Failing to succeed: how to take creative risks to supercharge your career - Event Summary

Failure is a word communicators all too often strive to avoid. While our profession sees many dedicated, driven and achievement-oriented professionals, the risk of failure is not always something we want to move towards. But why, when taking risks can be the thing that helps us find the greatest sense of growth and achievement?

That is what our keynote speaker, Paula Barrett addressed in her talk, “Failing to succeed: how to take creative risks to supercharge your career,” a virtual event designed to bring communicators together from many different industries to talk about the career journey that has been 2020.

Chaos

Paula started the evening on a light note by talking about…chaos, more chaos, and did I mention chaos? Because that truly has been a word to sum up 2020. As Paula described, this year has made many of us feel as if we are trapped, unable to move forward. How do we change that? By taking creative risks.  

Risk 

We would never describe our communication profession as predictable, but we still had our job expectations and plans. COVID-19 threw that out the window. With COVID-19 came a whole new level of uncertainty, both personal and professional. Paula introduced the idea of embracing risk in a balanced way. We should strive for change and new opportunities in our careers because with change comes learning, growth and happiness - all things that can support us in these difficult times. 

The truth is that even though risks can be terrifying, they also bring success, happiness and creativity. How do we embrace and balance risk-taking? Tell yourself these truths:

  • I will survive rejection

  • I may fail, and from this failure, I will learn

  • Learning is about taking risks

  • Through risk, we think, decide, plan and create

Creativity 

In communications, we often enjoy the creative sides of our profession more than anything else. Creativity naturally engages your brain in a new way and helps to elevate your mood. Paula encouraged every participant to find new ways to bring creativity and fun into their work and everyday lives such as walking, meditation or painting. 

New experiences also get the creative juices flowing and helps to elevate your mood. This is where the risk comes back into creativity because sometimes the scariest things can make us feel the best. We all know that feeling when we took a chance on a creative idea and saw it pay off. So pitch creative new projects, come up with new campaigns or strive towards new academic achievements. Find the opportunity and go for it. 

By the end of the talk, Paula encouraged every participant to stay creative and keep their brain engaged! As we enter 2021, now's the time to explore how you can keep riding that creative wave.

Thank you to everyone who attended our first virtual event, and our sponsor, AHA INSURANCE, for providing a fabulous giveaway prize for two of our participants!

With aha, insurance customers can get a quote in minutes and even buy their insurance policy entirely online. They offer preferred rates on auto and property and an additional 5% online discount for those clients starting a quote online. By starting a quote off an IABC Association link or partner page, you are eligible for preferred rates! Learn more about all our great partners here: https://www.iabcwaterloo.com/partners-1

About the Presenter:

Paula Barrett is a 25+-year member of IABC, an experienced senior PR practitioner and has taught public relations at Conestoga College for 15 years. She was awarded the college's Employee Innovation Award and labelled a "Disruptor" by senior college management (she assumes but can't confirm this was a compliment). The IABC Waterloo Break Through conference was one of Paula's creative risks four years ago as IABC Waterloo Chapter President.

About Break Through:

IABC Waterloo's Break Through Communications Conference is an annual one-day event that features topical sessions from some of the brightest minds in the local Marketing Communications space. For 2021, we are taking Break Through online with a series of monthly virtual events to engage, educate and empower our communications community.


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