Changing Values Challenge Old Ways
For a recent Orange County Catholic story, I researched the many ways having dinner together as a family benefits children.
Something we used to take for granted as part of each day has all but died away in the face of two-income families, over-committed children, and overloaded schedules. Still, the family dinner provides much-needed, face-to-face communication opportunities, not to mention the convenience of a one-stop meal for both kids and parents.
Thinking about my own upbringing I can’t imagine not having dinner with my mother and father every night.
It wasn’t until college that I routinely ate in my car, skipped meals, or went out with friends. Even then I tried to be at home several times a week, if for nothing more than to check in.
The story also resonated with me because I’m a leader in IABC Orange County, an international organization for communications professionals, and we are dealing with the changing priorities of young people entering the profession today.
Millennials and Gen-Xers think much differently about virtually everything. One thing they don’t value highly is face-to-face networking opportunities, such as the traditional monthly lunch meeting that has been the backbone of associations like IABC. Instead, if they need to develop a new skill, they Google it and watch YouTube educational videos, or even text a friend.
To make IABC relevant to new prospects – and continue to offer cutting-edge programming to existing members – IABC Orange County’s board of directors has created an ad hoc committee to study this issue. To my mind, this is the most important task of my year as chapter president, because if we do not change and develop, IABC and other professional organizations will dwindle and die.
Over the several decades I’ve been working in journalism and public relations, organizations like IABC, the Orange County Press Club, the Society for Professional Journalists, and the Public Relations Society of America have offered me important learning opportunities, vital networking forums, and the chance to become an award-winning writer and nationally accredited public relations professional.
When I struck out on my own as a solo public relations practitioner in 2014, the local chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators provided me with a lifeline to new friends, new clients, and a new way of thinking about myself as a writer. Indeed, every position I’ve ever worked in was made possible through networking.
One event IABC OC sponsored this year offered recent college communications grads and senior students a drop-in rap session with two young professionals at a coffee shop across the street from Cal State Fullerton. Held in the weeks following commencement, the event was so popular and well-attended that one of the CSUF communications professors wanted us to host it monthly.
This kind of event, where there is no obligation and people can drop in and out at will, is the kind of offering IABC Orange County will need to consider for the future. But this is just one example. Our annual panel on Corporate Social Responsibility provides another opportunity for outreach to Millennials, who value a company’s social commitments nearly as much as its attractiveness as an employer.
We are open to anything as we convene the ad hoc committee later this month. I hope dinosaurs like me who value traditional networking and educational opportunities can look past our own mindsets and freely brainstorm new possibilities for connecting with professionals of all ages.
If you have ideas about this topic, please contact me at cdouglas@cathidouglas.com
Something we used to take for granted as part of each day has all but died away in the face of two-income families, over-committed children, and overloaded schedules. Still, the family dinner provides much-needed, face-to-face communication opportunities, not to mention the convenience of a one-stop meal for both kids and parents.
Thinking about my own upbringing I can’t imagine not having dinner with my mother and father every night.
It wasn’t until college that I routinely ate in my car, skipped meals, or went out with friends. Even then I tried to be at home several times a week, if for nothing more than to check in.
The story also resonated with me because I’m a leader in IABC Orange County, an international organization for communications professionals, and we are dealing with the changing priorities of young people entering the profession today.
Millennials and Gen-Xers think much differently about virtually everything. One thing they don’t value highly is face-to-face networking opportunities, such as the traditional monthly lunch meeting that has been the backbone of associations like IABC. Instead, if they need to develop a new skill, they Google it and watch YouTube educational videos, or even text a friend.
To make IABC relevant to new prospects – and continue to offer cutting-edge programming to existing members – IABC Orange County’s board of directors has created an ad hoc committee to study this issue. To my mind, this is the most important task of my year as chapter president, because if we do not change and develop, IABC and other professional organizations will dwindle and die.
Over the several decades I’ve been working in journalism and public relations, organizations like IABC, the Orange County Press Club, the Society for Professional Journalists, and the Public Relations Society of America have offered me important learning opportunities, vital networking forums, and the chance to become an award-winning writer and nationally accredited public relations professional.
When I struck out on my own as a solo public relations practitioner in 2014, the local chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators provided me with a lifeline to new friends, new clients, and a new way of thinking about myself as a writer. Indeed, every position I’ve ever worked in was made possible through networking.
One event IABC OC sponsored this year offered recent college communications grads and senior students a drop-in rap session with two young professionals at a coffee shop across the street from Cal State Fullerton. Held in the weeks following commencement, the event was so popular and well-attended that one of the CSUF communications professors wanted us to host it monthly.
This kind of event, where there is no obligation and people can drop in and out at will, is the kind of offering IABC Orange County will need to consider for the future. But this is just one example. Our annual panel on Corporate Social Responsibility provides another opportunity for outreach to Millennials, who value a company’s social commitments nearly as much as its attractiveness as an employer.
We are open to anything as we convene the ad hoc committee later this month. I hope dinosaurs like me who value traditional networking and educational opportunities can look past our own mindsets and freely brainstorm new possibilities for connecting with professionals of all ages.
If you have ideas about this topic, please contact me at cdouglas@cathidouglas.com
