Precedence with a Purpose

By Maryse LarchA(c) Mele and Margaret Kevin Krall

This groundbreaking book aims to be the source on how to address international precedence. While precedence as a criterion plays a key role in all aspects of protocol, universal rules governing precedence do not exist. Several different methods exist instead as guidelines. Moreover, we can learn to alter these methods to adapt to cultural differences, circumstances, and the natural evolution of society as the judgment on specific topics shifts. We explore these issues that affect precedence and discuss what precedence effects "who goes where, seating, entering, and exiting venues and events, order of speeches, introductions, food service, toasting, photo opportunities, flag arrangements, etc." There is no other book addressing international precedence in this way, and it is a crucial criterion of protocol. This book is a how-to manual for quick and easy reference. The authors shared on-the-job personal experiences practically bring home the reality of situations, making this an engaging read. Precedence can be complicated when people from different nations, who do not necessarily view the world in the same way, are combined. We will examine some international organizations and seven countries: the French Republic, the Kingdom of Spain, the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Precedence was born of struggle and strife among rulers and their representatives to determine who precedes whom, sits where, speaks when, etc. That quest for order, predictability, and the preservation of civility provided the concept for this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887938370

Book preview

cover.jpg

Precedence with a Purpose

Maryse LarchA(c) Mele and Margaret Kevin Krall

Copyright © 2023 Maryse Larché Mele and Margaret Kevin Krall

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2023

ISBN 979-8-88793-834-9 (pbk)

ISBN 979-8-88793-837-0 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 1

What Is Precedence?

In the Oxford dictionary, precedence is defined as the condition of being considered more important than someone or something else; priority in importance, order, or rank. ¹ In the context of protocol, precedence was born from struggle and strife and has the potential to be an extremely emotional issue, both on the side of participants and host or organizers. This testimonial by Maryse illustrates one of her experiences.

I can still feel my cheeks burning after working hard to execute an event seamlessly, only to be chastised by a conference attendee who was not happy with his seating arrangement. The occasion that comes to mind was a dark day in October. I had just buried my beloved father and set off with a heavy heart to execute a conference. I worked harder than usual on the seating chart. Fresh in my heart, my father’s death seemed to make my endless lists of Very Important People’s rank order feel meaningless. I kept pushing myself to focus on the issues at hand without getting too philosophical about life. Although I worked hard to rank my audience, I failed to review their current statuses. When I left the Headquarters to be at my father’s death bed, we were without a Political Advisor (POLAD). I did not recognize that the young deputy became Acting Political Advisor in my absence. I, therefore, did not place him in the seat of Political Advisor. Instead, I put him in the rightful seat for a Deputy POLAD. During the next break, it did not take him long to seek me out and advise me his promotion was not reflected in the seating plan. I remember feeling too numb to care too much. I proceeded to rectify the situation, but I must admit my thoughts were unbecoming of a protocol professional.

Many years later, I can now play devil’s advocate and ask myself the question: How important was it for this young POLAD to be rightfully acknowledged for the role he had taken on? It was crucial for someone with such a young face to prove himself among the various grey-haired ambassadors and political advisors whom he dared to call colleagues. Positional authority is not just an indication of your rights and responsibilities; it sends a message to the other players.

The role of precedence is to set the parameters for people to be comfortable and ensure respect. These external signals set the stage for players advising them of their positions.

While everyone is a legal equal to another, everybody has different roles and responsibilities. When respect is given to all people, considering their managerial responsibilities, delegates will understand the designated place you have accorded them and will feel comfortable, thereby moving forward with the business of the day rather than the business of the event coordinator.

Our theory is that precedence can be a method of recognition in a place that makes sense. When a person feels recognized, they will feel respected and more comfortable participating during whatever kind of event or ceremony they are hosting or attending. In addition, national precedence is usually straightforward, as each nation has published and approved practices, and there is rarely any question about who belongs where.

We believe precedence becomes a sensitive issue when people misinterpret it as one person being more important than another. We prefer to define precedence as the rules concerning priority, arrangement, or the creation of a concrete hierarchy of functionaries in public positions according to the public interest. The role the functionaries occupy is the basis for the right of priority. Generally, the higher one’s political mandate or the greater one’s managerial responsibility, the higher one’s position in the order of precedence. In defining an order of precedence, the military considers both dates of rank and positional authority.

