Media & EU Policy Comms Professional w/ Business Development Experience | Senior B2B Advisor @Euractiv | Alumna @Belgium's 40 under 40 | Board Member @Restless Brussels
???????? ?????? ???????? ???????????????? ???????? ?????????? ???????????????? ???????? ??????????? A big part of my job is talking to PA and policy comms professionals from associations, corporates and consultancies, supporting their visibility activities through various tools and channels. (Full transparency: Euractiv’s media solutions are usually at the top of that list! ?? ) But these conversations aren’t just about visibility tools. I also try to challenge them—to rethink how they run their operations, lead their teams, and approach communications. In essence, I aim to help them innovate. That’s why I love staying up-to-date with trends in comms, journalism, as well as new ways of learning. Lately, gamified methods have been so helpful with my learning journey starting from my Duolingo obsession. ?? Although I’ve been familiar with games—especially video games—since childhood (and even shared part of my life with a professional game designer), I’ve never been an avid player myself. Probably my overly competitive side played a role—losing wasn’t something I could easily handle in the past. (Don’t judge me, things are different now ??) Still, I’ve developed a real appreciation for gamified tools that challenge thinking and boost creativity, and I’m way more eager to integrate them into my professional life. Last year, I had the opportunity to take part in a workshop organised by Mark Young and Philippe Gruca in Athens—thanks to Stiftung Mercator GmbH's Turkiye Europe Future Forum—and got a glimpse of how games can transform the way we negotiate. You can check Rational Games Inc for more. And earlier this week, I was delighted to have been invited to participate in a workshop co-organised by ESAE - European Society of Association Executives and the Wonderful Copenhagen. Via the LEGO? Serious Play? facilitation methodology, we played all afternoon with LEGO pieces and thought about how associations can redesign their partnerships with destinations. But the challenges we tackled during the workshop went beyond that—we touched upon every corner of association management: from rethinking business models to improving internal communication, building trust at all levels, and enhancing the capacity of cities hosting large events. Not only did I learn so much about the dynamics between associations and destinations, but I also challenged myself to think differently. I was fascinated by the creative models my workshop mates including Bettina Reventlow-Mourier, Elysia Blake, Fanny Senez, and Ioannis Pallas came up with during the sessions. A special thank you to ESAE and Association By Design for the invitation and our facilitators, Robert Rasmussen, Stylianos Filopoulos and Dominik Rinnhofer , for guiding us through the journey! If you’re curious about this experience, I can’t recommend it enough. And if you’d like to hear more about what else I took away from the workshop, you know where to find me. ??
Thank you so much for joining the workshop, G?k?en. It was great to share ideas, thoughts and perspectives around the redesign of partnerships between associations and destinations when it comes to congresses and events. We look forward to sharing the reflections and debate outcomes in the report that follows. ??
How wonderful ?? My friend Olga in Paris made an adaptation of Lego @ Serious Play also for refugees and other migrants to create a viable strategy of re-building their lives. She shared that she was surprised how powerful it was. Families she did this game with became more hopeful, ready to take concrete steps ??
Dear G?k?en, thank you so much for joining. It is great to have people like you that keeps on challenging the habitual way of doing things. The "Brussels bubble" loves to put rules for the game, but seldom ever plays. I think especially now, we need more than ever , inclusive, intellectually stimulating, creative ways, to actively listen, talk and reflect.
It was a pleasure having you play with us G?k?en ?al??kan! Thank you for contributing your creativity as we are experimenting with new ways to cocreate with #Association professionals!
Thanks for the shoutout! I am indeed a certified trainer for Lego Serious Play a fairly fascinating method of using nonverbal parts of the brain to strategize and visualize results. Much recommended!
Amazing! I love Lego Serious Play ;-) It goes so much deeper than simply talking about things.
Thank you for sharing your creativity with our #Associations Community G?k?en!
Legos are some of the best educational tools and toys. I credit them with a personal love for designing - even if it was directed at organizations and not tools and products. I will check out Serious Play. On a fun note, one of the best gifts ever given to me was the Star Wars Lego Star Destroyer. While certainly no peacemaker, it did give me 4 peaceful vacation days of lego building. Giving that space to yourself can be as valuable as designing with purpose.