Press release

GLOBSEC Helps Civil Society to Sharpen Communication

08.10.2018

Are you selling a trendy sports car to a buyer from the 15th century? Do you need to create  a promotional video in no more than 30 minutes? What’s the best way to connect with more than 20 communication professionals from across Europe?

The answers to these questions and more were outlined at two recent training sessions organised by GLOBSEC’s Strategic Communication Programme in Bratislava and Skopje.

More than 20 professionals from civil society organisations (CSOs) in both  regions spent two intensive days increasing their knowledge and skills in digital communication under the tutelage  of the following experts:

  • Olga Chyzhova, Communications Directors, Ukrainian Prism
  • Mark Pfeifle, President and CEO, Off the Record Strategies
  • Francisak Viacorka, Creative Director, RFE/RL’s Belarusian Service

In doing so,  representatives from eight countries received a unique opportunity to improve their communications skills in  areas that they  identified. The agenda was  based on  research  involving the  participating organisations, which enabled GLOBSEC  to create a  programme that directly responded to their immediate needs. As a result, the course offered a balanced combination of lectures and practical hands-on workshops with smaller groups of participants.

What did we learn?

Some of the highlights:

  • Your consumer needs to see your message 7 times before he or she notices it.
  • The first few hours after publishing online are the most important, so follow them closely.
  • If your post does not work, let it die and do not spend money on boosting it anymore.
  • Interactions and time spent on your content are now more important than page likes.
  • Video cross-posting offers a wider reach and more visibility.

Overall, the participants had the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of new digital trends, learn how to build a communication strategy, how to target the right audience on social media, build online communities, and  visualise their outputs in a quick and visually appealing way.

The training courses  were organised in cooperation with the Digital Communication Network and the financial support of the U.S. State Department.

Here are some images from what proved to be a fruitful two days.