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Thanks to the many communicators who came out for the 4th Geneva Communications Forum «Taking Brand Initiative: Aligning Strategy, Culture, and Identity» on Monday evening (the Geneva Communicators Network was a co-organiser of the event).
Read a summary of the event here>>
New communication jobs in Geneva are up on our career page
Visual Communications Specialist, BIS, Basel
Communication positions, UNAIDS, Geneva
Consultancy – web projects UNICEF, Geneva
Good luck!
Internal communication agency, theblueballroom, has a released a social media white paper giving internal communicators a practical guide to social media tools. Called Collaboration in Action, the white paper is free to download, but you must register first.
Melitta
A new British Government review has highlighted the importance of effective engagement to successful business performance, showing that high levels of employee engagement are inextricably linked to the successful achievement of commercial and other organisational objectives.
The MacLeod Review, commissioned by the British Government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, also states that British firms need to improve engagement levels. It cites a number of impeding factors ranging from leaders not really understanding what employee engagement is or recognising its importance, to not knowing where to go for assistance, and the poor people skills of many line managers.
David MacLeod, who lead the review with Nita Clarke, said: “This is about unleashing the potential of people at work and enabling them to be the best they can be. Whether we are in a downturn or in better economic times, engagement is a key to innovation and competitiveness.”
Nita Clarke said: “By respecting the contribution employees can make and ensuring they are fully involved in developing their organisation’s future, employers can help unlock their full potential. When done well, employee engagement is a win for the organisation, a win for the individual and therefore a win for the country as a whole.”
Read more about the review’s findings >
Melitta
The Geneva Web Group have organised an interesting training course this week:
Topic: writing for the web
Date: Thursday 27 August, 14-18h00
Place: HDC, Geneva
Cost: 40 CHF
Facilitator: Eric Reiss
Sign up at: http://www.doodle.com/t3m3awafv7k4g88f
In just three hours, Eric will show you how to create findable, scannable, skim-able, and readable on-line content. This is the stuff that creates understanding, builds trust, and increases conversion rates. Topics include:
– why writing for the web is different (basic observations and hard facts)
– navigation (labels, not graphics)
– shared-reference building (getting folks on the same mental page)
– descriptions (core content)
– contextual navigation (locally relevant links)
– convenience text (alt texts, pop-ups, FAQs, and instructions)
– information architecture (from a content-provider point-of-view)
– metadata (machine-readable keywords, titles, and descriptions).
Eric Reiss
Eric Reiss has been actively involved in the creation of multimedia and web projects for over 30 years. Following a long career as a senior copywriter for one of Europe’s leading business-to-business advertising agencies, he is now CEO of the FatDUX Group, a user-experience consultancy headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with affiliates in Hamburg, London, Cracow, and Los Angeles.
Sign up at: http://www.doodle.com/t3m3awafv7k4g88f
We have often reported on Internal Communications (IC) in Europe and the States and it’s importance during times of crisis. So it was interesting to read a report this week that shows how IC is regarded in Argentina.
Interestingly, the study conducted by the Asociación Argentina de Comunicación Interna (Argentine Association of Internal Communication), shows that the majority of Argentine companies formally manage their Internal Communications (70% with an in-house person or team), with 84% of those responsible for Communication stating that they have their own budget and 40% of them are handling a budget which is higher than last year’s.
This fact, together with the knowledge that none of the companies survey plan to downsize their internal communication function or activities, would seem to show that the discipline is seen as an important success factor, particularly in today’s climate of change.
For more about the survey and its findings, download a copy of the research >
Melitta
During 2009, Twitter surpassed blogging as the social media platform of choice – at least among the Fortune 100.
A recent analysis compiled by Burson-Marsteller and Proof Digital Media found that the largest 100 companies, in the terms of revenue as compiled by Fortune Magazine’s annual Fortune 500, were active on three key social media: Twitter, Facebook and Blog.
According to the study, 54% of the Fortune 100 use Twitter to reach out directly to stakeholders,while 32% use blogs and 29% actively use a Facebook Fan Page to engage. Despite the perception that Twitter is the newest kid on the block among the three platforms, 76% of Fortune 100 companies that were using just one social media channel were using Twitter over the other two channels.
The study also revealed that that Twitter is most often used for news and announcements (94%), customer service (67%), promotions and deals (57%), and job postings (11%). By contrast, Facebook fan pages are more consumer focused, with promotions, product information, and philanthropy and community service announcements. And content on corporate blogs, the study found, falls into categories of current projects, external initiatives, and community involvement.
More about the surveys results >
Melitta
If you believe that one of your PR or communications projects undertaken during the last year deserves recognition, then why not enter it into the European Excellence Awards 2009? The deadline for entries is on October 9th, so you can prepare your entries over the summer.
Award application materials >
More about the awards and how to enter >
Summary
The Competition:
– More than 1100 entries last year
– Expert jury of 30 communication industry leaders
– 56 Award categories across all sectors, regions and areas of practice
– Deadline for entries: October 9th 2009
The Ceremony
– December 10th 2009, Hofburg Imperial Palace, Vienna
– Celebrate with 400 communication professionals from across Europe
– Commemorate your achievements and hard work with your team
– Showcase your expertise to current and potential clients
If you have any questions regarding award entries, Varvara Garneli (varvara.garneli@excellence-awards.eu) will be delighted to assist you.
Good luck!
Melitta
Recent research, aimed at discovering how internal communication works in global organisations, has revealed just what global best practice looks like today.
The study, headed by HSBC and supported by brand and communication consultancy Uffindell West, looked at: the purpose of internal communications, strategy development, new and emerging trends, the use of technology, measurement and many other aspects of internal communications for a comprehensive view of what works and how the communication discipline is evolving.
Read a summary of the research findings in Melcrum’s Strategic Communications Management magazine. Download the article >
Melitta
If you are working in the communications field in the Geneva region, you might want to check out our Networks page. There are quite some specialised networks for different areas of communications: web professionals, luxury professionals and those interested in CSR.