U.S. Army Capt. Mike Arcovitch, commander, and Sgt. Public Affairs Specialist Gloria Kamencik, both of the Vermont National Guard’s 172nd Public Affairs Detachment, conducted a crisis communications workshop at the Army Home in Skopje, North Macedonia, from 8-10 February 2022.
The Vermont National Guard and North Macedonia are part of the State Partnership Program and have trained and learned from each other since 1993.
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SKOPJE, North Macedonia – Soldiers from the Vermont National Guard conducted a crisis communications workshop Feb. 8-10 at the Army Home in Skopje, North Macedonia.
“Crisis communication is about responding quickly with as much information as possible, as often as possible,” said U.S. Army Capt. Mike Arcovitch, public affairs officer for the Vermont National Guard. “A major challenge of crisis communications is knowing what is and what is not publishable public information.”
The three-day workshop focused not only on crisis communication, but also on some basics of US military public affairs, public speaking, strategic communication, and some examples of crisis response. One of the main takeaways was attendance, planning and practice.
“Presence means imposing oneself on specific audiences. The first step to being an effective communicator is building and maintaining relationships with a variety of audiences,” Arcovitch said. “Trust is of paramount importance when you need to deliver information quickly – or anytime for that matter. The rules and culture are different in North Macedonia, but the importance of having an established and trusted presence remains critically important,”
U.S. Army Capt. Mikel Arcovitch, commander of the 172nd Public Affairs Detachment, Vermont Army National Guard, conducts a crisis communications workshop at the Army Home in Skopje, North Macedonia, Feb. 2021. This workshop focused on interagency cooperation and strategic communication.
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U.S. Army Capt. Mikel Arcovitch, commander of the 172nd Public Affairs Detachment, Vermont Army National Guard, conducts a crisis communications workshop at the Army Home in Skopje, North Macedonia, Feb. 2021. This workshop focused on interagency cooperation and strategic communication.
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Various civil organizations and the army of the Republic of North Macedonia were present. The workshop also touched on inter-agency cooperation and looked at examples in Vermont where multiple agencies had to work together to accomplish a variety of communication efforts while working together seamlessly. Inter-agency cooperation is an important factor for successful crisis communication.
“It was great having Mike here to share his experiences from Vermont and talk about what they’re doing,” said Gavro Markoski, a civilian public affairs professional from Skopje. “Gloria did a great job asking us questions like a reporter and filming us. All in all, it was very pleasant and helpful.
It was another successful event utilizing the close relationship between the Vermont National Guard and North Macedonia. The Vermont National Guard and North Macedonia have been state partners since 1993 and will continue this relationship with cooperative events and training.
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