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How is social media changing in your world?

With the increasing popularity of Social Media such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, LinkedIn and the like, the communication profession is facing new and exciting opportunities to communicate – as well as new challenges to meet.

To map out exactly how Social Media is impacting the communications profession, Communication Director magazine and the University of St. Gallen are currently conducting a Europe-wide study of communications professionals – and have invited GCN members to contribute.

For instance, how do you use Social Media? What impact does it have on your daily work as a communicator? What support do you need to be able to cope with using Social Media?

There are two versions of the survey accessible via the below links. Please select the most appropriate one for you.

Survey for agencies and consultants >

Survey for in-house communicators >

Completion of the questionnaire will take approximately 15 minutes. All answers are anonymous.

A summary of the results will be posted here in the winter.

Melitta

By | October 14th, 2010|Other resources|0 Comments
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15 October event – fully booked!

Just to let all communicators know that our next lunchtime seminar, scheduled for Friday 15 October is fully booked! We are at our full capacity – 60+ persons, so if you didn’t book yet, we look forward seeing you at our next event.

Glenn and the team

By | October 11th, 2010|Other events|0 Comments
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New Heads for Skype and Twitter

Last week two of the most dominant players in the social media space, Skype and Twitter, announced a change of leadership, highlighting the intense competition in the market.

Twitter has replaced Evan Williams, a founder of the micro-blogging service, with Dick Costolo who is well regarded in the Silicon valley for his impeccable business aptitude and focus.

At Skype, the chief executive position is being taken over by Tony Bates, a former major player within Cisco.

More information about this story >

Melitta

By | October 11th, 2010|Other resources|0 Comments
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New career opportunity in Geneva

Head of Unit, Marketing and Internal Communications at the ICRC

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a neutral and independent humanitarian organisation. This exciting new full-time vacancy is at its Geneva headquarters. Deadline for applications: 27 October 2010.

Those interested in applying should refer to the www.icrc.org website for details and for information on how to apply.

Further details are also available on the GCN Careers page.

Good luck!

By | October 8th, 2010|Careers|0 Comments
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Discount for GCN members at Lift 11 – Geneva, February 2 – 4, 2010

The Geneva Communicators Network is proud to be affiliated with the Lift Conference Series. The next Lift Conference is Lift11 and will be held at the CICG in Geneva on February 2-4, 2011.

By clicking on the banner on the left of this site, GCN members can benefit from a 25% discount on the registration fee. The early bird rates are now available so act now as conference tickets go quickly.

Lift11 is a three-day conference about current and emerging usage of digital technologies such as online communities, social media and casual games. Participants come to better understand the challenges and opportunities presented by digital technologies, and meet the people who drive these innovations.

It’s the most innovative conference around and an excellent platform for networking so don’t miss out on this great opportunity.

We look forward to seeing you there next February.

Patricia

By | October 7th, 2010|Other events|0 Comments
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Next GCN event on public speaking – 15 October 2010

We are pleased to be able to return to the Geneva Press Club for our next GCN lunch meeting on 15 October.

This meeting will focus on presentation techniques. Making presentations or preparing others to do so is a key role for many communicators. John Zimmer, a lawyer by trade and expert public speaker at heart, will look at emotion from the perspective of both the speaker and the audience, examine why it is so important, and discuss ways in which to add genuine emotion to your presentations.One of the most famous catchphrases of motivational guru Tony Robbins is “Live with passion!” In fact, that’s also how we should speak: with passion; with emotion. Emotion is usually one of the touchstones of a great speech. It separates great speakers from mediocre ones. And it is one of the best ways of ensuring that your audience remembers your message.

Topic: Presentation Skills: Once More, With Emotion
Date: Friday, 15 October 2010
Time: 12h30 to 14h00
Location*: The Swiss Press Club, Route de Ferney 106, La Pastorale, 1202 Geneva (view directions)
Fee: CHF 10.- per person for a light lunch – payable at the door.

Please register here for the Geneva Communicators Network lunch event for Friday 15 October 2010 at 12h30.

