Tag: communication

hybrid events

Reflecting on principles for hybrid events

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On 07/04/2022

In In English

In March 2020, we had to change how we used to work. So, adaptation, strength, and flexibility have been the three keywords of the last two years.

As staff of a global Christian organisation, we discovered that the online environment provides an incredible range of opportunities to reach members of our fellowship. We also learned that not being physically present in conflict situations can make vulnerable communities even more vulnerable. Yet, working physically, online, and now hybrid, we are still a church organisation where accompaniment and closeness are parts of our identity.

Going slowly towards the new “normal”, we can now plan hybrid events where it’s possible to have human encounters again. The main risk is to ignore the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic and forget that we have two layers of participation when deciding to organise a hybrid event.

Before planning a hybrid event, it’s also important to know what hybrid events are not. The biggest misconception of hybrid events is that they are simply events that are streamed live to an online audience. “A true hybrid event utilises technology to bring online audiences into an event experience – so online audiences and live participants experience the same event similarly.”

So, what are the three primary steps to remember:

  1. GIVE PREFERENCE TO THE ONLINE AUDIENCE: Camera position, sound setup, and the overall content should express closeness towards those not physically present. At hybrid events, online viewers participate in the event the same way live attendees do. That means participating in Q&A sessions, interacting with speakers, and engaging with fellow attendees.
  2. UNDERSTAND THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES: Hybrid events bring many more technical challenges than online events. In addition to good cameras, microphones, trained staff and a strong internet connection, organisers must enable a space where online attendees don’t simply become viewers of a physical conference.
  3. HAVE A BRIDGE BUILDER – To shorten the gap between physical and online attendance, it’s also good to have a co-moderator or an assistant who joins the hybrid event online. They will be able to oversee and communicate potential issues from the online environment and motivate online participants to take part in the discussion. 

Hybrid events present a new space to navigate. As we have learnt on moving from physical to only online events, every change needs time, patience, and flexibility. We should also accept that we will make lots of mistakes. But without forgetting the importance of keeping the pastoral approach, where the technical solutions are tools to express accompaniment, closeness, and the inclusiveness of everything we do.

unprecedented time

Innovation in an unprecedented time

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On 13/11/2020

In In English

When we hear “innovation”, it’s uncommon to associate the word with the religious environment. Yet, after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, every organisation was forced to look at new ways to function. Those who didn’t move fast enough struggle to survive in this unprecedented time.

The challenge of giving visibility to the work of a global organisation that has the mandate to go and physically meet people and communities around the world seemed gigantic for our communication department at the World Council of Churches (WCC).

One question resonated all the time in my heart: How do we continue to offer a platform for encounters in times of pandemic, when we can’t physically meet? 

Since early April, I’ve been dealing with dozens of online events that we started producing to give visibility to the work of WCC. As soon as my colleagues began to voice their needs concerning these online events, I realised that we needed to find technical solutions that would match the requirements. But where to start?

A lot of time spent on research and I started to look at videos of those who are the biggest users of live stream services: gamers.  I’ve watched hundreds of videos to understand which tools they use, how is the setup, the technical needs and step by step I’ve developed a concept that could potentially work for WCC. 

After two months of test sessions and adjustments, I’ve finally managed to create a workflow that allowed our productions team to offer a range of solutions to the broad needs we have. 

What a joy when we provided all the technical support for a webinar with sign language interpretation, focusing on people with disabilities! As I shared with my colleagues, that was “the best example of the type of connection webinars can create”. It became a “space for encounter”.

The challenge we now have is to stay true to our identity, even with the growing demands for online events. However, the journey we went through this year has shown that this unprecedented time is an invitation to innovate, also for faith-based organisations. 

Can we save communication?

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On 18/01/2018

In In English

I vividly remember my arrival in Aceh, north of Sumatra island, Indonesia, only six months after the 2004 Tsunami that devastated entire communities in several countries. The inner silence was everything I had, while I was stepping on the ground of hundreds of destroyed houses. Here was a bathroom, there a kitchen. While newspapers all around the world talked about numbers of death, right there, with my feet on that land, I realised that we were talking about people.

That experience was a milestone for me and made me choose communication as my brush which I’ve been using to paint a more humane world, that puts people and nature at the center of political action. In these 13 years, people, neither money nor comfort or career, have been my mission. They are in my writings, in my photos, videos. I am not assuming that everyone should do the same, but I believe it’s my calling.

However, recent times have shown challenges that sometimes seem too hard to overcome. I’ve been noticing that even people of goodwill, when facing conflicts, have chosen violent methodologies to respond. Understanding, empathy and dialogue must be the tools to negotiate existence. And we should do that through our political actions using all our skills.

As a Christian communicator, I echo the words of Pope Francis who invites all faithful to be “bridges”: Promoting dialogue instead of enhancing division – within communities, with political leaders or in the global arena.

The primary challenge seems not to repeat the mainstream media, but to bring hope to the vulnerable communities and to the recipients of the information we share, using methodologies that promote cohesion. That is the only way we can be actors of positive change. That is a one-way road to fulfil my mission as a communicator and continue to work towards making societies a space for peaceful coexistence, besides our differences.

First of all, communication

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On 13/11/2015

In In English

As I said in my last post, convergence is a one-way road for journalism and journalists. Learning how to have a transversal approach through different tools is one of the main challenges in relation to communicating efficiently.

However, before talk about tools and those choices I have made in order to find a personal strategy to improve my communication skills, I would like to think over the meaning of communication and information. Without clarification of these two concepts the convergence may become a cacophonous confusion.

During college, many of my teachers tried to convince me about the importance of information. “You have the responsibility to inform, delivering only the facts, showing the both sides, impartially”, they said. But only during my Masters degree I understood that they tried to make me believe in half-truths.

Etymologically, information came from the latin word “informare” (to inform) in the sense of “to give form to the mind”, “to discipline”, “instruct”, or finally, “teach”. The main focus is delivery, transmit their own truth, top down . On the other hand, communication is derived from two Latin words ‘communis’ (noun) and ‘communicare’ (verb) which means commonality and to make common respectively. Communication goes beyond simply sharing information. It is focussed on the effort to make the information common, so as facts can be understandable for either the transmitter or its audience.

These two concepts are key when we aim to be true communicators. Rather to be concentrated on tools, self-assessment is essential challenge whether we have been communicative or not. Only then, we can talk about appropriate channels for delivering information.

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