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Session led by: Linda Pak + Rachel Pisano

Notes by: Joseph Harmon + Chaitanya Korra

Presentation #1: Design Your Brand Blueprint by Sorakamol Prapasiri

Opening the session with the broad question of “What is Marketing?” Sorakamol Prapasiri, kicked off a marathon workshop that showed us what guiding principles, a mission and vision statement are along with taught us principles of how to create and hone one for ourselves.

Early on Sorakarmol addressed that many of us held the concept that Marketing = Selling along with the negative connotation that selling is bad. She reframes, spending time defining what our personal brand is and what it wants to be, touching on the point of communicating with integrity, as our communication becomes our brand, which was reframed by the questions and thoughts surrounding “what are we communicating and WHY?” proving that we can Market ourselves and it is a positive, fruitful act.

A powerful point and clarification was that of marketing is the overall category with other terms falling into it:

Marketing = your audience (the bigger umbrella that hold Branding and Advertising)
Branding = “You”
Advertising = paying someone to highlight you

Another point she made as we worked through some of our colleagues’ company webpages was, don’t put the wagon ahead of the horse, don’t go get a logo then try and define your brand. Build from the foundation up. That way you will be able to easily give key offerings that you are true to your brand.

A good carry over from the opening of session 4 into this, was the highlight of touchpoints, Sorakamol, highlighted to take advantage of every opportunity for human interaction.

As we drew to the close of this workshop we were given advice to – show up so our whole team see us – if we are just trying to act a certain way for customers, we are being true and falling short in our brand. And lastly, if we are re-evaluating brand to often, there may be something bigger than a branding issue, if we did it correctly this work should last!

Presentation #2: Building Strategic Partnerships by Brianna Davis

The second section of the session opened with an introduction of Brianna Davis, a strategic business development partner at Adobe. She shared some valuable insight from her job where she evaluates partnerships at a more corporate level. Partnership with clients and other outside companies for symbiotic relationships and promotion.

As she went through her presentation, the idea of Consistency came up, we should be consistent in whatever we are looking to do. Whether it is connecting, or sharing, as we look to network, we need to keep our goals and brand in mind. Another interesting point made was the question she would ask herself as she engaged other possible partners, “Why us together?” it seems appropriate to be able to ask yourself often when evaluating most things.

Presentation #3: The Role of Inter-Cultural Awareness in Professional Communication by Desiree Wilkins-Finch, MATL

Desiree Wilkins Finch had the opportunity to lead the final section of the session, and she didn’t disappoint. It should have been a question of Curiosity… one of her points that resonated a lot was the point that we look and ask from a point of curiosity not from a spot of assuming or “knowing” what we don’t. Her example in relation was the story of a friend and colleague that assumed and asked the question of “What class are you taking?” when in fact Desiree was Teaching the class.