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Training Workshops Step up Communication Momentum at IGCF 2014
Published Feb 23, 2014
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The International Government Communication Forum 2014 (IGCF 2014) commenced its agenda on Saturday with a specialised executive workshop for decision-makers, senior government executives and media professionals titled ‘Predicting and Managing Crisis Effectively’. The workshop highlighted best government communication practices to promote and manage day-to-day operations, as well as unexpected events and crises.
The workshop was attended by His Excellency Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Centre (SMC), Her Excellency Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), Sheikh Khalid bin Essam bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman of Sharjah Department of Statistics and Community Development Department, in addition to a number of heads and directors of government departments and organisations.
The executive workshop was led by Jennifer Millerwise Dyck, Senior Director at APCO Worldwide, Washington D.C., and Co-leader of APCO’s crisis management and litigation communications practice, who said: “Today, stakeholders are not only interested in an organisation’s major decisions, but have the capacity to drive outcomes by directly communicating with and influencing one another in real-time situations. The workshop aimed at helping executives and decision-makers deal with emerging issues that threatened prearranged agendas by using a stakeholder-centric approach to managing a crisis. For this purpose, we used a simulated scenario and developed outcome identification and analysis techniques, as well as designing an integrated stakeholder engagement plan.”
In addition to the executive workshop, two parallel training workshops were conducted for professionals of the media and government communications industry. The first workshop, titled ‘Social Media in a Changing World’, offered insights into the changing role of social media during emergencies and its impact on citizen behaviour. The workshop was conducted by Donald Steel, a specialist in reputation and crisis management who is currently the Associate Director of Crisis Communications at Kenyon International Emergency Services, the world's leading full-service disaster management company.
Donald Steel said: “Through this workshop, we explored how social media is changing the speed at which we should communicate in a crisis, this is extraordinarily challenging. It is very clear that our reputation relies on our pro-activeness in addressing this issue. We also understand that citizens’ behaviour in emergencies is rapidly changing as they are able to witness almost first-hand all action footage that is transmitted from hot-spots of the world as they happen. Governments need to understand how to deal with such scenarios, based on the severity of the crisis, and explore alternative ways to communicate interactively during such crises.”
Steel pointed out that educating the public on what is appropriate to be communicated and how best to react to such communication would go a long way in effectively handling crisis communications, and ensuring that people feel included in the Government’s crisis management agenda.
Dr Zahera Harb, Senior Lecturer in International Journalism at the Journalism Department, City University London, conducted a second workshop on ‘The Changing Role of Government Communications’. The session highlighted the digital revolution’s impact on governments’ dissemination of information to the public, and the change in theories that defined the relationship between the message, the messenger and the receiver. She also outlined the UK Government Communication Strategy for 2014, taking the participants through the new communication theories and modern international approaches to government communication in a world driven by social media.
“Sharing knowledge related to government operations will help the public understand the different programmes that the government has to offer. Creating a consistent visual government identity will ensure the consistency of messages to the public in times of crisis. Such a communications programme will enhance the reputation of the government and enable it to be a leader in the communications landscape across the globe.”
She added: “Proper government communication is an essential that has to be implemented through proper planning and needs to be updated frequently through a three-step process which involves initiating the launch, planning, and evaluating in that order. These are essential tools of measurement as they will help us stay aligned with presenting a government communications strategy that is trustworthy and consistent.”
The first regional Government Communication event was organised by SMC in 2012. The forum discussed relevant communication challenges that were triggered by the socio-political occurrences in the Arab world. IGCF 2014 is a first-of-its-kind event that articulates the SMC’s efforts to develop government communication mechanisms for the benefit of government institutions in the UAE and the wider region.
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