Médecins Sans Frontiers (Geneva) is currently recruiting for a few communications jobs for their Access Campaign:
Campaign Manager (Closing date: 22nd March 2017)
Website Redesign Project Manager (Closing date: 20th March 2017)
Press and Communications Officer (Closing date: 12th April 2017)
Visit MSF website to find out the details.
A new workshop from Sarah Clark of Clear Thinnking Clear Communication
Tuesday 4 & Wednesday 5 April 2017, Geneva
For: anyone who wants to learn the basics of visual language and how to use a mix of simple drawings, colour, words and metaphors in a professional context. Engage both your right and your left brain and have fun!
The Geneva Communicators Network is pleased to announce our next lunchtime seminar on Friday, 31 March 2017.
We all know that when it comes to effective communications it’s important to know your audience. But when it comes to successful personal communications, it’s also important to know yourself!
Do you ever find that people do not listen to you?
…or don’t respond to you the way you expected?
Mahima will share secrets that will help you solve this problem.
Mindful Communications is the new soft skill that’s making better communicators and better leaders.
In this lunchtime presentation, Europe’s number one self-mastery and leadership mentor, Mahima Klinge, will explain how you can make a real impact by understanding the simple truth about what people listen to.
You’ll also learn the secrets to communicating with power and influence by being authentically you.
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Date: Friday, 31 March 2017
Time: 12h30 to 14h00
Location: The Swiss Press Club, Route de Ferney 106, La Pastorale, 1202 Geneva.
Fee: CHF 30.- per person includes drinks and snacks
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For those of you who cannot make it to the event this time, we will be BROADCASTING our lunch seminar LIVE ON FACEBOOK starting at ~12:40 until ~13:45 on Friday, 31 March. Join us remotely!
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About Mahima
Mahima Lucille Klinge is Europe’s #1 Self Mastery Mentor and Leadership Trainer, International Bestselling Author and Award Winning Speaker.
Mahima is the founder of Love Silence and The Mahima Mindset self-mastery platforms that empower business professionals to find clarity about their Purpose, Mission and Vision. Her systems help people to increase passion, stay focused and connect with and achieve their inner potential.
Mahima’s Mindset training strategies, used by thousands of top performers globally, enable people to discover the essential keys to influence and impact their environments more effectively.
Learn more at: www.lovesilence.com
Follow the four Golden Rules for impactful communication.
Of all the slides in my communication skills workshops, there is one slide that is my absolute favourite.
It’s one that comes right at the start of the day and, even when training experienced professional communicators, I can almost see all the lightbulbs turning on above people’s heads when I share it.
It’s the slide where I share my four Golden Rules for effective and impactful communication. It features in all of my workshops, regardless of the theme, as I believe that if you get these four things right in your messages, presentations, brochures…any of your communications…then you are guaranteed to grab attention and hit the mark every time!
It took a while to whittle all of communication best practice down to just four essential ingredients – and arguably, there could be just one that encompasses all four – but after working in communications for more than 20 years, I know that these four elements are essential for success, everything else is merely a part of these ‘heavy hitters’.
Okay, I can hear you yelling at the screen “What are they already?!!!” so here they are, my four Golden Rules for Communication:
I’m shocked at how often people don’t think about this. But here’s the thing, if you don’t know what you’re talking about, then you can’t expect anyone else to!
If you don’t know who you are talking to, then how do you share something interesting with them? This is absolutely key, yet most people fail to think deeply enough about who they want to reach out to and what will attract them
A confused mind doesn’t buy or buy-into anything. Make sure you strip out everything that is not relevant to your audience and give your message the chance to shine.
Bring all the above together in a clear, simple plan. It needs to be something that your entire team can understand, communicate and put into action. And this plan must include some feedback elements that track the success of your communications so you can continually improve and grow with your audience.
So that’s it, all you need to know to be effective and impactful in your communications, whatever media you are using.
If you’d like to know more about how to develop your communications around these four areas – along with gaining lots of additional information, tips, tools and insights – then don’t miss the full-day ‘Communicating with Impact’ workshop taking place at the Impact Hub in Geneva on 3 March delivered by myself and digital media expert, Kathleen Holmlund.
See more and register for the ‘Communicating with Impact’ workshop via the Geneva Impact Hub Website
On Friday, 10 February, GCN welcomed Leyla Alyanak, a freelance writer, journalist, corporate communicator and public relations consultant for the lunch seminar at the Swiss Press Club. In her spare time, Leyla runs the highly popular Women on the Road, one of the world’s Top 100 Travel Blogs.
