The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines, the country chapter of the leading worldwide network of communication professionals, and COMCO School of Communications, the communication training and professional development arm of global award-winning communications group COMCO Mundo League of Enterprises, announce the qualifying teams for The Communications Olympiad.
This initiative is a communications training program and competition for collegiate students which aims to empower the next generation of communicators by equipping them with transformative knowledge with real-world applications. The Communications Olympiad provides a learning journey with practical exercises through an Olympiad-level competition for the participants to advance their skills as the next communications professionals.
Each team participated in the Qualifier Phase of the competition, where they formed teams of five and created position papers in line with the theme “Rewrite Climate Change.” The qualifiers will be part of The Communications Olympiad Training Camp where contenders will undergo rigorous training to fully equip them in the competition.
The first session, “Best Practices in Communications,” is designed to provide participants with essential skills to develop, implement, and manage successful communications campaigns, covering Elements of a Communications Plan, Writing 101 for Business Communications, CSR Communications, and a discussion on the IABC Rubrics.
The second session, “The Role of Communication in Environment Conservation,” aims to identify the pivotal contributions of communications in amplifying environmental conservation efforts. The session will cover Climate Change and Other Environment Concerns, Sustainability Practices Among Businesses, Environmental Communication, and Environmental Education.
Lastly, the third session, “Innovations in Communications,” will examine the different tools communicators can use to adapt to the ever-evolving industry. The session will cover New PR, Digital and Social Media, Responsible Use of AI, and Video Storytelling.
After going through the Training Camp, the teams will take part in a 24-hour hackathon challenge, where each team will be tasked to create a communications plan based on an actual case.
This challenge will determine the top 15 teams eligible to take their place in The Communications Olympiad Grand Championship.
Ferdinand L. Bondoy, Corporate Secretary and Lead for Youth and Education of IABC Philippines, as well as Group Chief Executive Director and Lead Counsel for Strategic Communications / Partner and Co-Founder of COMCO Mundo shared, “Being the best at what we do isn’t just about standing out but mostly about standing for something. To our Communication Olympians, showing excellence is to use your skills to uplift people and protect the planet, where success transforms into significance. Strive not just to win, but to make a difference.”
The Communications Olympiad is organized by IABC Philippines and the COMCO School of Communications, and sponsored by COMCO Mundo League of Enterprises, Globe Telecom Inc., Teleperformance Philippines, Jollibee Foods Corp., Personal Collection Direct Selling Inc., and Sony Philippines. Its official media partners include Malaya Business Insight, SEA Wave Pilipinas, SEAWaveMag.com, The Philippine STAR, and WhenInManila.com. The official student organization partners are the Arts and Sciences Society of English Majors from West Visayas State University, Kapunungan sa mga Mass Communicators – Silliman University, PLM Mass Communication Students’ League from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Team Communication from De La Salle University, University of the Philippines – Baguio On MIC, and the West Visayas State University Communication Student Council.