If the above link doesn’t work, please copy the following link into your Internet browser: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22B9NBX8Z3J

Speaker’s bio: John Zimmer is a Canadian lawyer who now lives in Geneva, Switzerland and works in the United Nations system. John has over 20 years of public speaking experience. He has addressed courts and tribunals, business conferences, U.N. bodies, international delegations and more. He is a guest lecturer on public speaking and presentation skills for the Executive MBA Programmes at the University of Lausanne and the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. John is a member of the International Geneva Toastmasters Club. He is a four-time European champion of public speaking contests. He also writes a blog about public speaking – http://mannerofspeaking.org – that is followed by readers around the world.

We look forward to seeing you there!!

Glenn, Patricia, Melitta & Vincent

*Location sponsored by the International University in Geneva.

By | October 3rd, 2010|Other events|0 Comments
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New job openings in Geneva

The following new job openings have recently been posted on our careers page:

  •  Senior Account Executive/Account Manager (health care), Weber Shandwick Switzerland, Geneva
  • Project manager – global communications campaign – UN Human Rights, Geneva
  • Marketing Communications Specialist, Dupont, Geneva
  • Web content publisher, International Electrotechnical Commission, Geneva

Good luck!

By | September 30th, 2010|Careers|0 Comments
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Humour – can it work in Corporate Comms?

A funny thing happened on my way to work today…I read an article that suggested that using humour in corporate messages can be a positive thing to do.

While most communicators steer well clear of using humour in the office, and I have certainly advised many leaders and clients to use it with caution, particuarly in multi-cultural environments, Barb Sawyer of Sticky Communications has other ideas.

She put forward the case for using humour in the workplace stating that it can reduce stress, increase energy, motivate and makes people feel better about themselves and others.

While she agrees humour should be used with caution and offers the following tips to doing so successfully:

1. Know your audience and what they will relate to

2. Tell stories

3. Be yourself, develop your own brand of humour

However, I would argue that these three tips are not just good for using humour, but for successful communications in general.

Knowing your audience is the only useful starting point for any campaign and storytelling is well known for its ability to engage audiences and make messages memorable.

However, developing your own communication style, while it is something I have long advocated, is not something that you hear about too often. I think it’s particularly important in leadership communications as it helps to create a relationship with your audience and demonstrates that messages are  coming direct from the source, making messages more credible.

…so I guess the message within the message is that if you always know what you are communicating and to whom, then you should also be able to determine if humour is appropriate for your message and audience, and what ‘gags’ will go down best.

Melitta

By | September 29th, 2010|Other resources|0 Comments
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SRRP event on social media (in French) 21 September 18h at the Warwick Hotel in Geneva

Social networks, blogs, geolocator services: a reach cultural change or just simple tools? How doe we integrate them into our work as communicators?

Presentations by:

Myriam L’Aouffir Responsible for online communication, Groupe France Télévisions et du Club France Télévisions
Charlotte Terrapon Communication Project Coordinator and Community Manager at Montreux Jazz Festival
Mathieu Jaton Secretary General, Montreux Jazz Festival
Ms Michel Jaccard Associate, BCCC Attorneys-at-law
Moderator: Stéphane Koch, instructor and consultant in the field of information technology.

Location: Warwick Hotel, 14 rue de Lausanne, 1201 Geneva
Date & time: 21 September 2010, 18h
Price: Free for SRRP members, non-members CHF 50.-, GCN members: CHF 35

More information from the SRRP>>

By | September 20th, 2010|Other events|0 Comments
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Tough times favour the underdog

That is the theme of a forthcoming article in the Journal of Consumer Research: ‘The Underdog Effect’.

In the article, HBS professor Anat Keinan and colleagues explain how and why a ‘brand biography’ about hard luck and fierce determination can boost the power of products in industries as diverse as food and beverages, technology, airlines, and automobiles.

Despite psychological research showing that people want to associate themselves with winners (and therefore with winning brands), Keinan was interested to see increasing numbers of brands trying to position themselves as an underdog, i.e. the one expected to lose.

It seems that when times are tough, people are more willing to relate to and support those who’s passion, determination and perseverance have helped them to overcome adversity.

This is an interesting concept that can be easily translated into external, corporate and internal communication to help show a new level of understanding and empathy with stakeholders, and help draw them closer to the leaders, products and organisations we represent.

To find out more, read an interview with Anat Keinan
in HBS’s Working Knowledge newsletter >

Melitta

By | September 14th, 2010|Other resources|0 Comments
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