New Jobs online
New job opportunities have been posted on our Careers page:
Senior Associate, Press and Media, GAIN, Geneva
Meta-data Officer, ICRC, Geneva
Good luck!
Workshop: your powerful voice – 28 February 2012
A new workshop offered by a GCN member and featuring a past GCN guest speaker Maria Wilhelmsson. Further information:
Your Powerful Voice – Discovery Workshop
Tuesday 28th February, 2012, 18:30-21:00
Have you ever wanted to change anything in the way you sound? Or are you simply curious to learn more about your voice and how to use it to its full capacity?
This Discovery Workshop has been designed for individuals who want to get an idea of how to work their voice to make themselves heard, understood and believed.
In this energizing workshop you will:
– Understand how your voice works and what it is capable of.
– Identify unhelpful speaking habits – and learn what to do instead.
– Learn to align your body for air, energy and sound to flow freely.
– Reconnect with natural, profound breathing for a more dynamic voice.
– Practice techniques for clear and assertive speech.
With a focus on the physiological and acoustic aspects of the voice, you will be guided through exercises aiming at finding the posture, breathing technique and resonance that will help you project a loud and vibrant voice.
You will also learn how to speak with more clarity and assertiveness through diction and intonation.
CHF 150, incl. refreshments and workbook
Tuesday 28th February, 2012, 18:30-21:00
Contact: maria.wilhelmsson@voximpact.com
Place: Dare to Glow Center
21bis, rue de la Navigation
Genève
Group size: 12 people.
For more information about our workshops on Image and Presence please visit the website>>
What do people do all day?
After asking members of the Internal Communications Community how they would explain what they do to a nine year-old, UK based Employee Engagement agency, Involve, produced a short film featuring a nine year-old girl explaining what her father does all day and the difference that a ‘lady with shiny shoes’ (a new internal communications manager), has made to his company.
It’s a fun yet clear look at what communications professionals do all day.
You can view the animation on You Tube: ‘What do people do all day?’ >
Melitta
Workshop – How to use video in your organisation
‘Online video combined with smart strategy reaches people’s emotions, builds your brand and increases your credibility.’
That’s the strap line of a free workshop taking place at @FER in Geneva on 22 February from 09:30-12:00.
The event aims to show how video can be used to grow your business as two companies, So Money and 23 Video, share their international experience of using online video to support organisations in transforming their communications. There will also be a case study from Genève Servette Hockey Club which has used online video in the Swiss market.
For more details of the event or to register, click here >
What it takes to succeed in Internal Communications
The third annual ‘Professional Development in Internal Communications’ study by the VMA Group, highlights the core skills and qualities that managers look for when recruiting IC professionals today.
According to the report, the top five skills are:
- Influencing
- Coaching Senior Leaders
- Strategy Setting
- Writing – Specific Corporate Messages
- Writing – Online/Publications
Interestingly, the first three points highlight the continuing evolution of internal communications from a function that churns out news, to one that has a real impact on the success of a company. While the last two points highlight that traditional communication skills still have an important place in the function.
By contrast, the top five skills as perceived by the IC community are:
- Coaching Senior Leaders
- Social Media Development
- Influencing
- Public Affairs
- External Communications
While survey respondents felt that they are an integral part of the senior leadership team, disappointingly the results showed that advocacy for internal communications amonsgst senior leaders remained unchanged from 2010.
On a more encouraging note, the results did testify to the resilience of the discipline despite the economic climate, with 74% of internal communications functions remaining the same or increased in size over the last year.
You can download a copy of the full report via the VMA website >
Melitta
FedEx example shows how to handle a PR disaster
When the video of a deliveryman tossing a fragile package over a gate went viral at the end of last year, FedEx didn’t recoil – it responded. Giving a great example of how to overturn a PR disaster.
Rather than ignore the unfortunate incident, Matthew Thornton, III, senior VP of FedEx Express U.S. Operations, released a blog post and YouTube video of his own expressing his personal disappointment and embarrassment before explaining what the company has done for the customer since and the steps they are taking to avoid such incidents in the future.
To watch both videos, read the full story on PRDaily >
Melitta
Consumer power – a heartwarming tale
Back in May 2011, three-and-a-half-year-old Lily Robinson wrote a letter to UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, asking why its Tiger Bread was called that when it actually looks much more like a Giraffe.
The supermarket took the time to write back to Lily with a very personal response to her request, prompting her mother to post both letters on her blog. Through the power of social networking, Lily’s story went viral – even reaching my Facebook feed last week. In response, to the feedback Sainsbury’s has received following this, the supermarket has today announced that it’s actually changing the name of its bread to giraffe!
This story not only shows the power of social networks, but also the difference that the human touch can make. If Chris King, the customer service advisor that wrote the note, had not taken a few extra minutes to put together such a thoughtful and personal message, then this story would never have happened. The fact that the mother posted it on her blog shows just how rare these small details are in today’s communications.
If you would like to read more about this story or see the original exchange that lead to this development, click here.
Melitta
25 January event wrap-up – Your Voice as a Communications Tool..
Thank you to Maria Wilhelmsson for her inspiring talk at the GCN meeting on Wednesday 25 January (Your voice as a communications tool, are you using yours?), and to the Communicators who participated in the active session. We hope that you were able to take away a few good insights to improve your communication.
We have uploaded a few photos, visible on the left of this screen. If you don’t want your picture on the site, please send us an email.
For further information on Maria, her voice coaching and workshops in the region check her site: www.voximpact.com.
Look forward to our next event in the spring.
Melitta, Glenn, Patricia
New Career Opportunities…
See our career page for the latest communication career opportunities in the region, including an exciting new position for a senior internal communications professional in the wealth management sector.
Current postions include:
- Senior Internal Communications Business Partner, Geneva
- Press & External Relations Manager, Lausanne
- Communications Officer, Geneva
- And two intern positions
Good luck!
Startup week-end in Lausanne March 2-4, 2012
For those interested, the next Startup Weekend Lausanne will be held from March 2-4, 2012 at the Rolex Learning Center in Lausanne.
Anyone interested can attend and present ideas for new start up ventures in 60 seconds. The favorites are then explored in different groups arranged by theme. Teams are between 4-10 people, and consist of about 50% technical people and 50% non-technical. You then spend the entire weekend getting advice from professional mentors, and building a proof of concept, demo, or sometimes even a finished product, to present in front of a panel of judges on Sunday night.
Most ideas are web & tech focused, but almost any new business needs a web, marketing, and business strategy regardless if it is tech centric.
The event will be held in French and English. That means you can present an idea and work all weekend in your preferred language.
For further information click here or email: switzerland@startupweekend.org