Business & Money | Monday 9 February, 2015 12:19 am |

The upcoming edition of the International Government Communication Forum (IGCF) will include two specialised workshops for government communication professionals, as well as students of mass communication and other stakeholders, the organiser Sharjah Media Centre (SMC) announced today.

The workshops will be re-run on the second day to provide a larger audience with the opportunity to benefit from the specialised sessions. Interested attendees looking to benefit from the workshops are required to pre-register on www.sgci.ae.

The first workshop titled ‘Communicating complex issues to a sceptic audience - case of the EU budget 2014-2020’ will present a case study to illustrate the complex issue of the EU budget with a view to improving public perception. The session will provide participants with an understanding of the timeline for the decision making process, as well as insights into the communication models prepared and how social media is used within the process. Ron Korver, Head of the Service for Science and Economy at the Press Unit of the European Parliament, will lead the workshop.
The second workshop, titled ‘Digital communications - future and challenges’, will be hosted by crisis communications specialist Donald Steel. The session will explore lessons learnt from Malaysia Airlines and other recent incidents, providing an insight into how social media is changing the dynamics of government relationships with citizens. The importance of speed in government communication without diluting the accuracy of messaging will also be highlighted.

Jawaher Al Naqbi, Manager of IGCF, said: “With each workshop permitting entry to limitied number of participants, the sessions will charge a minimal registration fee. However, in order to ensure that a larger number of attendees benefit from the insights offered by experts attending the forum, we have lined up two interactive lectures that allow free entry to up to 100 participants. These lectures will be repeated on the second day.”

The first interactive lecture titled ‘Crisis communications in the digital age’ will be led by communications consultant Nigel Kay. The session will elaborate on the role of governments during crisis and the impact of social media on traditional emergency management processes. It will also provide participants with the ability to analyse whether social media is the most effective tool when it comes to communications with the public during emergency scenarios.

The second lecture hosted by communications consultant Mark Webster will present a ‘Case study of BP and the Deepwater Horizon disaster’. Webster will highlight the role of crisis communication in limiting reputation damage and financial loss. He will also underline the importance of preparedness and the need to have an effective corporate PR strategy in place for crisis situations. The importance of selecting a suitable spokesperson to communicate the right dose of empathy, contrition and sincerity to key target audiences in crisis scenarios will also be discussed.

Organised under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the International Government Communication Forum is set to run from February 22-23 at the Expo Centre Sharjah.