Sharjah24: The International Government Communication Forum (IGCF) 2022 hosted more than 250 youth, university students and directors of several government entities across Sharjah, in a series of workshops and events that precedes the 11th edition of the event which will take place on September 28 and 29, 2022.
The preliminary events, organised by the International Government Communication Centre (IGCC), an affiliate of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), comprises 11 workshops that will be concluded on the eve of the form, September 27, 2022.
The intensive programme aims to provide the participants with the necessary skills to manage the government communication process using high-end technologies, especially during emergencies and crises. Key topics include the management of community issues, harnessing infographics, AI and metaverse in Government Communication, to name a few.
COMMS programme
The pre-forum activities started with the COMMS programme which was launched on September 19, 2022 and will conclude on September 22, 2022. Seeking to hone the vocational skills of employees in the government communication sector and fresh communication graduates, the programme comprises six engaging hands-on workshops in three key pillars, ethics and professional regulations, communication practices, and technology.
The programme featured a workshop themed ‘Government Communication and the Management of Community Issues’ that was conducted by Dr. Ahmed Farouk, ‘Employing Infographics for Government Communication’ presented by Dr. Mohammad Ayish, and ‘The Skills of Using Artificial Intelligence in Developing Social Media Content’ administered by Dr. Amr Abdelhamid.
The COMMS programme also included ‘Media of Metaverse: How to Create Creative Media Content in the Metaverse?’ conducted by Dr. Mohamed Abdulzaher, ‘The Skills of a Spokesperson in the Digital Environment’ with Dr. Rahima Aissani, and ‘Government Communication and Development of Media Relations’ with Dr. Shereen Mousa.
Communication Crisis Management
September 26 - 27 will see five more workshops that start with ‘Communication Crisis Management’ which offers engaging practical training on crisis management to help the participants develop their skills and nurture their confidence in order to handle key events. It will explore the nature of crises and discuss strategising crisis response.
Future Challenges Lab
For the first time in the Middle East, the Future Challenges Lab will be organised in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as part of the pre-forum activations. The focus will be on the relationship between AI and young generations, and their perception on voice-activated virtual assistant applications like Alexa and Siri. The participants will be introduced to the App Inventor technology and Alexa as an example of the Conversational Artificial Intelligence agents, and will learn the basics of coding Alexa.
On september 28, the judges will pick the winning team of the Best Challenge for the Future in Government Communication. The winning team will be announced and rewarded on the final day of the forum.
Universities challenge
To be held in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates University, the challenge attracts innovative and creative university students to compete in designing projects, initiatives and programmes that lead to multi-skill graduates who are qualified for the labour market, and the winners will be honoured.
Government Communication Department Workshop
The workshop offers all that is required to manage projects more efficiently and effectively. It depends on the analytical management approach rather than direct instructions. Moreover, it addresses management from a human and technical point of view to ensure the success of the project, which is the key objective of the project management.
The Art of Persuasion in Emergency Situations
This workshop offers a brainstorming platform for Sharjah’s public and government communication directors to discuss the best ways to pinpoint a crisis and mitigate its impact, the mechanisms and methods of effective persuasion.
The workshop also explores the language and discourse that should be utilised with the audience in line with the crisis phases, in addition to the art of sharing ideas in more appealing and persuasive ways using logic and reasoning.
For an optimal experience, please
