Government Communication Forum Held under the Patronage of Ruler of Sharjah "Dr. Al-Sharif Tackles the Role and Skills of Government Official Spokesman"

SHARJAH-----March 13, 2012----- HH Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated the first edition of the Government Communication Forum held with the participation of more than 600 regional and global media specialists.

Organized by Sharjah Media Centre, the event aimed to develop the region’s government communication standards against global best practices and examine ways for infusing fresh methodologies into the communication mechanism among government departments in the Arab region.

Dr. Nabil Al-Sharif, executive director of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Language Academy and former Minister of Media Affairs and Jordanian government spokesman tackled the role and skills of official spokesman of government establishments saying:"Government procedures and actions are the basis for forming its image in front of the public. The spokesman is able to create a more positive picture through his professional clarification and also a negative one through his unprofessional approach or his complete absence.”

The former ambassador of Jordan to Morocco added:"The spokesman is also a partner in sharing the responsibility, as he has the information and knowledge and able to present it in a clear way. Therefore, government officials should understand that they have to provide information to the spokesman because he has the ability to present it in a very professional and convincing way."

According to Al-Sharif, a spokesman should bear the challenges he faces from the ministerial team as he is always a target of skepticism inside the cabinet due to his strong relation with the media. There is no doubt that he is able to overcome these challenges with his professional approach. A spokesman should avoid saying "I don’t know" to the media as this will reflect negatively on his professionalism implying that he is absent from decision making.

Al- Sharif said:" The role of the spokesman increases during crisis especially when journalists try hard to take an official response."

According to Al-Sharif, the spokesman should have skills and be well informed of the historical development of a certain event in order to face the questions of journalists, stressing that a successful spokesman is the one who fights rumors by providing full and accurate information.