Few things are as anxiety provoking for the first-time embassy or mission employee or family member as the notion of diplomatic protocol. Protocol can sound both stuffy and mysterious at the same time; and most of us believe we have had little experience in our nongovernment lives to prepare us. In fact, the rules and processes of diplomatic protocol are based in pragmatic thinking, common sense, and good manners-areas where we all have had some experience. Protocol makes the job of representing our nation easier by facilitating our work as a mission team, making our relationships and interactions within the diplomatic and host country communities more predictable, and by providing a basic social framework and hierarchy to follow.