New ECAC network of European communication specialists
5 October 2021 - Communication specialists from 25 Member States assembled online for the first meeting of the ECAC Network of Communication Specialists (NETCOM). Recognising the diversity of communication practices throughout the Member States, this new group aims at fostering good cooperation between States to improve the effectiveness of their communication by sharing experiences and best practices in the field of communication for aviation.
For this first meeting, the ECAC Secretariat presented the proposed 2022 work programme, draft Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedure of the network, as well as the key messages ECAC wishes to convey to its audience in line with the May 2021 edition of ECAC’s Strategy for the Future. Suggestions proposed by the participants were noted and will be presented in revised versions to Directors General for approval at the end of the year.
A key feature of the meeting was the open discussion and exchange of experience among the participants. Issues addressed included practices in the use of social media, the role of communication in an organisation, media relations, and training needs for communications specialists. The group agreed on key topics they would be interested to focus on at future meetings, such as sharing experience around the post-COVID aviation recovery, intercultural communication, internal communication, and assessing case studies designed to prompt discussion.
The meeting was met with an enthusiastic response from the participants. The next meeting is scheduled to be held in spring 2022. In the meantime, the members of NETCOM will be able to continue their exchange of information through the dedicated communication pages on the ECAC website.
Member States interested in joining the network are encouraged to contact the ECAC Secretariat: swist(at)ecac-ceac.org.