45 participants in the room along with a few members joining remotely via Facebook Live enjoyed a very instructional and entertaining seminar “Blogging for organisations: are you doing it right?” and noted down a long list of tips and tricks to implement in their organisations’ blogs.
A recording of the live streaming is now available for everyone who couldn’t make it to the event.
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:
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?
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.
“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?
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’.
The APT seeks an experienced Communication Officer at 70-80%
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Deadline for application: 5 March 2017
Start date: From April 2017
Duration: Temporary contract (12-15 months)
The APT is an independent, non-governmental human rights organisation working
worldwide for the prevention of torture. The APT has 22 international staff members at
its headquarters in Geneva. For more information, please see our website: www.apt.ch.
The Communication officer leads APT’s external communication programme and
manages the implementation of the communication strategy. S/he ensures timely and
appropriate communication support to APT’s activities and projects, in alignment with
the strategic plan.
Main responsibilities
Manage the content and coordinate APT’s communication platforms. This includes
strategic planning and development of communications, as well as day-to-day
operational tasks.
Draft and edit articles and blogs for the APT website, press releases, public
statements etc.
Produce a monthly e-bulletin.
Manage and develop APT’s engagement in social media.
Promote and disseminate publications and other resources.
Develop and maintain media relations.
Support the fundraising team with donor reports and materials
Provide communication support to relevant activities and projects, including the
development of project specific communication plans.
Ensure APT’s coherent visual identity.
Continuously monitor and evaluate communication activities
Experience and Qualifications
A university degree in communications, marketing, journalism or other relevant field.
A minimum of five years relevant professional experience, including of web editing,
social media, and other online communications.
Experience of working in an international environment, preferably with human rights
and/or non-profit organisations.
Excellent writing and presentation skills.
Strong commitment to human rights values.
Ability to work with minimal supervision in an organised and structured manner.
Ability to work on multiple tasks and under time pressure.
Fluency in English, working knowledge of French and/or Spanish desirable.
Knowledge of graphic design and film production is a strong asset, including the use
of editing and design software (Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Premier Pro or similar).
Valid Swiss work permit
What we offer
Salary: Average NGO Geneva rates, over 12 months.
Standard Swiss pension scheme.
Holidays total 25 days per year.
How to apply:
Applications should be sent by e-mail to jobs@apt.ch (subject line: Communication
officer Geneva) with a motivation letter, CV, short writing sample and the contact details
of two professional references.
Geneva 14 February 2017
Good communication is crucial to the success of any business, we know that.
But for business owners and entrepreneurs who don’t already have strong communication skills, the cost of hiring an agency or freelancer to help plan and execute their literature, websites, social media, presentations, advertising etc. can be prohibiting.
With this in mind, our very own Melitta Campbell has teamed up with digital communications expert, Kathleen Holmlund, to create a one-day workshop that will give participants all the essential tools and knowledge they need to start producing impactful communications for themselves; thus cutting the cost of their communications, helping them achieve better results and faster, and giving them the confidence to communicate coherently and with impact across all channels – always!
The workshop will take place in Geneva at the Impact Hub on 3 March. You can get more information and register via the Geneva Impact Hub website.
** Early Bird discount available until 17 February **
Are you a consultant or a small business that needs some help attracting new customers? You’ve heard that promotion through social networks can be very effective, but you do not know where to start and how to choose the right platform for your business.
In this workshop, we will:
Language: presentation will be in English with occasional French translation if required.
Date: Wednesday, 1 March 2017
Time: 19:00 – 21:00
Location: Conference room @Restaurant Le Milan, Boulevard de Grancy 54, Lausanne. The conference room has a separate entrance to the left of the main restaurant entrance. The place is a 2-min walk away from the train station.
Cost: The event costs CHF 20 per person covering administration fees, materials, and refreshments. Payments are done in advance via Paypal.
How to sign up: pay via PayPal in advance to secure your spot: https://www.paypal.me/ekatcommunication/20
This event will be hosted by GCN’s committee member Ekaterina Filippova (eKat Communication).
http://ekatcommunication.ch
https://www.facebook.com/ekatcommunication
An interesting workshop from Clear Thinking Clear Communication:
Evening workshop: De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats
Lausanne, Tuesday 28 February, 18.15–21.15
For anyone curious about this powerful method and how it can help you to strengthen critical thinking, run productive and collaborative meetings, take effective decisions, and explore issues more quickly to generate creative solutions.
Further details (pdf) >>. Registration deadline: Sunday 19 February.