On March 20th the Boston WIRe chapter officially kicked into full swing for 2019, hosting our inaugural event of the year, “Harness Your Energy: Find Your Role in a Transforming Industry.” Research professionals from all over the Boston area joined at Zappi’s office’s in the Seaport WeWork space for high-energy networking and an inspiring presentation about the power of storytelling. I caught up with some of the team from WIRe sponsor Reputation Institute and asked them more about their experience attending the event and engaging with WIRe. Read on to hear what they have to say!

Jackie Rousseau-Anderson, WIRe Boston Event Lead: First off, thank you so much for being one of our city sponsors this year, your support means a lot! What inspired you to support WIRe?

Ana Angelovska, Reputation Institute: We are so excited to be a part of both the Boston WIRe group and the international WIRe community. Kylie, our CEO, is passionate about supporting the success of women in research and that passion can be felt in our offices around the world. With our organization’s commitment to helping develop women in the research space and WIRe’s mission and global presence, we found it to be a perfect fit.

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JRA: I’d agree! So tell me, what did you think of Wednesday night’s event?

AA: Well, the first thing we noticed was the energy in the room. As soon as you walked upstairs you could feel the buzz from everyone who was there. There was an authentic excitement in the room. And of course, the attendees were fantastic. We met so many great women (and men!) from different companies with different roles. It was also interesting to hear how people are feeling about the research industry these days, how they’re navigating the transformation that’s taking place. I also liked that there was time for networking with informative content sandwiched in between. It was the best of both worlds!

JRA: Yes, Laurie packed a lot of great pointers into a concise presentation. What were some key takeaways from her session that you’d share with our members who couldn’t make it?

Meghan Burke, Reputation Institute: There was a lot of great information in her session that all of us can use every day. As you mentioned in your opening remarks, there are definite applications to both our personal and professional lives. I found it interesting that our brain actually engages differently depending on the language people use to tell us something.  Also, the reminder that, when we’re communicating our capabilities to someone else, we should be focused on presenting a solution to their problem. It’s so easy to get in the routine of just spouting off product capabilities in a professional setting or basic life stats in a networking situation. Really, we need to flip our approach to that and craft a story that connects with the person we’re trying to communicate with.

JRA: Great summary! Storytelling is a powerful way to rise above the noise of the industry whether you’re trying to sell your products or services or sell yourself for a new role! Thanks again for all your support. We are looking forward to seeing you at the next event!

MB: You’re welcome! We will definitely be there and look forward to meeting more WIRe folks!

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