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| Standing in front of the bay in Cienfuegos, Cuba! |
During the last four years of my degree, I have really learned to value good communicators. I have sat through enough boring, monotone, and non-relatable lectures to understand the difference between someone who knows how to transfer ideas and concepts, and someone who just rattles off what they know. Over the years, I have had to do my own presentations, and try to improve each time. My writing and critical reading abilities have increased dramatically after having to write papers and essays. During my various summer jobs, I have developed the ability to write informally yet professionally, in a way that is accessible to the general public, as well as scientifically. When I spent a summer speaking with poultry farmers across the province, I had to learn their own jargon, write information and brochures for them, and speak face to face and over the phone. Last summer, I spent three months in a research lab, and became very skilled at writing academically for a scientific journal article.
Communication is key in most careers, including Agriculture. While one might assume that an agrologist would mostly be interacting with plants and animals, they'd be surprised to learn how important verbal and written communication is. Many agriculture specialists work in the area of consulting, such as advising a farmer what fertilizers to use, suggesting a new kind of feed ingredient to a dairy farmer, or educating a rancher about the government's new traceability requirements. You can even take diploma courses in Agricultural Communications at the University of Guelph! Researcher's in agriculture also have to prepare reports to apply for grants and funding, give presentations at conferences, and sell their new technology or development to companies who can distribute the products. Veterinarians may have animal patients, but they have human clients. Being able to get a patient history, explain tests and procedures, and educate an owner about a diagnosis are the most important roles a vet plays. A vet doesn't just have to talk to a client, they often have to explain microscopic biological processes or internal medicine that the owner can't see. They need to make intangible concepts understandable. All while maintaining a level of professionalism, and often sympathy.
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It's becoming increasing important to be able to utilize non-traditional forms of communication, including social media. Every business has to have a website, and many organizations update their web pages frequently. A great example is the Edmonton Humane Society, who typically posts new pictures and bio's of their adoptable animals daily. Personally, I couldn't imagine having to do research, look up a phone number, or find an address without the use of the internet and google. My friend Filmon also talked about this last semester in his blog.Organizations also make great use of facebook, including the U of A Pre-Vet/ Animal Health Club. We use our page to post new meetings, organize trips, and discuss vet ethical questions. As a result of this change in technology usage, I've noticed that telephone calls, mailed letters, and face to face visits are starting to be considered "special", and stand out from the ordinary routine of most offices. Therefore, I think these forms of communication will always be important. There's nothing quite like a phone call from an old colleague to brighten up one's day.
I suppost Christy's thoughts about communication.Communication through different ways such as social media is very important in order to achieve the goals we set for ourselves.Communication skiils are significantly valued by employers as well.Thus having such skills would permit one to be chosen between others by employers.
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