United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Apr 2013
InterWorks facilitated, along with the UNHCR Global Learning Centre and FSS, a workshop on Communicating Security Strategies (CSS) for UNHCR field safety staff. The workshop was held in Budapest, Hungary from 15-19 April 2013. The workshop was attended by UNHCR field safety staff, including Regional Field Safety Advisors, Field Safety Advisors and Field Safety Associates.
The four and a half day workshop for field safety staff primarily focused on Communication Skills with the principal objective of improving FSAs’ skills to enable them to more effectively influence managers and others to act on their recommendations. The workshop was designed with an emphasis on practicing various communication skills: active listening, negotiation and influence. Participants had multiple opportunities to practice each of these skills during the workshop sessions. In addition the workshop included a final synthesis exercise where participants had to make a set of security recommendations and persuade the “Representative” to accept their final recommendations. During the exercise, teams met with a variety of role players and were confronted with communication challenges.
The workshop also included presentations that offered different perspectives related to communications: the FSAs’ role in establishing a culture of security; how Representatives view FSAs and how FSAs can be more effective in gaining respect and influencing colleagues; and decision making within crisis situations.
Offered very useful tips in influencing decision makers and fantastic presentation.
– Workshop participant