Connecting with University Communicators

As a Communications Specialist for UF Information Technology, I’m always interested in learning about the strategy behind connecting with the university’s stakeholders. Sometimes, it seems impossible to reach every audience, including students, faculty, and staff, because of their distinctive differences. As part of our communications efforts for UFIT, my team often communicates with other departments to see what campaigns and strategies have worked best for them. That’s why I became a member of the UF Communicators Network — a group of professionals who specialize in communications for the university. I attended the UF Communicators Breakfast Buzz on September 11, 2019, to learn more about how to meet the university’s communications goals and how we’ll rise to the Top 5 Public Universities.

At the fall semester’s Breakfast Buzz, Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing Nancy Paton spoke about UF’s strategic plan to Rise to 5. She explained the strategies UF’s marketing and communications team will take to achieve the goals necessary to be considered a high-ranking university and the resources available to communicators across campus. The most valuable insight I gleaned from her speech was to focus on the thought behind communications — what would be valuable to a stakeholder? Sometimes, it’s easy to forget their perspective when you’re writing from your own. At the breakfast, I met several different professionals from UF departments that I didn’t know existed, including Distance Learning and the School of Forest Resources and Conservation. I hope to attend similar events and workshops in the future to connect with other UF communications professionals.