It’s hard to believe that it has been a full two years since I stood on stage and gave the commencement speech at the Michigan State College of Communication Arts & Sciences graduation ceremony. I recently revisited my old speech to reflect on how things have changed in those two years—and I actually think it still resonates in a number of ways.
You can watch the video archive on the Michigan State Broadcasting Services Site (you’ll have to jump to 34 minutes in).
The Speech
As a telecom and advertising student at Michigan State, I started learning some important life lessons as soon as I moved to campus, before I ever stepped into a classroom. I think I was walking the streets of Grand River, getting acquainted with East Lansing, when I learned two of the most powerful words of my college career. Two words that have the power to move and motivate people, especially college students. I’ve seen these words in action here on campus many times since, and if you take nothing else away from what I have to say to you today, remember these two words.
Free food.
That said, a lot has changed in the world since that fall when I was first introduced to life as a college student—the old days, before relationships were defined by the all-important question (Should we make this facebook official?), back when—if I wasn’t in my dorm room I couldn’t be reached because I didn’t own a cell phone (which I now can’t live without). I remember during my sophomore year, I had heard about the big Ashley Simpson Saturday Night Live debacle and I tried to find a video clip online. I could not find a clip anywhere. Today, I can go on YouTube and find it in no time. Information is becoming a lot easier to access, and at the same time, a lot easier to distribute.
We live in a connected world today, a world where 1/4 of people have searched on a persons name prior to meeting them, a world where, if you’re not online, you practically don’t exist. People have always maintained their own personal brands to some extent, but today it goes well beyond a resume or list of experiences. We’re defined by our facebook profiles, our voicemail greetings, our eBay ratings, our personal websites, our online photo albums, and now more than ever, by what comes up when our names are entered in that Google search box. It sounds a bit scary, but it’s empowering at the same time.
The Internet world is chaotic right now. No one is exactly sure what to do with all of these new tools. Each and every one of you now has the power to take advantage of all of this chaos and stand out. You are a brand. You are your own Coke, Nike, iPod, Target, or Google, and with the technology available today, you have a lot of the same opportunities as these brands to build your own brand equity and connect with people around the world.
There’s a reason you’re all Time Magazine’s 2006 person of the year. You’re all experts on something. You all have opinions, or some sort of creative viewpoint. A lot of you have produced brilliant creative work. And now, you have more opportunity than ever to share that viewpoint, to share your expertise, to expose that creative work to an endless audience, or to contribute to a conversation and create a network with a group of people around the world with whom you share a common interest, even though you’ve never actually met in person.
Anyone can start a podcast or blog, or at least comment on one. You can send an e-mail around the world in seconds, or post a video online for thousands to discover. Anyone can gain or lose credibility or fame with nothing more than a computer, an Internet connection and a point of view.
I did my own little experiment with this when I started a podcast last November. When I was in New York City for a career conference, I interviewed people in careers in advertising and marketing and posted the interviews up on iTunes and some other directories online. Within a few days I had listeners and fans from around the world—Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, South America, and all across the United States. I have fans. And who am I? I’m just a student from Michigan State with a point of view and a connection to the Internet.
But while websites, e-mail, blogging, podcasting, and social networking are all the buzz right now, there is always going to be a world beyond the Internet where you can continue to build your personal brand in a more traditional way.
I looked on Wikipedia (yet another great resource I’ve come to love) for the definition of the word “brand.” There was one particular line that stood out to me. It said: A brand serves to create associations and expectations.
The way I see it, a brand has a perceived value. Each and every one of you is walking away from Michigan State today with a great deal of value; you all have something remarkable and unique to offer. You will never just be defined by your given job title (or lack thereof for those of you still trying to figure out exactly what you want to do). The average American holds 3 to 5 different careers and between 10 and 12 jobs in a lifetime. But there’s more to you—you’re more than that.
Every time that you choose to act with kindness, whether it be toward someone who has a lot of sway in your professional life or someone who doesn’t seem to matter to you at all right now, you’re building your personal brand. You never know when you might run into that person again, or what position they may be in when you do.
Every time you step up, put in that extra bit of effort, go beyond what’s written in your job description or just what’s expected of you, you’re building your brand. With all of the resources out there these days, you have the ability to continue learning long after you leave Michigan State. And there are so many people out there who would love to help you. All you have to do is ask.