Florence Bocchi,
Mélanie Lim de Tapia,
Responsible for global communications at Worldwide Flight Services (WFS)
#Definition
What definition would you give to international communication?
Florence Bocchi: La communicating international means, above all, opening up to the world and working with the world. Communicating with multiple territories and therefore multiple cultures requires great curiosity as well as great humility. You have to know how to ignore stereotypes and have a thirst for discovery on a daily basis. It allows you to travel, not physically but intellectually. This is a particular area, in which exchanges on a global scale are regular, via numerous communication networks.
But communicating internationally means “communicating” above all else. You have to know who you are talking to and what message you want to deliver. More precisely, our role is to provide clear and concise information to our correspondents, in my case other communicators around the world, so that they are able to adapt each medium and each content to their territory and their culture while respecting the codes of the Brand, its history, its ambition. Ultimately, it is a work of appropriation, absolutely not top-down, but rather transversal, since the heart of our businesses remains exchange, the exchange of visions and expertise.
Mélanie Lim from Tapia: You perhaps imagine that international communication means traveling, especially at WFS, a company in the airline sector? Well no. I sometimes travel, depending on the missions entrusted to me, but the journey is not daily.
I join Florence, The most important thing in international communication, and even communication in general, is curiosity and open-mindedness. We must constantly ask ourselves the question of how our message is understood by different cultures and therefore different ways of thinking. Indeed, if there are several ways of expressing oneself, there are also several ways of understanding.
In other words, international communication is a fascinating profession, capable of adapting the same message to diverse audiences, who understand the world in a specific way.
Do you have to speak different languages to evolve in the world of international communication?
FB : Indeed, in our professions, mastery of English is important. But, the main thing remains to master your own language. Being a good communicator means first of all knowing how to perfectly express a message in your language. Subsequently, you will be able to surround yourself with professionals and experts, depending on your needs. So English yes, other languages yes, but above all an impeccable command of your native language!
M.LT : Yes, it is preferable to speak English, since at present it is the international language. However, depending on the position you occupy, your missions and your regular contacts, this practice can be implemented more or less. And even if you don't know English or other languages, I believe that there is always a way to make yourself understood, to successfully communicate and why not to progress. : )
# Achievements
Can you tell us about your pride: projects and achievements that have marked you?
Mr. LT : At WFS, we noticed a lack of alignment in the discourse and visual identity of external presentations, particularly from the sales teams, since everyone was basing themselves on the information they had available and on the latest PPT mockup that they they had. This sometimes gave an inconsistent or disparate image of the company, especially for clients with whom we worked in several countries or regions.
We have therefore created a centralized library of slideshows which highlight the group's strengths and present key information about our activities and our employees. Our teams can now use these different slides to develop their presentations. It was a long-term job, but one of real added value. The materials that we have developed, and which we continue to update regularly, mean that our teams now present a coherent message and image of the company, regardless of the country or region. And always with this aim of strengthening our message and our brand DNA, we have also carried out an overhaul of our website.
These communication projects required numerous international exchanges. We had to ensure that the content we made available to our employees was understandable and adapted to the different needs of the 27 countries in which we operate. Making a brand and the discourse of those who speak about it more legible means building a discourse that everyone can appropriate, in their own way and according to local specificities.
F.B : The major role of communication is to make a brand known, to reveal a brand to create a link or an emotion. It is with this desire that the communications department of Dassault Systèmes undertook a vast visibility project, because we are little known, or confused!
How are we present in people's lives? Through our actions in cities, in manufacturing industries and in the health sector. To make this a reality, we made a series of films such as “ What does Dassault Systèmes do? "Or" Dassault Systèmes in people's lives" These video campaigns were subsequently adapted to different communication channels and translated into numerous languages.
At the same time, we are leading the initiative “ The only progress in human » which I find fascinating. Our belief? Technological progress is only possible thanks to humans and to serve human progress. On this subject, you can imagine that each country has its own problems, its own technological and human challenges to overcome.
We communicate about this initiative through various activations and events. Promoting a brand internationally means working in collaboration, living a collective adventure. An attempt at communication only makes sense if it is thought of in co-construction, with coherence and adaptability.
