On September 24th, Dr. Stephanie Dailey of the Communications Studies Department and Dr. Shetay Ashford-Hanserd of the Department of Organization, Workforce, and Leadership Studies spoke about “Public Communication Competencies: Effective Strategies for Individuals, Organizations and Communities” at the first MPA Lunch-and-Learn event of the fall semester. More than 50 students attended the event, which was conducted via Zoom.
The lecture was split between the two presenters, with Dr. Dailey covering communication theory and Dr. Ashford-Hanserd covering its application. As Jay Alvarado, a student attendee noted, “they were the perfect combination to present a talk about communication and its practical application.” Additionally, both presenters gave concrete methods and strategies for improving one’s communication, with the speakers focusing on both interpersonal, organizational and public communication. The lecture also had a lively audience feedback session, during which many students chimed in with anecdotes and questions.
The MPA Lunch-and-Learn series, which was launched in the spring of 2021, features academics and practitioners as speakers to introduce new perspectives on the field to both undergraduate and graduate students. The events scheduled for the Fall semester focus on competencies. This first talk by Drs. Dailey and Ashford-Hanserd focused on communication competencies because, as Dr. Nandhini Rangarajan, director of the MPA program and organizer of the series, puts it: “many graduates of our program are thrust into positions very early on in their professional careers where they are expected to use public information and communication skills.”
The next lunch-and-learn event, “Connecting Bold Public Service Goals and Individual Efforts” with Dr. Heather Getha-Taylor, is slated to take place via Zoom on Friday, October 15th from 12:00-1:30 PM.
