Guest Blogs

Knowitall.ch often invites local experts in their field to contribute to their own blogs on our site. This means not only you will benefit from the useful recommendations that we make on our News pages, but you can also profit from some of the great advice and tips that these experts have to make on their favorite subjects. Whilst each of these bloggers has been recommended to us at some point during the evolution of Know-it-all passport and knowitall.ch, obviously we are not able to test out all the suggestions they make on their blogs, nor do we necessarily agree with all their opinions. So if you do find one of their tips useful (or not!), do let us know!

To make these blogs more accessible to you, we have now decided to group them altogether in one section, entitled Guest Blogs, accessible from our main menu bar. We will also post the most recent blogs on the home page of our site in the right hand column.

We are still building up this area of the site, and are looking for bloggers in a number of sections, including Your Home, Travel, and Leisure, so if you feel you have a useful contribution to make in either of these areas, and have the time to submit blog entries approximately every month, then please get in touch!

: Published: 28 September 2025

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As someone who works closely with international families navigating the ups and downs of life abroad, Mirsada Hoffmann connected with knowitall to share her experience, a great value to our international community here in Switzerland. Her work centers on supporting parents raising children across cultures—helping families build emotional resilience, strengthen connection, and find steadiness in the face of change.

We caught up with Mirsada and asked her a few questions.

What has been the inspiration behind Thriving Global Family?
I started Thriving Global Family because, as a mother of four, I saw firsthand how layered and emotionally complex international life can be—for children and parents alike. Every move affected our family in different ways. What worked for one transition didn’t necessarily work for the next. Concerns shifted as the kids grew, and I came to understand just how deeply my own emotional state impacted their ability to adjust and thrive.

Parenting is already a complex job—even in one language, one culture, and one school system. Add the layers of international living—new countries, unfamiliar languages, shifting educational expectations—and it can quickly become overwhelming. While the global lifestyle offers incredible opportunities, the harder, more human aspects are often hidden or dismissed. This can leave families—especially parents—feeling isolated.

I started this work to create the kind of support I wish I’d had: community, connection, and real conversations that help families feel seen in both the joy and the struggle.

: Published: 11 September 2025

By Claire Doole, www.doolecommunications.com

Geneva brands itself as the humanitarian capital of the world. Its ecosystem of UN agencies, international organisations and NGOs contribute to what is known as “International Geneva”. Yet since the arrival of President Trump in the Oval Office, international Geneva has been facing an existential crisis.

Many of these organisations depend heavily on US funding – in some cases it accounts for up to 25% of their budget. On top of this European donors are shifting development budgets to military spending and the UN has itself launched an initiative - UN80 - to downsize in order to be more efficient.

In these uncertain times, leadership communication is more important than ever.

Heads of organisations are having to make tough decisions on the programmes they cut, the contracts they don’t renew and the people they fire. According to local media 30,000 jobs are expected to go.

In times of crisis the ways leaders communicate can determine whether people feel trust, clarity and resilience or confusion and fear. More generally if done well it can drive change and enhance performance. Successful leaders influence guide and inspire others towards a share goal.

: Published: 13 July 2025

By Claire Doole, www.doolecommunications.com

In last month’s post, I shared some tips and techniques on the art of handling audience questions - whether you’re online, in-person, or in front of a tough crowd.

Now let’s take things a step further. What happens when the question is messy, hostile, or downright confusing? How do you respond when you're caught off guard—or worse, when no one asks anything at all?

Below are some tips and techniques:

Reframe convoluted questions: If a question is overly long, vague, or hard to follow, help your audience by tightening it up.
“I am sorry I can’t quite grasp every detail of your question, but I would like to respond to your part about X”
Be clear when you don’t know the answer: You can’t have all the answers. Here are three options on what to say when you don’t have the answer:
i. Say ‘I don’t know’ – you’ll get back to them. Never, ever, guess.
ii. Ask someone in the audience to respond who is an expert on the subject.
iii. ‘I’m not 100% sure’ When you say this you’re not saying ‘I don’t know’, you’re saying ‘I’m not completely sure’, which is a totally different thing.
Answering challenging questions: When faced with a challenging question from that angry staff member, board member or at an official hearing – you need to employ the ABC technique I teach in media training - acknowledge the question, potentially reframing it before you bridge to a broader point you want to make – moving from the specific to the general.
Read more ...

: Published: 06 July 2025

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By Philippa Dobree-Carey, From High School to Uni

One of the biggest challenges young adults experience when they move to university or live independently is having to feed themselves. Without the knowledge, skills or experience, they are likely to resort to takeaways and ready meals, which are expensive and nutritionally unbalanced.

Why meal-planning matters

Nutritious meals fuel focus, energy and wellbeing. Students who plan their meals save money, waste less food, and stay healthier - both physically and mentally.

A poor diet leads to anxiety, fatigue, weight gain and difficulty concentrating. However, simple home-cooked meals can help to combat this. With a few core ingredients and a weekly plan, students can eat better, feel better and spend less.

How to set them up for success

1. Help them build a starter cupboard

Before they move out, show them the affordable, versatile and non-perishable kitchen cupboard staples that can be turned into real meals. These include:

Carbs: rice, pasta, quinoa, couscous
Proteins: eggs, tinned beans, lentils and tuna
Mixed veg: frozen spinach, broccoli and peas, tinned tomatoes
Condiments: salt, pepper, soy sauce, mixed herbs, stock cubes
Extras: cooking oil, flour, peanut butter

: Published: 29 June 2025

By Claire Doole, www.doolecommunications.com

For some presenters, the Q&A is the best part of any speaking engagement. They are more at ease, enjoy the exchange and sharing knowledge.

But for others, the question-and-answer segment can be extremely testing even for the most seasoned presenter. Here are a few challenges:

Online events: Questions pour in via the chat, leaving the presenter frantically scrolling up and down to find the pertinent questions.
External events or conferences: When audience members seize the opportunity to talk about their organization or experience, rather than ask a question to the presenter. (As a panel moderator, a comment rather than a question from audiences is an occupational hazard!).
Town halls: When the presenter/speaker is faced with a challenging staff member, keen to ask that killer question.
Formal meetings or hearings: The presenter is required to answer many questions in a fixed amount of time, often from members who ask multiple questions on a wide variety of subjects.