The objective of the workshop Training of Trainers on writing English correspondence and reports in a peacekeeping mission, which took place in the Integrated Mission Training Centre (IMTC) in Log Base, MINUSTAH (Port-au-Prince), was to become more familiar with the uses of each type of written communication in the United Nations. It included several sections on editorial conventions related to abbreviations, capitalization, editing tips or spelling
Port-au-Prince, Haiti: On February 2012, three UNV Training Officers from the Integrated Mission Training Centre of The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), together with the United Nations Language and Communications Programme (UNLCP) which serves the UN community in New York, organized the Training of Trainers on writing English correspondence and reports in a peacekeeping mission.
The objective of this workshop, which took place in the Integrated Mission Training Centre (IMTC) in Log Base, MINUSTAH (Port-au-Prince) was to become more familiar with the uses of each type of written communication in the United Nations. It included several sections on editorial conventions related to abbreviations, capitalization, editing tips or spelling.
Once the training was over, the participants had to pair off and carry out these workshops for various sections and locations in Haiti or the Dominican Republic.
Martin Oghogho, a participant from Liberia and UNV Regional Coordinator of the Centre for Information Technology Service (CITS) in Léogane, was pleased to share that the training was quite interesting. “It is of course going to be part of me and I intend to spread that knowledge in quite an exciting way,” he said. “I especially liked the feedback sessions and video recordings of our presentations, where we could clearly view our performances in order to make improvements.”
“It is a great chance to learn, not only from the training but from the other colleagues too. It is not a matter of scientific knowledge but it is something related to the management of human resources,” says Edgardo Alemán, from Uruguay, UNV Liaison Officer, and Support Officer in Santo Domingo. “Sharing different points of view and experiences made us more and more rich, as trainers but mainly as persons.”
Another participant of the workshop, Jasmine Edmorin, from Haiti, UNV Administrative Assistant and Support Officer in Port-au-Prince states: “This will help me to improve my writing skills and also overcome my shyness. It was not only a training but an occasion to discover another side of the UN Volunteers. They were full of enthusiasm with a very good fellowship among all of us,” she affirms. “I thank the UNV Support Team for giving me this great opportunity to participate in this training. I can’t wait to go in the field to give out everything I have learnt.”
To sum up, one of the phrases that participants will surely remember is that “the most valuable of talents is never using two words when one will do” (Thomas Jefferson).
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Bio: Pierre Pinat (France) is a UNV Training Officer for IMTC Section in MINUSTAH (Port-au-Prince) since April 2009. He works in all regions of Haiti and conduct trainings such as IT, English writing courses and interview skills for all the staff from MINUSTAH and UN agencies. Pierre speaks English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Haitian Creole. He was a UNV (Training Officer) in Liberia from January 2005 to August 2007.