Bahrain to organise workshop for Shura Council members

Bahrain Institute for Political Development (BIPD) will organise a two-day workshop titled "Skills for Dealing with the Media" on Monday, May 18-19 2015.

The workshop is the first of a series of Workshops of the "Parliamentary Skills" Programme targeting Members of the Shura Council in Order to develop their Skills for Dealing with the Media.

The move comes within the framework of activating the joint cooperation agreement between the Shura Council and the Bahrain Institute for Political Development (BIPD) whereby the latter is aiming to hone the legal and political culture skills of the members of the Shura Council and enable them to fulfill their legislative duties to the fullest.

The workshop, to be secured by Ahmed Ouda, Media Adviser and Corporate Communications and Public Relations Expert, aims to deepen the understanding of media and its tools, and to define the rules and regulations governing ways of dealing with the media.

It aims to equip the members of the Shura Council with an array of media skills such as good preparation for interviews, appearance in the media, the needed interpersonal skills to talk and deal with TV, radio and the press, and how to deliver a persuasive discourse to convey the message.

The workshop also aims to introduce the various fundamentals and methods of interviews, professional time management of interviews, basic rules of language, voice and body language use during the interview and how to use them in getting the message through.

On this occasion, His Excellency Mr. Abdul Jalil Ibrahim Al-Tarif, the Secretary-General of the Shura Council, expressed his pride and appreciation of the BIPD continued efforts to support the parliamentary process in the Kingdom and achieve the objectives of the reform project of His Majesty the King.

He also lauded the role of the Institute as a national institution that has gained experience and good reputation in providing support, awareness and training on political development through programs and events capable of keeping the recipients abreast of the requirements of the democratic process in the Kingdom of Bahrain in the light of the ongoing development.

Al-Tarif stressed the keenness of the Secretariat General to provide quality programs that aim to strengthen the legal and political culture, and cover all the cognitive aspects and skills necessary for the members of the legislative authority so as to enable them to carry out their responsibilities, pointing out the importance of the "parliamentary skills" program in supporting the Secretariat's efforts to improve the parliamentary work.

For his part, H.E Dr. Yaser bin Ismail Al Alawi, The BIPD Executive Director, has confirmed the Institute’s commitment to making all possible effort to cement cooperation with all state institutions and all segments of society in Bahrain in order to strengthen the democratic process in line with the reform project of His Majesty the King, and to strengthen the pillars of the parliamentary process to help them undertake their responsibilities and perform their tasks successfully.

Al Alawi noted the keenness of the BIPD to cooperate with the best accredited training institutions to provide a workshop on "Skills for Dealing with the Media", institutions that have contributed to the rehabilitation and training of hundreds of leaders in both official and non official sectors in many Gulf and Arab countries, teaching them the proper way of dealing with the media.

He described these specialized workshops as a real opportunity for the Shura Council members to acquire professional skills in dealing with the various media, through concerted practical application and training.

It is noteworthy that the workshop will be conducted by adviser Ahmed Ouda, an expert of Corporate Communications and Public Relations and founder and CEO of Turjuman Company for Corporate Communications, a company operating in the Arab Gulf States and Jordan.

He is also Director of the Programs of the British Royal Institute for Public Relations in the United Arab Emirates, the oldest of its kind in the world in the field of communications and public relations as its foundation dates back to 1948. Mr. Ouda also serves as Director of the Programs of the British Academy for Public Relations in the Arab region, in addition to being an expert and a certified trainer in the field of public relations as well.

The Bahrain Institute for Political Development (BIPD) is a national institute aiming primarily to disseminate the culture of democracy and support and establish the concept of sound democratic principles.

BIPD was established by Decree No. (39) for the year 2005 and is working to raise the level of political and developmental awareness, promote the political process in the Kingdom of Bahrain, increase knowledge among all members of the community and make them aware of the political work and their rights and duties, guaranteed by the Constitution and organized by relevant legislation.