Communications, social media and events officer – GANHRI Head Office, Geneva

The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) is a membership-based alliance of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) which works in close cooperation with the United Nations (UN). GANHRI unites, promotes and strengthens NHRIs to operate in line with the Paris Principles and provides leadership in the promotion and protection of human rights. GANHRI provides a framework for NHRIs to work together and cooperate at the international level through a wide range of activities, including annual meetings, international conferences, networks, training and capacity building activities. To learn more about GANHRI visit our website: www.ganhri.org

About the position
The Communication, social media and event officer will play an important role in the implementation of the GANHRI Communications Strategy. She/he will support the development of targeted communication. In particular the officer will support with the creation, research and promotion of content for the various communication channels (web, print, social media), help keep the website and socia media up to date and support the organisation, coordination and execution of workshops, seminars and public events.

Under the direct supervision of the Operations Manager and the Geneva Representative and with the guidance of the Senior Communications Adviser, the incumbent will undertake the following tasks, in line with the GANHRI Communications Strategy.

Tasks
External communications
• Maintain, feed and improve the GANHRI’s online presence (website, social media and newsletter/emailing);
• Manage and keep up to date social media channels (particularly Facebook and Twitter);
• Take the lead on content development (research, write and post communication pieces) for the website and social media, in coordination with the GANHRI Head Office team;
• Support with the copyediting and proofing of GANHRI’s publications;
• Support the development of videos, slide shows and any other communication material;
• Collect and document activities with pictures and other imageries;
• Work with the GANHRI Head office team to organise events such as institutional meetings, workshops, side-events, conferences, and support with related reporting;
• Support the dissemination of ongoing projects’ results in coordination with the Project Coordinator and with the rest of the team;
• Attend events (online and in person) and prepare relevant communication material and outreach;
• Other office and/or administrative related duties as required.

Internal communications
• Document and archive communication and knowledge outputs, including identify data, stories, photographs, infographics, and articles for communications materials;
• Draft or edit, finalize and ensure publication and dissemination of written materials and content for various communication media;
• Manage the organisation’s photo and video library as well as of the institutional memory to ensure that information and materials are stored on shared drives and any other documents management system and are easy to access;
• Provide support to the team at the GANHRI Head Office in maintaining effective communications with members, partner organizations, and stakeholders, including timely response to requests for information, as appropriate;
• Support organization of staff meetings and other (online) events (webinars, teleconferences, etc), as required;
• Support staff in designing and formatting communication and knowledge papers/documents;
• Coordinate and oversee the translation of communication materials and the work of UN online volunteers;
• Ensure the compliance of messages, publications, videos, communications with GANHRI’s branding and strategy;
• Support with the managing and popularization of the GANHRI Knowledge Management Platform, in collaboration with the thematic staff;
• Work with providers and partners to support the functioning of the knowledge management platform;
• Support NHRIs in the use of the communities of practice, including by supporting any training activities;
• Carry out additional responsibilities as may be assigned from time to time by supervisor.

Training and experience required
• Mater’s degree in communications or equivalent relevant professional experience
• At least 3-year experience as communications officer
• Experience with online tools (Word Press, Social media, knowledge management platforms)
• Experience with content management systems (CMS)
• Experience with web or graphic design, video and photo editing- a plus.
Profile and skills sought
• Fluency in written and spoken English (native level)
• Proficiency in French, Spanish and/or Arabic a plus
• Excellent writing and editing skills
• Well organized and diligent
• Good team player
• Able to work independently and autonomously when required
• Excellent computer skills
• Motivated to learn and to develop new skills

Duration of appointment: 12 months with possibility of renewal
Employment type: full-time
Direct supervision: GANHRI Operations Manager and Geneva Representative

How to Apply: Send cover letter, CV, a short writing sample and contact information for references.

Deadline for applications: 25 September 2020. Please send the required material by email with the name of the position in the subject to: recruitment@ganhri.org

 

To see the full ad, please visit the GANHRI careers page here>>

By | September 9th, 2020|Careers|0 Comments

Can you say that a bit louder, please?

 

Sorry, I can't hear you. How to get a louder voice. Speak louder.

Sorry, I can’t hear you. How to get a louder voice. Speak louder.

By Maria Wilhelmsson, Vox Impact

Many of those who come to me for voice coaching want to learn to speak louder.

Tired of having to repeat themselves or seeing people lean forward and frown every time they speak, they want to know how they can make themselves heard.

It may sound like a trivial thing to do, just to turn up the volume knob a bit.  In reality, it can be quite challenging to change your default speaking volume, and to keep it at the new, louder level. Your speaking habits have been formed since the early years of your life, and are coloured by your experiences, belief systems, culture, psychology and how you inhabit your body.

If you are struggling to pump up the volume, ask yourself if any of the following may be true for you:

In your books, loud is bad

Human beings are quick to adapt to the norm in families and society at large, and to judge those who do not conform to the social rules.  Did you grow up in a family or a culture of soft speakers, where being loud equaled bad manners, lack of respect, or showing off? Were you frequently asked to be quiet and let others speak? Or were you the one to take on the quiet role in an otherwise loud family to balance it out?

A shy personality is another factor that gets in the way of loudness. If you are not comfortable being the center of attention, your voice will try to protect you from that attention by going soft. So hand on heart, do you really want to be heard?