#Time for debate
Why did you choose this sector of international COM? Tell us about your motivations and your background!
FB : Above all, meetings! I had the opportunity to work in several communication sectors, and each of my career transitions has been guided by an encounter, which gave rise to a desire and an opportunity. I followed my instinct, followed a person, convinced that each experience would bring me something. Finally, today, in the strategic communications of an international group, I truly feel in the right place, with the right people.
It is essential to always stay focused on what drives us, while remaining open to others and to what is being done elsewhere. To progress in communication, we must have a taste for collective challenge and seize the opportunities offered to us or create them!
Mr. LT : To tell the truth, I didn't really choose international communication, it was rather international communication that chose me. 🙂
I was born and raised in Australia. After studying communication and commerce, notably at Sciences Po Paris, I worked at the Franco-Australian Chamber of Commerce in Melbourne a few years, before joining a French company, still in Melbourne. At the time, my missions were not international, but rather national or even local, since I worked for the city's tram network.
It was then that I wanted to continue the adventure of communication with an experience abroad. Work visa in hand, I returned to France to try my luck. After experience in international communications at Keolis, a subsidiary of SNCF, I joined the WFS group.
Ultimately, I was not predestined for international communication. It was curiosity and the desire to discover the world that led me to her.
What does a typical day look like in international communications?
Mr. LT : A typical day? It does not exist. My schedule varies from one day to the next depending on company news and, more broadly, company news. What contract was signed? What innovation was launched? What crisis should we manage?
Generally speaking, I spend most of my time interacting with our colleagues based abroad – to assess their needs and develop appropriate campaigns – and writing content: LinkedIn posts, presentations, etc.
F.B: Indeed, in communication there is no such thing as a typical day. My role consists of supporting Dassault Systèmes and its international strategy. For that, I oscillate between short time and long time.
On the one hand, great opportunities lie in On the short-term side, I respond to various requests from managers, teams and the network. I produce assets which facilitate the transmission of the right information. It is, in a way, project management, the results of which must be visible on time.
On the other hand, the long time concerns more monitoring and decryption. Supporting a company means providing it with a medium-term vision of the world. You have to stay curious about what other brands, other sectors of activity are doing, you have to stay informed about new trends, study the groundswells, etc.
Florence, what do you think international communication will look like in the future?
F.B: It is certain that in 3 years, we will no longer work in the same way. Moreover, we must constantly question ourselves about the constant changes in our professions. A communicator must be curious about everything, all the time, to remain effective. And this is why this profession is fascinating and allows for enrichment every day.
Also, never forget that nothing is acquired. Remain sensitive to developments in society and communication techniques. We are not naturally equipped to communicate, we have to train and retrain regularly.
Mélanie, do you have any advice to give to future communicators who read you?
Mr. LT : Stay curious, it is the most important ! Be open to the world : to people, to different cultures, to new technologies… As much as possible, travel, whether physically or intellectually : literature, cinema… Curiosity allows you to think like others and therefore to adapt your message to others.
#Cultissime
Do you have any recommendations in terms of culture: legendary advertisements, literature, cinema, etc.?
F.B : The Apple brand is one to follow. It was yesterday, it is today and it will certainly be tomorrow. Their latest communication campaign is proof that an international company can communicate globally on its CSR commitments, while taking into account a multitude of issues and local diversity to speak to everyone.
On the French side, I particularly appreciate the “ Hexagonal » from the SNCF group released in 2021. It is already several years old, but remains so accurate. This film showcases the essence of this brand to perfection, it promotes internationally something that is fundamentally and typically French. And remains in the right tone over time.
Finally, I generally remain very sensitive to brand expressions. I am thinking in particular of the Zeiss brand advertisements which address its expertise and activities in a very interesting way.
Mr. LT : A communication campaign international particularly caught my attention: “ By Todos », an Argentinian spot for the Coca-Cola brand. This ad is brilliant, simple in its execution but so powerful in its message. Many other versions and translations have been made since, but the original version remains the reference for me.