* PROTOCOL * PRACTICAL ADVICE * USES AND CUSTOMS For the Ambassador as well as the members of the diplomatic entourage, formal procedures and their correct application can be a source of anguish, torment or entertainment, depending on the level of familiarity with and adherence to the spoken an unspoken rules at play. In my years of diplomatic exercise in government positions, at the head of bilateral and multilateral diplomatic missions, or even as a simple observer at a broad range of international events an diplomatic ceremonies, I have encountered, assessed and critiqued diplomats of all stripes: novices, veterans, the careful and the careless.