Communications expert Dan Wall from Firelight Communications in Nelson will be leading workshops for small and medium-sized businesses in the Cariboo this month. Submitted photo

Communications expert Dan Wall from Firelight Communications in Nelson will be leading workshops for small and medium-sized businesses in the Cariboo this month. Submitted photo

Communication for Small Business Success workshop set for Oct. 25 in Quesnel

Free seminar to help local businesses craft key messages, engage with target market

Community Futures in the Cariboo is running more free seminar sessions for small businesses in the region.

After completing the human resources workshops recently with expert John Singleton, Community Futures Cariboo Chilcotin is bringing in expert Dan Wall from Firelight Communications in Nelson to lead a new session of seminars on Communication for Small Business Success.

The workshops will take place in Quesnel, Williams Lake, 100 Mile House and Ashcroft.

The interactive session will take attendees through a communications planning process. By the end, participants will have a better idea of how to identify and craft key messages; engage with target markets; write web content, social media posts and news releases that get attention; draft quotable quotes; and identify relevant media outlets, both print and online.

“You need to figure out what your key messages are before deciding whether it’s a Facebook post or a press release or an ad,” explains Wall in the Community Futures press release.

Wall, a communications professional with 20 years’ experience, has worked across Canada with Crown corporations, municipal governments, non-profits, the tourism industry, and the arts and culture sector. He has a B.A. (Honours) in English from the University of British Columbia and a Diploma in Public Relations from the University of Victoria. He’s had more than 170 articles and photos published in newspapers and magazines across Canada as a freelance writer, written hundreds of news releases, profiles and articles for organizations in four provinces, coached people to talk to local, national and international media, and written speeches for CEOs and board chairs among others.

With that wealth of experience, it’s safe to say he’s the right man to bring these skills to local businesses.

“Most people already know what their key messages are, they just haven’t had the opportunity to articulate them properly,” says Wall.

The half-day communications workshop is part of a series of professional development workshops and training opportunities being organized by Community Futures Cariboo Chilcotin, North Cariboo and Sun Country for small and medium-sized businesses in the region. The workshop is also open to not-for-profit organizations.

The session is free, thanks to funding from Western Economic Diversification.

For more information or to register online, visit www.cfwildfire.ca and click the ‘workshops’ tab. Quesnel’s seminar will take place Thursday Oct. 25 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Community Futures office, 335A Vaughan Street. You can also register by calling 250-992-2322.


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