On 28 January, 2020, Ms. Lada Bhumas, Director of the Devawongse Varopakarn Institute of Foreign Affairs (DVIFA), welcomed the participants of the Advanced Oral Communication Course: AOCC Intake 16, at Training Room 2, DVIFA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. The 16 trainees comprised diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, civil servants, and executives with special expertise from various state enterprises.

 

          The DVIFA has been running this training course for over 9 years in collaboration with Victoria University of Wellington and Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. The course objectives are (1) to develop sophisticated English communication skills so that the trainees will be able to participate in various professional settings (2) to learn about foreign cultures and establish networks with the government and business sectors of New Zealand and (3) to build awareness of international work cultures.

 

          The first two weeks of the AOCC are held in Thailand from 27 January - 7 February 2020. The focus is on acquiring essential skills in presentations, public speaking, attending international conferences and participating in negotiations.  The first module  of the training programme is designed to prepare AOCC trainees for further training in New Zealand from 8 February until 1 March 2020.