Penn State New Ken instructor the next Women of Alle Kiski Engaging speaker

Communication is important in all aspects of life.

It might be even more so during a coronavirus pandemic.

“Society has become so focused on the question ‘What’s in it for me?’ that we are almost paralyzed when it comes to interpersonal communication,” said Cathi Gerhard, lecturer at Penn State New Kensington. “Technology has pushed us in this direction, making it easier, if not necessary, to distance ourselves from one another and, ironically, de-humanize our lives.”

Gerhard will discuss the importance of communication at noon Thursday at the Women of Alle Kiski Engaging (WAKE) virtual speaker series. You can register here.

WAKE is a new endeavor that works in conjunction with the Alle Kiski Strong Chamber, an organization that helps area businesses grow through various events, training and educational opportunities. The partnership aims to advance women’s leadership in the local economy through networking, professional development, and community engagement, said CiCi Broxie of Plum, co-chairwoman of WAKE.

The inaugural event in March was a success with 60 attendees.

Courtesy of Cici Broxie

Jamy Rankin, co-owner and general manager of River Forest Country Club in Freeport, shares her story at the inaugural Women of Alle Kiski Engaging (WAKE), speaker series in March held at the country club.

They decided to do this one virtually because of covid-19 but hope to have the next one on Sept. 10 in person, Broxie said.

This session’s theme is “Well-Oiled Machines: Developing Effective Teams for the New Workplace Through Empathy, Motivation, and Communication.”

“As business professionals, we demand more than the sum of simple parts,” Gerhard said. “We expect our organizations to be ‘well-oiled machines’ that run smoothly because every department is working in a consistent rhythm with each other.”

She said collaboration can be the key to success. With so many employees working from home and parents teaching children from the house, there is a need for even greater communication, she said.

Broxie said Gerhard’s knowledge of being both an educator and a former journalist should make for an interesting discussion. Gerhard, a Latrobe resident, said the key to being a strong communicator begins with empathy, which she describes as “the ability to recognize, understand, and share the thoughts and feelings of another person, animal, or fictional character.”

Developing empathy is crucial for establishing relationships and behaving compassionately, she said. In any discussion it is important to first introduce the problem and to acknowledge the other side, before presenting your side, she said.

Then work to bring the sides together.

Gerhard uses her 30 years professional writing experience to help students know why they are doing something, how they will use it and how it connects with the real world.

Technology certainly is important during covid-19, but there are things that simply can’t be accomplished remotely, she said. Virtual meetings face barriers such as when participants mute their microphones or turn off cameras. It is important to have feedback to keep the lines of communication open. With online meetings information needs to be presented in sound bites and bullet points to maintain focus, she said.

Gerhard said people can be distracted by a baby crying, a dog barking or a family member walking by, so you have to take these things into consideration.

“It all comes back to that ‘well-oiled machine,”’ she said. “Gears work together, but accomplish nothing apart.”