USU Alumna speaks on experience with politicians, communication

Utah State University alumna, Alison Hawkins, found herself back at USU on Thursday evening as part of the lecture series, Pizza and Politics, organized by the Institute of Government and Politics.

Hawkins presented to students and community members her experience and thoughts with PR, multi-media communication and how a student can shape their message.

After graduating from USU, Hawkins went on to serve as a Presidential Appointee Press Secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs. She also oversaw press operations in several battleground states for Gov. Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election and is currently the vice president of communications at the Financial Services Roundtable, where she oversees media and communications on both the strategic and operational levels.

With different ads as examples, Hawkins portrayed many aspects of effective communication. Hawkins explained the varying levels of effectiveness by guiding the audience through different eras and the tactics that people have used to communicate. She concluded by defining what communication needs today and how it is vital to both the way we disperse and interpret information in the world around us today.

Hawkins explained that through simplifications, implications and in short bursts are the ways that people gather information now; she then went further into how we use certain tools to present that information to very specific groups of people.

“Every single one of the ads that I showed were appealing to you on an emotional and gut level,” Hawkins said. “If you want to win in life, you have to get people to like you. You have to get them to buy your message and it’s not just by the facts.”

The many ways people have taken in information over the years is evidence to the rapidly changing environment. No longer is radio our main source of entertainment and no longer do we only communicate over telegraph.

Just as these two things have changed, the way people react to ads has changed as well. Hawkins explained that people react must faster and trust their emotions and gut feelings rather than the facts that are presented, therefore ad structures have changed to cater that need.

“In order to win in life you need to get people to like you,” said Brian James, a political science major, “so work on your networking skills and recognize that emotionally charged information is going to be more effective than anything else.”

Hawkins explained that emotion and personal attachment portray the ultimate purpose of communication.

“We are a constantly changing demographic” said Alyssa Hanson, an English major, expanding on Hawkins lecture, “and in order for us to stay on top, either in politics or in journalism, we are going to have to change the gut within.”

Hanson recognizes the change and embraces how this is going to lead into the future of advertising and consumption of information.

“I think we will see a whole lot of interesting changes happen over the next two years as new advertising platforms come online and we find new ways to communicate and reach new people,” Hawkins said in conclusion, prompting the audience to be aware.

Communication is active, not passive — which means that there is change. As consumers of news, it is important to recognize how and why these changes take place. Thoughts such as these are the purpose of the Pizza and Politics lecture series, to bring new thoughts and ideas to people that are seeking for new opportunities.

“Our lecture series as a whole has been growing a lot,” said Madison Maners, public relations and communication intern with the Institute of Government and Politics.

With a large diversity of students coming to these events, different opportunities are opened up and Hawkins encouraged the students to take advantage of them, just as she had when she was here at USU, explained Maners.

Hawkins provided a glimpse into the world after college and what opportunities await students as well as emphasizing the importance of recognizing how students shape their message.

— sunshineperky@gmail.com