In events including military personnel, the Chief of Defense may be a four-star General in some countries or a one-star Brigadier General in other countries. No matter the number of their stars, they carry the responsibilities of a Chief of Defense, and the Chiefs of Defense should be afforded the positional order of precedence according to their responsibilities rather than the rank order. Therefore, the positional authority may override the rank authority in many circumstances.

When working in a complex international environment, it is essential to recognize that others may view positional authority differently.

Many factors may affect the order of precedence. A sound method may be to first recognize the nation’s sovereignty by acknowledging their national order of precedence, identifying the differences between countries, and then compromising using soft skills. There are many ways an order of precedence may be listed.

At a meeting between multiple monarchies, the hierarchy of monarchs should follow the date of accession to the throne, and the heads of state of a republic by the date they were elected.

In a NATO meeting, the official order of the nations may be alphabetically in English or French, depending on the meeting. Both political and military meetings would use the NATO-accepted name of the nation.

In an EU meeting, countries would be arranged alphabetically according to the language of the nation (e.g., Spain would fall under E for España, Germany would be D for Deutschland, and Finland would be S for Suomi).

At a UN meeting, they use the English name for a country in alphabetic order.

In the Olympics and FIFA organizations, financial sponsors have precedence. Ministers of Sport may have precedence over other ministerial positions that usually outrank them.

If you are hosting various religious leaders of equal rank, ordering them by the date of the investiture of their current position may be an option.

In many nations, only the head of state can delegate representational positional authority of their position during their absence. Some countries will send a head of state letter to delegate attendance. Anybody below that level may be seated in the usual place reserved for their position as determined by the type of event. While precedence as a criterion plays a crucial role in all aspects of protocol, universal rules governing precedence do not exist. However, several different methods exist instead as guidelines. Moreover, event planners may alter these methods to adapt to cultural differences, circumstances, and the natural evolution of society as the judgment on specific topics shifts. (Women as principals, same-gender couples, etc.)

One of the criteria for establishing precedence is understanding the event’s objectives and what the host wants to achieve.

When considering precedence, apply a hard skill and a soft skill.

Precedence is based on a person’s obligations within circumstances. An experienced protocol officer may judge certain circumstances as counterproductive to the event’s goal if protocol guidelines are not adjusted. (This is a soft skill and would depend on the organizer’s interpretation of the circumstances within which a sequence of events would unfold). Never forget that protocol guidelines are tried and proven. Maximum caution is required when exercising soft skills to break hard rules. Diligent coordination with all parties is paramount before adapting precedence lists to accommodate a soft skill. For example, if a distinguished guest does not speak the same language as the rest of the delegation or does not get along with the person that the hierarchical arrangement requires them to sit next to, do not move them without consulting all parties involved first. There are grave consequences when an important official is unhappy with their seat, especially if the order of precedence has been broken to achieve this.

The Rule of the Right. (This is a hard skill. It’s a fast rule. The right side of a host has precedence). To understand the background of the rule of the right, refer to chapter 3, History of Protocol. Hard skills are about following guidelines that have been tried and proven. For example, it’s a fact in protocol that the right side has precedence. These fast rules may be broken with great caution to achieve goals that will benefit all parties and may be applied with the consent of all parties concerned.

Amb Csilla Würtz has held the following positions: NATO’s ninth and first female Secretary of the North Atlantic Council, Director of NATO Summit and Ministerial Task Forces, and Chief of Protocol at NATO; Chief of Protocol of Hungary, and Director General of the Protocol Department, including state protocol and diplomatic protocol in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Chief of Protocol, VIP Services and Special Events of the International Teqball Federation; she served as Vice Chairperson of the United Nations’ Second Committee for the Sustainable Development and Climate Change Cluster during the 65th Session of UNGA. As a career diplomat, she held various positions from Counterterrorism to Sanctions Coordinator, Cultural Project Manager to Arms Control and Disarmament Expert; Director of Diplomatic and Business Relations and Deputy Commissioner General for Hungary’s participation at the Dubai Expo 2020; Executive Director and Special Representative for International Partnerships for Talent at the National Talent Center of Hungary. She expertly highlighted the intricacies of the balance between soft skills and hard skills when we asked her the following question: Amb Würtz, how would you define precedence?

Regarding precedence, for me, the basic definition is if between two persons of different level: the higher level has precedence over the lower level; if between two persons at the same level in the same position, such as between two heads of government, then the longer serving has precedence over the other. If both persons are foreign ambassadors to a specific country, then the time and order of presentation of credentials determines the order of precedence. While order of precedence