Women’s Leadership Program Hosts First Annual Panel Discussion
By: Dhara Patel
On Wednesday, February 26th, the Women’s Leadership Program hosted their first Annual Panel Event. With a mission to educate, give opportunities, and empower women in their career journey, the founding team decided to broaden the scope of learning by hosting an event that can serve as a valuable teaching experience for every Seton Hall University student.
The topic for the evening was, “What You Wish You Knew at the Beginning of Your Career.” panel members included: Dr. Kathleen Rennie, a partner at McGraw Group, professor of communications at Seton Hall, and integrated marketing communications specialist, Raleigh Mayer, leadership consultant at Raleigh Mayer Consulting, and Frank Diana, Principal at Tata Consultancy Services. The discussion was moderated by Kathleen Ellis, Senior Vice President at Chubb Insurance.
The Women’s Leadership Program Founding Team with moderator, panelists, and Mike Reuter. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Reuter)
One of the first topics discussed concerned what is required to make the most of one’s career. Ms. Mayer introduced the “7 – Up’s” as crucial for career success: show up, dress up, stand up, speak up, listen up, lighten up and follow up.
The panelists emphasized that “over 55% of one’s impression is formed visually.” Professionalism, both in presentation and appearance, is key to generating a positive first impression. They also stressed the importance of voice inflection, noting that the upward inflection in communication significantly diminishes one’s professional appearance. This specific point captured the attention of the audience, as upward inflection has become a common style of communication. However, through this discussion, the panelists hoped to generate more awareness regarding this so-called “communication epidemic,” pointing to the idea that virtual communication has consumed much of our lives to the extent that physical communication may become a lost art.
Throughout the evening a broad list of subjects were covered including mentorship, challenges, gender differences, networking and communication. The discussions were rich and insightful reflective of the panelists’ personal journeys and life experiences. The evening concluded with Dr. Rennie’s words emphasizing the importance of chasing one’s dreams: “When you want the apple from the tree…climb the tree; don’t just sit there with your mouth open.” In the end, it is important to do what you love, as that is what you will do best.
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Great job to the organizers