world – a large section of the world was deemed to be behind an Iron Curtain. Everyone knew who's side they were on.

GOOD V EVILIN A B / W WORLD

Soft power was just another tool in the war against the Red Peril (Russian and Chinese Communism) to be deployed in a world that was shared out between bitter opponents. Soft Power was an American schema.

In the post war period globalisation was unfolding on hard power terms: money above all - and to some extent guns - shaped everything. To those excited about the prospect of an increasingly connected globe, the anti-globalisation movement was a challenge. However, the anger was mostly with multi-national companies who were taking advantage of a free market to dominate those countries without the economic strength to resist.

With the advent of the internet media power is no longer in the hands of the few. Non-state actors – from terrorists to hackers – seriously threaten the influence of governments or security force

Remember military planes dusting countries with leaflets to get a message across? What used to take huge amounts of time and money to organise..

..could now be achieved for nothing, in the comfort of the bedroom of a 12 year old boy.

Major internet petition sites like Avaaz have many millions of members and are regularly quoted by Chinese, Middle Eastern and US governments as evidence of the peoples' will. In democratic countries this has a direct effect on government policies because the votes of Avaaz members – and their extended audience - count. But non-democratic countries too, are increasingly aware of their own global reputation and how this may effect their economic status and influence.

One man - Gene Sharp - author of a small book called How to Start a Revolution, is credited with providing a template for the Arab Spring. Sharp's belief that all revolutions can be carried out without violence based on the power of connectivity, use of art and symbols and conviction based on truth, inspired hundreds of thousands of people in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria to rise up against their hard powered oppressors.

TAHRIR SQUARE, EGYPT,2011. A MOMENT OF CHANGE IN PERCEPTIONS OF THE MIDDLE EAST

Throughout most of our life-times Africa has been depicted in our media through the images of its starving people – typically a malnourished baby without hope of survival. Today, thanks to the mobile phone revolution, Africans are themselves shaping a new image of the continent. An energetically mediated story of the growing middle class is generating new confidence in Africa, leading to much increased foreign investment and economic growth.

Part 2: Understanding and Developing Soft Power

......

What is agency? How do we make a difference – not just in our own

lives, but in our world?What is power? Who wields it,

what does it look like? In the morning we will focus on the difference between hard and

soft power, its relationship to agency and how to recognise it in

our environment.In the afternoon we will look at how to harness the power to

change the direction of events in our community, nation and

globally.

POWER AND AGENCY

co-operation?

a throw of the dice?

leveraging?

Power of prayer?

Group Exercise no.1: WHO OR WHAT HAS THE MOST POWER

OR INFLUENCE IN THE WORLD?Discuss the nature of this power:

What are its characteristics?

Group Exercise 2

WHO OR WHAT HAS THE MOST POWER OR INFLUENCE OVER YOU PERSONALLY?Discuss nature of this power: is itdifferent?

HARD

FORCE

TRANSACTIONAL

POWER OVER

SOFT

ATTRACTION

TRANSFORMATIONAL

POWER FOR

Hard power is force, soft power is attraction ie the potential for relationship. Through relationship we can have influence, without it we are only shouting at people.

Hard power is transactional: it has an object, exerting power over something

Soft power is transformational: through relationship it changes both parties: power for something

Disaggregating Power

21C SMART POWER

20C SMART POWER

HARDERSOFTER HARDER

Smart power is not a middle way between hard and soft, but a variety of ways of combining them.

When the term was first invented by Joseph Nye, smart power was just the best way to be dominant in the world, using both hard and soft power. In other words, since it was operating within a hard power era – under a hard umbrella - it was still a form of hard power.

Today the global culture has changed significantly: power has been distributed amongst a huge network of non-state actors. No nation has control the way it used to have – or believed it had – and all are obliged to develop relationships for influence.

Hence 21C smart power, in an era of growing soft power awareness, will be softer than harder: a mix we have not yet experienced.

Group Exercise 3WHAT WOULD A SMART POWER FUTURE LOOK LIKE UNDER A

SOFT UMBRELLA?

What are the key elements of the shift you would expect to see in an era of soft power awareness?What changes might occur in the military? In our ideas of leadership? The role and operation of money? Politics? Remember soft power is not good and hard power bad: the shift is from less connected to more connected.

Group Exercise 4Experiencing

HARD POWER

CHOOSE A SUBJECT YOU FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT THAT IS CURRENTLY NOT GETTING A FAIR HEARING:

USING ALL THE TOOLS OF HARD POWER – MONEY, FORCEFULNESS, MANIPULATION – TRY TO MAKE YOUR

PARTNER ACCEPT YOUR POINT AND AGREE TO YOUR RULES

Group Exercise 5SOFT POWER

WHAT IS THE FEELING?WHAT ARE THE TOOLS?

If hard power feels disconnected, alienated, requiring arousal to enforce, how does soft power feel?

If hard power is delivered through guns and money, sticks AND carrots, how is soft power delivered? What are the tools?

