Vice-President of Communications
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enHaving a Field Day: 茄子直播 communicators explore storytelling at annual conference
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<span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Having a Field Day: 茄子直播 communicators explore storytelling at annual conference</span>
<span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sungjimi</span></span>
<span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-05-21T14:05:44-04:00" title="Tuesday, May 21, 2019 - 14:05" class="datetime">Tue, 05/21/2019 - 14:05</time>
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<div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>At the University of Toronto, the job of a communicator doesn鈥檛 fit into a single box. From organizing events and publishing annual reports to handling media relations, 茄子直播 communications professionals perform many duties and are therefore constantly seeking to add to their skill set.</p>
<p>That is what 茄子直播鈥檚 annual <a href="http://fieldday.utoronto.ca/">Field Day </a>conference 鈥� sponsored by University of Toronto Communications 鈥� is all about.</p>
<p>Now in its third year, the May 15 event at the Rotman School of Management鈥檚 Desautels Hall boasted its highest-ever attendance, with more than 240 communicators representing all three 茄子直播 campuses sharing best practices and insights.</p>
<p>鈥淔ield Day has always been one of our favourite events as 茄子直播 communicators 鈥� it鈥檚 such a joy to be a part of,鈥� said <strong>Larysa Woloszansky</strong>, a 茄子直播 media relations specialist who co-chaired this year鈥檚 Field Day alongside <strong>Jesse Carliner</strong>, a communications and user services librarian at 茄子直播 Libraries.</p>
<p>鈥淚 thought that this was a really good opportunity to make an impact on how we learn across the university.鈥�</p>
<p>The pair added that the conference, which included keynote speakers and 鈥渃aselet鈥� presentations by 茄子直播 staff, is a chance to put names to faces of the many communications colleagues who may only know each other through email, while amplifying professional development within the university.</p>
<p>In his opening remarks, <strong>David Estok</strong>, vice-president of communications, noted the unique challenge and importance of communication in 2019.</p>
<p>鈥淲hen 鈥榝ake news,鈥� the 鈥榙eep web,鈥� the fabrication of misinformation and the weaponization of content continues to grow, it is getting harder and harder to know what is actually true,鈥� he said.</p>
<p>鈥淭hat is just one reason why our institutions are so important, why content with a purpose matters, why we continue to learn, grow and evolve to respond to the historic shifts in understanding, communicating and working with stakeholders.</p>
<p>鈥淣o mission can be achieved until it is communicated, understood, challenged and accepted.鈥�</p>
<p>This year鈥檚 theme focused on the many aspects of storytelling, including how we tell stories and how we build trust and cut through the noise.</p>
<p><strong>Jodie Glean</strong>, the director of 茄子直播鈥檚 Anti-Racism & Cultural Diversity Office, delivered a keynote talk on the importance of acknowledging our differences while maintaining a lens of inclusion.</p>
<p>鈥淓very word, every photo that you use matters,鈥� she said, stressing the importance of representation and the value of considering diversity, equity and inclusion during a project鈥檚 initial stages.</p>
<p>Journalists Elamin Abdelmahmoud from BuzzFeed Canada and Daniel Dale from the <em>Toronto Star</em> also delivered keynote talks 鈥� Abdelmahmoud on how to stand out in a crowded digital media environment and Dale on how to build trust in an era of fake news and misinformation.</p>
<p>Abdelmahmoud, who curates BuzzFeed鈥檚 daily newsletter, highlighted the importance of 鈥渢aking the internet seriously鈥� in order to rise to the top in what he called 鈥渢he attention economy.鈥� Dale, the <em>Toronto Star</em>鈥檚 Washington bureau chief, stressed the value of confronting dishonesty face-on to foster trust with readers.</p>
<p>鈥淭ruth is a story in itself,鈥� said Dale.</p>
<p>Participants said they walked away from the conference with valuable insights and applications.</p>
<p>鈥淚 look forward to Field Day every year 鈥� the quality and the relevance of the sessions just get better and better, and the keynotes are so insightful,鈥� said <strong>Nicolle Wahl</strong>, director of content at 茄子直播 Mississauga.</p>
<p>鈥淎t the same time, it鈥檚 also such a phenomenal opportunity to meet our colleagues in person 鈥� it reminds me of the scope of our community and refreshes my excitement about our role in 茄子直播鈥檚 success.鈥�</p>
<p>Carliner echoed the sentiment.</p>
<p>鈥淒avid Estok鈥檚 goal was to get all of us together and to get us excited because we are such a large institution,鈥� he said.</p>
<p>鈥淓veryone is really excited about the work that we do as communicators and that鈥檚 what I think Field Day is all about.鈥�</p>
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<div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-caption field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Having a Field Day: 茄子直播 communicators explore storytelling at annual conference</p>
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<div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/FieldDay003%20resized.jpg?h=6f3285a6&itok=9L75jckq 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/FieldDay003%20resized.jpg?h=6f3285a6&itok=YljJqV0R 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/FieldDay003%20resized.jpg?h=6f3285a6&itok=PrK4lDAR 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/FieldDay003%20resized.jpg?h=6f3285a6&itok=9L75jckq" alt>
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<div class="field field--name-field-cutline field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">More than 240 茄子直播 communications professionals participated in Field Day 2019 (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)</div>
<div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden clearfix">
<ul class="links field__items">
<li><a href="/news/tags/field-day" hreflang="en">Field Day</a></li>
<li><a href="/news/tags/university-toronto-communications" hreflang="en">University of Toronto Communications</a></li>
<li><a href="/news/tags/david-estok" hreflang="en">David Estok</a></li>
<li><a href="/news/tags/vice-president-communications" hreflang="en">Vice-President of Communications</a></li>
</ul>
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<div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jenny Rodrigues</div>
<div class="field field--name-field-hide field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div>
Tue, 21 May 2019 18:05:44 +0000sungjimi156735 at