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

We are pleased to announce our first event for 2012:

Lunchtime seminar – Your voice as a communications tool, are you using yours?

Your voice is part of your identity. Based on your voice, listeners will make judgments about your status, credibility, like-ability and emotional state.

So, influence the way you sound and you will have more power over how you – and your message – come across.

In this interactive session, you will learn about the voice, how yours has developed and how to use it to its full capacity through exercises that will help you start developing a strong, vibrant and dynamic voice.
 
Date: Wednesday 25 January 2012
Time: 12h30 to 14h00
Location*: The Swiss Press Club, Route de Ferney 106, La Pastorale, 1202 Geneva.
Fee: CHF 15.- per person includes drinks and snacks – payable at the door.
 
Speaker: Maria Wilhelmsson is passionate about helping professionals find their authentic voice and getting their message across in a dynamic and powerful way. A trained singer and accomplished performer; Maria has always been fascinated by the impact of someone’s voice – and all the things that affect it. In her coaching, Maria blends her knowledge of the voice and performing arts with her 15 years international business experience to help individuals strengthen their professional and personal impact, helping them to excel in all their spoken communication and interactions. www.voximpact.com
 
Places are limited due to the venue size, so please register early for the event.
 
Register here for the event>>
 
We look forward to seeing you there.

Glenn, Patricia, Vincent, Melitta
*Location sponsored by the International University in Geneva.

An interesting workshop proposed by a GCN member:

Essential VoiceWork – Full Day Immersion Workshop for women

Do you sometimes find it hard to make yourself hear and understood?
Have you ever felt that your voice does not represent you the way you want to be perceived?
Do people tell you that your voice is monotone, annoying or not assertive enough?

Essential VoiceWork has been designed for women wishing to develop a dynamic speaking voice to enhance their professional and personal impact. You will get individual voice coaching and at the same time learn from others in a small and supportive group of maximum 6 women.

This full day immersion will provide you with insights, tools and exercises to help you:

• Develop more vocal power with less effort through healthy speaking habits.
• Bring your voice to life using body alignment and profound breathing.
• Project a vibrant and rich sound by optimal use of your built-in amplifiers.
• Inject more energy into your voice by focusing on flow and direction.
• Speak with clarity and assertiveness by committing to words and sounds.

We will start the day by analyzing your voice and your speaking style. Based on your own perception and the feedback that you receive, we will agree on a few key areas to focus your voice work on. You will proceed to open up the different resonators in your body and discover how they colour your voice.

You will explore your vocal range in order to have more tools for expressing your thoughts and emotions. By means of various exercises, you will learn how to inject more energy into your voice, and to be more present in your communication. You will practice techniques for a clear, dynamic and assertive speaking style.

Price: CHF 345, incl. refreshments, workbook and website access.
Saturday January 14, 2012, at 10:00-16:00
Contact: maria.wilhelmsson@voximpact.com
Place: Dare to Glow Center
21bis, rue de la Navigation, Genève
Group size: Max 6 women.

An interesting workshop coming up in Geneva:

Maximising your personal & team effectiveness – A Belbin Team Role Profiling workshop
Saturday 3 December 2011, 09.00-17.00
Colladon, 5-7 rue Colladon
Petit Saconnex, 1209 Geneva
 Do you feel you’re not fully using your natural talents at work?
 Do you ever get frustrated as part of a “team” that doesn’t function?  Do you feel team spirit is often jeopardised by difficult colleagues? and finally,
 Do you want to better understand the specific strengths you can bring to any team situation?

If yes… then join us for this workshop to learn how the Belbin Team Roles approach can help you develop your self-management skills, maximise your potential and build productive working relationships. We will introduce the method in a fun and participatory way and show how it can help you to increase your own and your team’s effectiveness

Cost: CHF 290 including lunch, refreshments & Belbin profile reports
Register early to ensure a place!
+41 79 547 5131 (Liz) liz@pulfordmedia.co.uk

An interesting workshop offered by a GCN member:

Your Powerful Voice – Discovery Workshop

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 135, incl. refreshments and workbook
Contact: maria.wilhelmsson@voximpact.com
Date: 29 November
Place: Dare to Glow Center
21bis, rue de la Navigation
Genève
Group size: Max 12 people.

For more information about our workshops on Image and Presence please visit our website www.daretoglow.com

Who is afraid of Social Media? is the title of the TNS Geneva Digital Life conference on 23 November 2011.

The half-day event will share highlights from the TNS Digital Life study – the world’s largest Digital study, and feature insights from four Global and Swiss experts on the new trends and best practices in utilising Social Media.

For more information about this free event and to register, visit:  www.tnsdigitallife.ch

Melitta

In line with the United Nation’s Human Rights Universal Periodic Review, 12 journalists selected from the 8 countries under review, will hold a round table discussion at Webster University on new media tools and human rights.

Discussion will be followed by a question and answer period and networking.

Drinks and refreshments will be served.

Wednesday 5 October2011, 18-20h00, Webster University, Geneva

Panelists from: Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Swaziland, Syria, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Uganda

Please RSVP to rosso@webster.ch

Getting the Best from your Creative Team

6:00pm – 8:00pm, Wednesday, September 28, 2011

International Media Management:
Getting the Best from your Creative Team

Media production in a culturally diverse creative team can become problematic, yet rewarding. When these teams are charged with producing content that works across cultures the process becomes even more complex.

What cultural considerations are specific to international media production? How can a manager use a team’s diversity to produce effective socially responsible media content that works across cultures?

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

18:00-18:30 Registration & refreshments

18:30-20:00 Workshop

20:00 Apéro
Webster University, Commons Room
Route de Collex 15, 1293 Bellevue

A photo project with Synthon is used as the basis for examining production challenges, generating discussion, and developing solid tactics for managing the client-producer relationship from both sides.

Panel members

Ron Banks, Marketing
David Veenhuys, Public relations
Paul Sutin, Media manager
Kristian Skeie, Photojournalist
Keith Strandberg, Videographer
Daniel Deboy, Audi engineer
Tim Young, Media Technician

Register now for limited seating:
wichert @ webster.ch
+41 (0)22 959 8016

An interesting workshop coming up in Geneva:

Creating effective teams — an introduction to Belbin Team Roles

Saturday 24 September 2011, Geneva, 9.00–17.00

Do you feel that you’re not fully using your natural talents at work? Do you ever get frustrated as part of a “team” that doesn’t really function well as a team? Is team spirit sometimes jeopardized by difficult relationships with colleagues?

If yes…then join us for this fun, interactive workshop to learn how the Belbin Team Roles approach can help you to develop your self-management skills, understand the unique contribution you can make within a team and build productive working relationships.

The workshop will be run by Liz Tayfun and Sarah Clark, both Belbin Team Role accredited facilitators.

More information and registration (pdf)>>