On exploration,we find there is no easy line to draw between soft and hard power: each have elements of the other depending on the context within which it is used.

For example, the army is a hard power tool, but a nation that is well armed (hard) is often more respected (soft) than one that does not. Hollywood and Bollywood are soft power tools, but they are also big business (hard) and can manipulate power. Individuals can have charisma (soft) but celebrity is a commodity to be bought and sold (hard).

So what is Soft Power?

We have to create a much bigger continuum between the poles of hard and soft to allow the many forms and tools to be seen.

At one extreme, soft power is simply the power emanating from an individual being still, authentic and open – drawing people in through trust and the desire to relate.

Close to that is something closer to diplomacy: the active pursuit of relationship achieved through opening up channels of communication. This can be done through studying the needs of the other and shaping what one has to offer accordingly

RELATIONSHIP POTENTIAL

=POWER OF ATTRACTION

ACTIVE BEING+

Drawing a hard to soft continuum

Authentic being

compassion

out reach / cultural diplomacy

Social networking / dialogue

negotiation

public relations / networking

manipulation

EXPERIENCING SOFT POWER

Good relationship begins with deeply understanding the needs of the other.By the end of these exercises you will be able to

read the mind of the other and know their preferences. Experiencing rapport through layering experiences of

1) matching and mirroring

Exercise 6 in Couples

EXPERIENCING SOFT POWER:BUILDING RELATIONSHIP POTENTIAL

THROUGH RAPPORT

2) noticing

In couples:

a) studies b)b) turns away for 1 minuteb) turns back with subtle changesa) notes changes

Reverse the procedure. Repeat with increasing subtlety

Experiencing SOFT POWER:BUILDING RELATIONSHIP POTENTIAL

THROUGH RAPPORT

3a) talk about someone you really like 3b) talk about someone you really don't like

Notice the different body language, tone of voice etc

Experiencing SOFT POWER:BUILDING RELATIONSHIP POTENTIAL

THROUGH RAPPORT

4) reading the mind of the otherBy the time you get to this fourth exercise, your ability to intuit the preferences of the otherwill be much enhanced. Ask your partner to talk about a person you don't know and intuit their truefeelings about them.

ACTIVE BEING is difficult to achieve because once you are self consciously branding yourself, you lose authenticity.

NORWAY always comes out near the top of any soft power leagues. People all over the world see it as the home of peace: the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded there every year and people come from all over the world to avail themselves of the conflict resolution programmes they offer.

However, when asked about this achievement Mona Elisabeth BRØTHER from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told me that it arose naturally from the people of Norway: they dislike conflict and teach mediation from an early age. Simply adopting an image and promoting it does not have the same power: it is strongest when it is authentic.

To the left is a Norwegian Peace Jumper.

Group Exercise 7Experiencing SOFT POWER

ACTIVE BEING

1) Adopt the observer mode and describe yourself as accurately as you can, with no-one listening. Make sure the description is honest and based in reality.2) As your group to discuss and agree a description of you, what your values are and your success at living your life accordingly3) To the best of you ability try to convey this description to the group – using every soft power tool you have from body language to stance and openness - and notice how easy or difficult it is to do that4) Compare notes with the group. Is your image of yourself the same as their's?

While we are often encouraged to express ourselves, it remains difficult to know who we are authentically being in the world. How often do we have our own image of ourselves contradicted by others? This exercise asks us to sit with ourselves for a while and write up to ten points that go some way to describe who we are truly being in the world. What are our values? What do we do to uphold our values? How do we exercise our values? The following exercise is designed to challenge your idea of control over your image in the world.

HOW IS SOFT POWER SHAPING YOU?

We aim to be authentic in the world but to what extent are our preferences being actively shaped by others? What follows are three industries committed to exercising soft power over you.

1) Power of the media: setting the agenda

The power of the media. Although we like to think our opinions are our own, to what extent do we allow the media to FRAME the agenda ie to tell us what we need to have an opinion on and what the choices are?

1) Power of the Media 2

Since the growth of the internet, many people have tried to move away from the mainstream news to look for input from a variety of sources. This can leave us at the mercy of even more opinion and persuasion. If we select our own news sources, are we not still narrowing down our openness to others' views?

2) Power of advertising

Some of the very best artists, film directors, psychologists and writers started their careers in advertising, using their skills to capture our imagination and sell us something. Remember the above adverts from the 80s? What could they be selling?

Yes, those sumptuous sensual ads were used to sell .. cigarettes! Now known as lethal weapons.

3. Power of government agenda: NUDGE

The power of government agendas on our personal behaviour.

To the left are pictures of a a urinal in Holland. The local council had too many complaints about the state of the mens' public toilets which were regularly awash with piss.

So they organised for a small fly to be etched onto the urinal bowls which had the effect of causing men to aim for it when peeing. Result? 80% cleaner public loos. This is what is technically called a NUDGE.

Group Exercise 8HOW MANY WAYS ARE YOU

BEING SHAPEDBY OTHER PEOPLES' AGENDAS?

