As I look up the definition of versatility, I am sitting in the front room of my home in a makeshift office where I have been for over a year now, learning to adapt to new ways to work with a team in a virtual environment, finding new ways to use technology to engage our customers, and listening to my dogs snoring at my feet. Reading that Merriam-Webster defines versatile as embracing a variety of skills or the ability to change or fluctuate readily, I look at my work projects, my list of personal to-dos, and my phone as it buzzes to tell me my eight-month old just went down for a nap at daycare. Yep, versatility is the key to the life of a communication professional shifting to a “new normal” and also, on top of it all, being a new mom during a pandemic.
Without learning to be versatile, we as communicators would fail ourselves and our businesses. We take on a lot of responsibilities that a small team could (and should) be doing. Add a year of uncertainties, flexibilities, tight deadlines, and needs to pivot, and versatility is now the biggest skill we need. This is also why the Association for Women in Communications felt versatility needed to be at the forefront of this year’s national conference. Here is where I invite you to mark your calendars for November 11-13 and find out more about Versatility: Elevating your voice in changing times.
The conference itself will be versatile as it will be the first hybrid conference, allowing participants to attend virtually or in-person. The sessions will leave attendees embracing new skills as they listen to speakers that had to adapt to changing times to keep their voices heard in government, at a Big Tech company, in nonprofits, for Broadway, and more. The conference will also encourage all in attendance to network and have open conversations about what they as communication professionals had to do to adapt quickly to new workspaces, new strategies, and new tactics to continue to tell stories the stories and share the messages of their own organizations.
Sharing knowledge and elevating together is at the core of AWC:
Connect – virtually or in-person with women from coast to coast
Engage – with thought leaders and peers, and embrace your affinities and differences
Advance – with new knowledge and skills, as well as a network of women at your back
Consider this your formal invitation. Come and enjoy the renewed freedom we’ll have this fall, or join from the comfort of your home. I hope to see you there!
About the Author
Rachel Kobus is the associate director for Alumni Engagement at Illinois State University where she oversees all marketing and communication efforts. She is currently the president of the Association for Women in Communications Bloomington/Normal chapter and sits on the marketing committee for the AWC National Conference.
