Yup, it’s time to sign up for the winter term of Flow School – and this term, our talented teachers are taking us through facts and figures, infographics, trends and research around social media.
Flow School courses are aimed at helping corporate executives and businesspeople (and also Flowstars) to develop more skills. Programmes are run by a small group of passionate Flowstars, who have many years’ experience in communications, design, programming and training.
The social networking space is vast, with trends quickly picking up and challenging the way we conduct business or even our personal lives. One of Flow’s most successful courses to date is our Introduction to Social Networking and Getting You Tweeting on Twitter.
This term’s focus is specifically on social networking.
These are the classes:
- 12 June – A measurable medium: how to use the facts and figures that are available with social networks
- 19 June – Trends 1: what’s growing and receding, what is changing in the social media space, how we ride the tide and what is good advice to offer clients
- 26 June – Trends 2: a repeat of the previous week’s course
- 3 July – Infographics 1: a bit of a history, what works and what doesn’t, what purpose infographics can (and cannot) serve, and why designing good ones takes time
- 10 July – Infographics 2: practical workshop – creating infographics. Warning: this class will involve some drawing (stick-figure level only!)
- 17 July – Beyond the blog: looking at innovations in content and design of the next generation of blogs, and other content forms on the Internet
- 24 July – Research: how good research can benefit Flow and our clients. How to approach research, and some good places to look
Flow Exhibitions CEO Janet Berger, who facilitates the programmes, says: “The social networking space is incredibly dynamic, demanding and diverse, so we decided to dedicate a whole term to this topic. The classes engage with the subject matter from all angles and will hopefully make us all more informed, motivated and inspired. We have a few new ‘teachers’ this term, as we firmly believe that training is one of the best ways of becoming trained oneself.”
Janet warns that her infographics class will require a few drawings (nothing too hectic, though). She shares the topic with senior graphic designer Johan Sadie.
Of the course, she says: “Graphic design is often a form of visual shorthand, where lots of information gets condensed into one or two visual cues. Nowhere is this more the case than in the infographic, where a mass of data has to be turned into a visual soundbite. To see just how challenging this task is, we are going to have a workshop where we tackle some meaty topics, learn some processes and have a go at drawing solutions. This class is for everyone as the challenge is not necessarily a design one – more an application of logic, creativity and clarity.”
The project managers will be teaching us about trends and the importance of “riding the tide”.
“We’re all very passionate about the social media space. It’s important to stay ahead, and looking at trends is a huge way in which business can benefit from the social media space,” says project manager Gail Cameron.
Online writer and media developer Stuart Buchanan will be looking at innovations in content and design of the next generation of blogs, and other content forms on the Internet.
“I’m one of the new people in the line-up, and thus a little nervous, but the experience of sharing what I know with my colleagues will hopefully be a rewarding one, too,” he says.
“I think it’s a great thing that Flow spends time and effort upskilling its staff – not only is it important for the company to stay ahead of the curve, but it shows value in the people you hire, too. We all come from different industries and there’s a lot to learn from within the building. “
Don’t miss out on Flow School this winter – sign up for as many classes as you can today!
Please contact Janet for enquiries or bookings.