Your ears are fooling you

When you think you are being really loud, are people still asking you to speak up? Your voice sounds louder inside your head than it does to other people. The reason is that the sound that you hear is amplified through the bone-conduction in your head, while other people only can hear the sound that is carried through the air in the space around you.

Now, if you want to communicate with other people, you will be better off trusting their ears rather than your own. To get an idea of the size of this perception gap, ask a friend – or several – for help. Speak a few sentences and ask your friend to indicate the loudness on a scale from 1-10. Compare it with the loudness level you were aiming for. If your friend gives you a 4 when you think you were at a 7, you can start to re-calibrate your ears and vocal effort accordingly.

Also remember that a larger room and a larger audience will require more volume than a face-t0-face conversation. Ask for feedback and keep adjusting your loudness to different settings.

Your mind is not clear

“That which is dimly said, was dimly thought.” (E. Tegnér)

You know how easy it is to speak up when you are certain of the facts and clear about your intention. The words flow and your strong conviction brings your voice to life. You know what you want to achieve and you want the world to hear your opinion. And then there are all the other times. The times when you wing it, when you didn’t have the time to prepare, or when you are simply not that engaged. Your voice will sense it and tactfully lower the volume, pull the sound back into your throat and relax the enunciation to minimize the potential public embarrassment.

Do you know what you are saying, why you are saying it, and do you stand for it?

You are a talking head

Does your voice get strained and tired when you have been speaking loudly for a while?
You may be doing all the speaking effort from your throat. Instead, think of your voice as a violin, with the strings being your vocal folds, the wooden body being your torso and your head, and the bow representing your breath.

All the parts are needed in order to bring out a powerful voice. Without the bow (breath) applied with the right pressure, the strings (vocal folds) will not vibrate in the way required to produce a rich sound. Without the body providing a strong frame and a resonance chamber, there will be no amplification of the sound.

You will find tips on how to engage your body and breath in my articles 4 ways to bring out the good vibes in your voice read and Breathe life into your presence.

And if your resolutions for 2017 involve getting your voice to work for you, only reading won’t do the job.
Join one of Maria’s acclaimed public workshops. The next one is in Lausanne on 7 March: ‘Showing up and Speaking with Confidence’.

By | February 21st, 2017|Guest posts|0 Comments

Workshops for communicators – marketing, presentation skills, writing and media interviews – 13 June 2014

The Geneva Communicators Network is pleased to announce its next workshop day to help communicators in the Geneva region brush up on specific communications tasks.

Four one-day workshops will be run simultaneously, with a networking lunch to allow participants to mingle briefly. Each session will include a combination of theory and practice to help communicators improve their specific skills. The groups will be small (maximum 10)  to allow instructors to address each participants specific needs.

Date: Friday 13 June 2014
Time: 0930-16h30
Cost: 450 CHF for GCN members, 580 CHF for non-members (includes lunch and tea/coffee)
Location: International University in Geneva ICC 20, Rte de Pré-Bois – 1215 Geneva 15, Switzerland
Register now>>

Workshop 1: Exploring marketing for communications

As Communicators within your respective organizations, you need to be part of your Organization’s strategic marketing plan. Understanding your role and contributing to its marketing plan, can set you apart and give you an advantage over your colleagues in today’s competitive environment. “Exploring Marketing: A Creative Learning Approach” is a tried and tested knowledge-based program that solidly reinforces the principles and concepts of contemporary marketing. Before long, you will feel comfortable and confident with marketing terms and concepts.
More information>>
Register now>>

Workshop 2: Improving presentation skills for communicators

Communication implies a two way process, whether it is one to one or within a group. Do you know how effective you are as a communicator? Are your presentations effective? Are your messages reaching the right people in the best way? How are you perceived as a communicator? In a context where people are submerged in information, we need to find news ways to connect with our audiences. If you can demonstrate value or benefit of what you’re saying, you’ll keep the audience focused on you! This workshop will help you answer those questions and help to perfect your capacity as an effective communicator. Participants will be filmed throughout the workshop in order to maximize the experience with ongoing feedback from the trainers. Seeing yourself on video provides an additional value both during and after the workshop.
More information >>
Register now>>

Workshop 3: Effective writing for communicators  

Communicating effectively is getting harder. In most office environments, people are overloaded with messages and are increasingly time-poor. This workshop has been designed for those that need to communicate regularly and get results, but may not have had previous writing training. It will look at what effective communication looks like today and and show you how you can write memorable messages that your audience will want to read.
More information >>
Register now>>

Workshop 4: Media interviews for communicators

This practical and interactive course will give you the skills for media interviews with the press, TV or radio. Given by a former BBC foreign correspondent, it will strip away misconceptions about what the media wants. It will show you how to control the interview and feel confident when speaking to journalists. As well as learning how the media operates and what the interviewer is looking for, you’ll be given mock radio and on camera interviews to give you a realistic experience
More information >>
Register now>>

By | April 28th, 2014|Other events|0 Comments

Our workshops – 100% recommended!

A belated thanks to the 30 people who attended our November workshops on web writing, crisis management and presentation techniques and to the trainers Patricia GoldschmidHenri Gautier, Marion Starck and Melitta Campbell.

Our post-workshop survey found that 100% of participants would attend future workshops and recommend them to their colleagues.

Stay tuned for our 2013 workshop programme!

By | December 13th, 2012|GCN workshops|0 Comments