Connecting with the community around us is an important goal for us at VRG … bringing in lecturers from the “real world” is one way we achieve this goal.
Yesterday, we had the honor to welcome Chris Kinsville-Heyne from Hult University to our International Relations class. He spoke about leadership in times of crisis. Chris is a former Commissioned Officer from the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst.
Chris brings a wide variety of experiences to his academic life; as a British army officer, he led a Mobile News Team in the Former Yugoslavia in the last months of the civil war, providing images and reports seen by millions around the world, returning as the NATO Spokesman in Bosnia a short time later. As the Managing Director of C3i Strategic Solutions, he has taught several world leaders how to get their messages across to their audiences and how to create strategic messages for their country or organisation. He has been published in many professional journals for his insights on Crisis Communication & Crisis Management and is currently the EU-appointed Strategic Communications Advisor to the National Transitional Council in Libya.
Students appreciated this lecture. They had this to say about the experience:
“I extremely enjoyed this lecture. It was not only very interesting but it also made me really feel inspired. I loved the way Chris spoke, he had structure but could still go ’off-track’ with stories that were as if they were from a film. I could tell that I wasn’t the only one hooked on what he was saying. It also made me think about the importance of being a leader and qualities that you can adapt and develop in your everyday life for example listening and talking skills”. // Rebecca
“I thought it was a great lecture! … Foremost I was interested when he brought in some psychology, the impact of our vision and what that can tell you about another person. … Being able to hear more about leadership in “real life” from a successful businessman that has multiple professions under his belt was a real privilege!” // Jacqueline
“… It was one of the most giving lessons I have had during my time at VRG. … especially about different essential leadership skills. I will definitely take with me the “reevaluation questions” presented, the importance of knowledge about current events and “slow thinking into quick doing”. But most of all, I was inspired to become a great leader.” //Lovisa
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