In the hubbub of our busy lives, we often forget the value of common courtesy and how we express our actions towards our peers. It seems as if public citizens and political leaders are only protecting themselves and their reputation. Us against them. Them against the world. It’s as if people no longer can understand both sides of a story. This happens by people not being able to keep an open mind for more than just one opinion. If our peers are unable to make it past Maslow’s two basic physiological and safety needs, society will show how uncommon common courtesy could really be in a biased and self-centered society.
Civility in public debate is more than politeness, it’s more important than that today. Civility is about disagreeing without disrespect, seeking common ground as a starting point for dialogue about differences, listening past one’s preconceptions, and teaching others to do the same. In a competitive world we should be grateful to have the First Amendment right to express the freedom of the press, religion, assembly and address the government. The United States occupies its citizens by inspiring creativity within the marketplace of ideas. It’s our duty as Americans to express our ideas, thoughts and opinions by holding a public debate to result into to a place of equal understanding of both parties before coming into the discussion. Our past, present, and future depend on civility essential process in a public debate to gather, listen to each other, and debate to make up their minds in determining a course of action with parties’ reasons behind their viewpoints.
As communication professionals, it’s our job to share and distribute newsworthy stories that tell unbiased views considering the public interest of civility. Whether it’s an advertiser creating a political campaign against their competitor, a journalist covering a presidential debate, or a public relations manager managing a political candidate’s campaign trail, an ethical and logical approach to having prior knowledge before going into a debate and in front of the media will help the candidate’s reputation to have a strategic approach going into the conversation. This will greatly benefit the opponents in the long run for their individual careers. It’s important to recognize the difference between being selfless and selfish of others’ actions, especially as a leader. One can only understand civility until one can understand all points of view.
As a Campaign Coordinator in the automotive industry, adapting to the industry’s language, collaborating with coworkers on digital marketing strategy and researching best practices for website management takes civility to a level not many people would expect. To get clients to the next level of understanding, the Campaign Coordinators and internal team members work together to develop the best strategy of website performance. As a Managed Services team, we must think ahead of the competition. We must think what’s next in a way everyone can understand.
Over the past few years working at Dealer.com, the company has been bought out by two, top tier corporations. The final deal lead Dealer.com to be under the Cox Automotive brand, with Kelly Blue Book and Autotrader. The biggest change our original company faces are the changes in company culture. Men are held in higher up positions where women are sparse in those types of positions. It’s hard as women and minorities to grow in the corporate world without being presented on how to find opportunities for everyone to get a fair shot in being able to move up. To inspire and influence a change in Cox Automotive corporate world, I’m part of the Dealer.com initiative called Women with Drive.
Our mission at Women with Drive is to set the standard for inclusion and equality across the Cox Automotive Burlington, Vermont location and our surrounding community. We exist to champion the rights of women by establishing a forum for networking, idea sharing, and education related to personal and professional development. As a group, we have held panel discussions of women sharing their experiences and how they moved around the organization and networking events to introduce ourselves internally to both men and women who would be interested in joining our mission.
This disparity in the industry is not due to company-level attrition or lack of interest: women and men stay at their companies and ask for promotions at similar rates. If we’re going to change the power imbalance in the workplace, we need to ensure women (and men) get more mentorship and sponsorship, not less. We need to build networks that put us on the path to exciting opportunities, and stretch assignments or projects that lead to promotions.
As I write my reflection on the Freedom of Speech in the Digital Age Immersion, I’m also preparing for an upcoming interview for a Project Manager position within my department. Not only will I be asking questions about what the position entails, but bring up the conversation of whom I will be interacting with within the position. I’m confident the Project Manager position will coincide well with my Public Relations studies at Syracuse University. My abilities to organize, execute an effective campaign and be creative makes me ambitious to do more than second best, to be the best at serving myself and my company in breaking the glass ceiling of corporate stereotypes. I may be young woman, but I know how ambitious and ready I am for next steps in handling the hard conversations that myself and my company must face in the digital age. The hubbub is fast paced, but I now have the resources to make a difference in strategically bringing civility to a public forum and asking the tough questions about leadership in my organization.
Erin Devost 