feiea_annual_report_2008_web.pdf

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FEIEA Academy
In its Academy series, FEIEA explores themes of interest to
business communicators from across Europe, who come to
the Academy to share perspectives, ideas and experiences.
2007 LONdON
The 2007 FEIEA Academy conference took place in the Council
Chamber of Westminster City Council in London. Speakers
considered the theme ‘culture, codes and filters’, exploring
the cultural and cognitive layers that shape how people and
organisations communicate. Local, national and corporate
cultures can each play a role in communication and convey
meaning to the audience. Whether or not the perceived
meaning is the one we intended will depend on how much
understanding we have of these hidden layers of influence and
how effectively we can work through them.
After an opening address by Bill Quirke, foremost authority in
the UK on internal communication, delegates heard from Ian
Dalton, director responsible for communications at European
financial settlement house Euroclear. Ian gave an honest
assessment of Euroclear’s experience of communicating across
national cultural boundaries. Doris Ladewig of Austrian Erste
Bank outlined the complexities involved in keeping a multinational
IT workforce engaged across the central-eastern
European and Balkan region. Mark Watkins and Josef Goetz
described the cultural factors at play in a merger between
Danish pharmaceutical company Nycomed and Germany’s
ALTANA Pharma. People in Business consultant Jenny Davenport
considered the cognitive factors involved in receiving and
Culture: Bill Quirke, FEIEA Academy, London
FEIEA The Report 2007-08
interpreting messages. Woven between the main sessions were
short ‘Meet the Winners’ presentations from FEIEA Grand Prix
award-winners. Feedback from delegates and speakers alike was
excellent.
2008 - REGENSdORF
The following year, early publicity suggested Munich would be
the intended location for the 2008 Academy. However, by the
summer, it became clear that the German national association
would be unable to host the event, so an alternative had to be
found. Thanks to FEIEA President Daniel Ambühl and also to the
co-operation of the Swiss association, Svik, the Academy was
diverted to Regensdorf, just outside Zurich, where it took place
within cool, ultra-modern surroundings at multimedia company
Habegger AG at the end of October.