Moderator:
- Sherry Nebel, Former Boeing communications executive and 2026 HOA Recipient
Panelists:
- Kimmi Devaney, Editor and Podcast Host at Progressive Dairy magazine
- Logan Dozier, Senior Manager of Insurance Services at Washington Hospitality Association
- Molly Schotzko, Scholarly Assistant Professor at Edward R Murrow College of Communication, Washington State University
- Eric Patrick, President, Northwest Cherry Commission & Tajin Fresh Produce Alliances
Length of Lesson: 75-90 minutes
- 10 minute warm-up
- 50-60 minute panel
- 20 minute discussion
- Optional classroom activities:
- Brand Trust Challenge
- Unexpected Communication Careers
- Reflection assignment
Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
- Explain how communication supports the food and agriculture industries.
- Analyze how branding, storytelling, and trust influence consumer decision-making.
- Recognize the importance of communication across international markets and diverse audiences.
- Evaluate how strategic communication supports organizations during periods of disruption and change.
- Explore communication careers beyond traditional media organizations.
- Reflect on how personal passions can evolve into meaningful professional opportunities.
1: Pre-Video Warm-Up
Activity: “The Story Behind Your Lunch”
Ask students to think about the last meal they ate.
Then ask:
- Where did those ingredients come from?
- Who communicated information that influenced your purchasing decision?
- What brands, labels, advertising, reviews, or recommendations affected your choice?
Transition:
Every food product has a story behind it. Today’s panel explores how communication professionals help tell those stories—from farms and food production to restaurants, hospitality, journalism, and international markets.
2: Watch the Panel
Teacher Note
Ask students to identify examples of:
- branding
- storytelling
- public relations
- crisis communication
- international communication
- entrepreneurship
- consumer trust
- career adaptability
3. Post-Viewing Discussion Questions
- Several panelists describe careers they never originally planned to pursue.
What does this suggest about the value of being open to unexpected opportunities? - Eric Patrick explains how marketing fresh cherries differs across international markets.
Why is cultural awareness essential when communicating with global audiences? - Kimmi Devaney discusses communicating with a highly specialized audience of dairy producers.
How does communication change when your audience consists of industry experts instead of the general public? - Logan Dozier describes how communication became essential during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What communication challenges emerge during rapidly changing situations?
How can organizations maintain trust during uncertainty? - Molly Schotzko argues that food is an experience – not simply a product.
How do communication and branding influence customer experiences before they even taste the food? - Several panelists emphasize building trust rather than simply promoting products.
Why is trust often more valuable than advertising? - Many panelists describe networking and relationships as career-changing opportunities.
How can students begin building meaningful professional networks while still in college? - The panel demonstrates communication careers in journalism, agriculture, hospitality, entrepreneurship, public affairs, and international marketing.
Which career surprised you the most?
Why? - The discussion highlights how communication professionals solve problems rather than simply create messages.
What examples of problem-solving did you hear throughout the panel? - Near the end of the discussion, students are encouraged to align their careers with their passions.
Why might passion be an important ingredient for long-term career satisfaction?
Optional Activity 1: Brand Trust Challenge
Time: 20 minutes
Working in teams, students select a familiar food product or restaurant.
They identify:
- Target audience
- Core brand message
- Sources of consumer trust
- Communication channels
- Potential reputational risks
Groups present how communication contributes to the organization’s success beyond advertising alone.
Optional Activity 2: Unexpected Communication Careers
Students work individually or in pairs.
Each student researches a communication career outside traditional journalism or advertising (e.g., agriculture, healthcare, tourism, environmental organizations, sports, food production, nonprofit advocacy).
Students prepare a brief overview describing:
- Communication responsibilities
- Required skills
- Target audiences
- Why effective communication is essential to that profession
Reflection Assignment
Prompt
Several panelists described careers that developed through networking, curiosity, unexpected opportunities, and personal passions.
Write one page discussing:
- Which panelist’s career path you found most interesting.
- What communication skills appeared most valuable across the panel.
- How your own interests could intersect with communication in an industry you had not previously considered.
Support your reflection with examples from the discussion.
Key Takeaways
Students should leave understanding that:
- Communication is essential across virtually every industry, including food, agriculture, hospitality, and international trade.
- Strong brands are built on trust, authenticity, and meaningful customer experiences.
- Effective communicators adapt messages to diverse audiences, cultures, and markets.
- Crisis communication requires speed, accuracy, empathy, and transparency.
- Networking, curiosity, and openness to opportunity often shape careers as much as formal planning.
- Passion and communication skills together can create rewarding and unexpected career paths.
- Strategic communication often solves organizational challenges long before it promotes products.
Teacher Notes
Communication Beyond Traditional Media
This panel broadens students’ understanding of where communication skills create value. While many students initially associate communication careers with journalism, public relations, advertising, or broadcasting, the discussion demonstrates that communication professionals are equally vital within agriculture, hospitality, food production, nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurship, and global commerce.
Several themes emerge consistently:
- Trust Drives Consumer Decisions: Whether purchasing cherries, dairy products, restaurant meals, or hotel services, consumers often choose brands they perceive as trustworthy. Strategic communication helps establish and maintain that trust over time.
- Every Product Has a Story: Successful organizations communicate not only what they produce but also why it matters, who produces it, and the values behind the brand.
- Communication Solves Business Problems: Panelists repeatedly describe using communication to navigate crises, educate audiences, build relationships, enter new markets, and adapt to changing economic conditions—not simply to promote products.
- Career Paths Are Rarely Linear: Many speakers found opportunities through networking, unexpected conversations, or personal interests rather than carefully planned career trajectories. Adaptability and curiosity proved just as important as technical communication skills.
- Experiences Matter as Much as Messages: Whether creating memorable restaurant experiences or building international agricultural brands, communication extends beyond words to encompass every interaction customers have with an organization.
Together, these perspectives reinforce one of The Murrow Standard’s central ideas: exceptional communication is fundamentally about building relationships, earning trust, and creating meaningful connections between organizations and the communities they serve.