WRITE ONTO POST IT NOTES AND ADD TO CONTINUUM

How does the media affect you? How many different kinds of media are you influenced by? What are you regularly buying that you don't really need? Have you been nudged? What about your peers, celebrities, national events, your neighbours lifestyle – think of as many as you can.

Group Exercise 9WHAT ARE THE TOOLS THAT ARE

AVAILABLE TO US FOR SOFT POWER?In the light of the soft power tools that are used on us, what soft power tools are available to us? How can we influence our families, friends, community, government – the world?

Think about the way you dress, the petitions you sign, the ideas you tweet, the websites you join or create yourself, the products you buy and those you wont

buy.

CREATING RELATIONSHIP POTENTIAL for ACTIVE BEING

Increasingly we are invited to have a say in how things are run. Is this a sign of our growing democracy or an imposition upon our privacy? Organisations like Avaaz are increasingly being quoted in governments around the world – proof that they have influence. It's a commonly known truth that the only superpower that exists in the word today is Public Opinion: politicians know that they can no longer get away with ignoring it

NON-DUAL BEING – ACTIVE BEING – RELATIONAL – CONFLCT TRANSCENDING – CONFLICT RESOLVING - SMART – MANIPULATIVE – FIXING – AUTHORITARIAN – VIOLENT - ALIENATED

NON-DUAL BEING

ACTIVE BEING

RELATIONAL

CONFLICT TRANSCENDING

CONFLICT RESOLVING

SMART

MANIPULATIVE

FIXING

AUTHORITARIAN

VIOLENT

ALIENATED BEING

HARD AND SOFT POWER: A SUMMARY SO FAR

There is no clear line between hard and soft power: most ways of acting have elements of both. However there is clearly softer and harder behaviour and all our actions exist somewhere on the continuum between the two. Below is a theoretical and practical

description of that continuum and how it is played out in our world.

When I began writing about soft power 8 years ago (http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/indraadnan)I used to get a handful of soft power news pieces in my inbox per week. Today I get five or six a day. Although soft power is not a household term about in Britain, in other parts of the world it is common parlance – particularly China and the Far East.

Part 3: SOFT POWER NATION

Immediately after WW2 Japan had the image of a hard powered, inscrutable nation.

Japan expended a lot of energy studying the consumer desires of other nations and came up with two formulas for creating relationship potential: a) exactly reproducing items that Western consumers love at a fraction of the cost b) designing and producing original beautiful technical objects of desire such as mobile phones.

In a very small space of time Japan came to be seen by the Western consumer as cool with a remarkable spirit of service.

How different nations demonstrate soft power

Soft Power as relationship potential: Japan

BRITISH SOFT POWER INSTITUTIONS

As a post imperial nation, Britain has a natural bent for soft power without it ever becoming a political issue. The four top British soft power institutions are the English Language, the BBC, the Royal Family and the British council. Using these four vehicles, Britain remains hugely influential throughout the world despite its size.

INDIA: SOFT POWER THROUGH ACTIVE BEING

India has been associated with extreme poverty for decades and as such, has not been perceived as a global power befitting its size and resources. The notable exception has been the pulling power of its 'founding father' Gandhi which has earned India a reputation for spiritual wealth – good for tourism but also for its diaspora.

More recently however, India has been actively developing its soft power, particularly in the form of its film industry referred to as Bollywood. It is no accident that a growing awareness of India as a global superpower has coincided with the increasing popularity of Indian films.

China has a mixed record on soft power – a term that has been actively adopted in its foreign policy since the 1980s. As the largest population (and fourth largest land mass) in the world it has taken care to emerge gently into the global community. Rather than threatening surrounding countries with its army, it actively promotes friendship through investment and aid, particularly in Africa. Moreover it is attempting to be better understood by building and promoting over 500 Confucious Institutes worldwide where the Chinese culture and language is taught.However, in its attempt to control its image abroad, it has made a number of mistakes. African aid has often been perceived as being too manipulative, importing large numbers of Chinese labourers in to guarantee the work if Africans refuse the conditions offered. In the Confucious institutes it is not permitted to talk about Tibet. For many people Chin is still a land of human rights abuse – Tiannamen Square remains uppermost in their minds. The imprisonment of the artist Ai Wei Wei has done little to change that view.

CHINA: SOFT POWER AND OVER-ACTIVE BEING?

NORWAY: SOFTEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD

Simon Anholt, policy advisor and global Expert on nation brands, devised the MARRS model for predicting the soft power of nations:

Morality - how good are you?

Aesthetics - how beautiful are you?

Relevance - how great is your impact?

Sophistication - how developed are you?

Strength - how strong are you?

This explains Norway's lasting effect.

Group Exercise 10

SOFT POWER STRATEGY

DEVELOP A SOFT POWER STRATEGY USING ALL THE TOOLSOF SOFT POWER

FOR ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

SCOTLAND AS AN INDEPENDENT NATION

CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS

CREATING A NEW GENDER BALANCE IN POLITICS

www.softpowernetwork.com / IA@softpowernetwork.com / twitter @indraadnan