NEW YORK — The key to success in today’s global economy is rooted in communication skills, Time Warner chairman and CEO Richard Parsons told an audience of more than 100 visiting students on Tuesday, June 14, in Pope Auditorium on Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus.
“The ability to inspire and communicate directly—at the end of the day, it is the single most important characteristic you can bring to the table,” Parsons said.
Parson’s lecture was a part of the conference sponsored by the Emma L. Bowen Foundation for Minority Interests in Media and hosted by the Donald McGannon Communication Research Center at Fordham from June 11 to 14.
The Bowen Foundation works to increase access to permanent job opportunities for minority students by connecting them with internships that start at the end of their junior year in high school and continue through college. Nearly 130 “future CEOs in training,” as Parsons described them, are participating in of the foundation’s media industry program this year.
Parsons discussed a variety of topics, including corporate communications, diversity in the media, networking, women in the workplace, competitive journalism and a need for mentors. He also encouraged students to be true to themselves as they set out to reach their goals in life.
“Figure out what you need to do to be deemed successful,” he said. “The rest takes care of itself.”
