From 9 am this Thursday the 6th of October, the optimistic and benevolent atmosphere of the EVE seminar was in full swing at the first workshops of the day.

Gathered in small working groups, EVEsians were introduced to centered leadership, non-violent communication, mindfulness, the ACT movement, theatrical improvisation, singing, the art and science of negotiation, non-verbal communication, the MBTI approach as well as exposing decision-making biases and ‘get a kick out of something’ at least 3 times a day workshops.

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Fabienne Dulac & Brigitte Liberman, leaders testimony

At the Grange au Lac, two great leaders, Fabienne Dulac (member of the Executive Committee at Orange) and Brigitte Liberman, took part in the ‘role model testimony’ exercise where they shared their experiences, expressed their vision and gave their valuable advice for those aspiring to  achieve a stimulating and balanced professional life.

Q&A  with Franck Riboud

The EVE stage was also the scene of an invigorating question/answer session with Franck Riboud, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Danone. With a frank and honest demeanour, the executive voiced his strong beliefs on the productive mix of constructive friction and a leadership that he conceives as open and guided by attentiveness and emotions.

 

Marianne Sébastien : voices of change

Marianne Sébastien, President of the NGO ‘Voix Libres’ who has made singing an empowerment tool for voiceless populations in Bolivia, primarily women and children, embarked on a challenge of transforming the stands of the Grange into an immense choir that launches into a canon of ‘Dare to be yourself to be able to act, to change the world.’ A moment of grace.

 

Positive leadership with Guila Clara Kessous

The day ended with two exciting plenaries. First, that of Guila Clara Kessous, dedicated to positive leadership. With her infectious energy, Guila Clara presented the principles of management that rely on the assessment of what works (rather than the criticism of what doesn’t), an openness to different points of view and the constant questioning of the models and software in place.

 

How Wing Chu can make you a better negociator, by Jean-Edouard Grésy

After Guila Clara, the facetious Jean-Edouard Grésy, who likes to define himself as a ‘shouting match professional’ (but let’s not forget that he is also a researcher in legal anthropology and an expert in mediation, negotiation and conflict management) presented pertinent ‘rules of conduct’ from the teachings of Wing Chun to achieve more intelligent and more peaceful interpersonal relationships, even relationships that are initially complex.

 

And now, let’s dance & network!

As we wrap up this article, the EVEians are making the most of a downtime before tonight’s main event – ‘Dance & Network’… Which company will win this year’s accolade for the most committed seminarians on the dance floor? Results first thing tomorrow morning on our Twitter feed!

 

Marie Donzel.

Translation : Tammy Hassain

Photos from the second day of EVE International 2016