EP 51: Caribbean Grit, Strategic Voice with Dr.Kimberley Williams

Listen as Raven Heyward, founder and host of DiversifyHER, converses with Dr. Kimberley Williams. She is an award-winning educator and Assistant Professor at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, recognized by Poets & Quants as one of the Top 50 Undergraduate Business Professors. She holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Alabama and specializes in student engagement, instructional design, and strategic communication.

Dr. Williams teaches managerial and corporate communication, using experiential learning and global collaboration to help students become effective, thoughtful communicators. Her work also includes leading workshops and presentations on communication, negotiation, and innovative teaching practices.

Before academia, she was a professional track and field athlete sponsored by PUMA, competing internationally at events like the Pan-American Games and World Championships.

Connect with Dr.Williams:

LinkedIn: Kimberley Williams 

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Background

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Diversify Her Podcast. I'm your host, Raven Hayward, and today I'm honored to have Dr. Kimberly Williams. She is a passionate educator, researcher, and leader committed to transforming education through innovation and engagement. She was recognized as one of Poe and Quant's top 50 best undergraduate business professors and honors that reflects her impact on students' learning, pedagogical innovation, and excellence in teaching. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration from the University of Alabama, where her research focused on student engagement in online spaces and instructional design. Currently serving as an assistant professor at the Kenan Feigler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dr. Williams teaches managerial and corporate communication, educates students on the art and power of effective communication, and explores strategic writing concepts. Her instructional approach emphasizes experiential learning, global collaboration, and reflective practice. She regularly designs learning experiences that expose students to contemporary business writing and presentation strategies while fostering inclusive, thoughtful, and innovative classroom dialogue. I've had the pleasure of taking one of her courses, and I truly do appreciate the warm environment that Dr. Williams invites, as well as fostering collaboration. And as a former Puma-sponsored professional for track and field athlete, Dr. Williams competed internationally, including the 2015 Pan American Games, where she placed fourth place, and the 2015 Beijing World Champions, placing 16th place. She represented the Puma group globally for five years, bringing the same discipline, resilience, and performance mindset from elite athletics into her work as an educator and mentor. So thank you so much for just taking the time out of your day to have this episode. How are you doing today?

SPEAKER_01 2:14

Thank you, Raven. I'm doing well. I appreciate you having me on your uh podcast. Um, this is really an honor for me as well. I loved you as a student in my class. And so any way that I can support you, I am happy, very happy to be here.

Growing Up In Jamaica Through Sport

SPEAKER_00 2:28

Yes, thank you so much. I'm very relieved and glad that we could finally get this on each other's schedules. I know that we've had such busy lives lately, and especially with this being my last semester at Keenan Flagler, I wanted to make sure to take advantage of the opportunity. So I've read your bio, and I'm sure everyone is very eager to hear what you have to say. But one note that I did leave out is that you're originally from Jamaica, and so I would love for you to just share your journey about growing up in Jamaica and coming to the States and just how that's really shaped, you know, who you are as a person, but also how with being an athlete and being Jamaican has also crossed over to your profession now.

SPEAKER_01 3:17

Such a good question. Um, I love all things Jamaica. I think Jamaica is the foundation of my personality and you know how I approach and view, you know, a lot of different situations. Um, I'd like to say that my upbringing in my childhood was one of warmth and resilience. Um I had, you know, really great opportunities to attend, you know, good schools and have good mentors and good, you know, experiences and relationships. And track and field was has always been a part of my life. So I ran as a junior Jamaican athlete, and that, you know, track and field gave me the opportunity or a window into coming to the states and going to college to rent for the University of Alabama. So that was kind of my trajectory to the states. Um, and so I bring a lot of my think my Caribbean flair. So I am excited about things, I'm resilient, I'm relaxed, um, and no nonsense all in the same time. And so that that level of resiliency, I think, comes shines really nicely through. Um, and that that comes from my Caribbean background and my Caribbean heritage. And so coming to the States, I I felt like I had a good level of confidence and surety, just you know, from my Caribbean background to manage, you know, kind of state life, you know, very well. And I had a lot of good people help me along the way. And so during my undergraduate years and then into my master years, um, doing my master's at UA, I just had a lot of good support and people looking out for me. Um, and so track and field is the undercurrent of how I got into teaching. Um, I was kind of at a crossroads. Should I go to law school, which was the day one dream, or should I take another year of, I had a year of eligibility left, should I just do something else in the meanwhile on the way to law school? Um, and so I did the latter, law school and track can be a lot. Um, and so when I went to do my master's, it really gave me a good opportunity or a window into teaching just by chance. Like I just decided I wanted to do something that I didn't do before. Um, and again, a little bit of carame and flair. We always think we can do stuff, and so I'm not afraid to kind of try something new. And it went really badly. Like my teaching, first teaching experiences wasn't very good. And so my the I think the athlete in me allowed me to say, okay, what did I learn from this and how can I be better? Um, and I really enjoyed it. And so that kind of resiliency, again, is another Caribbean flair that I think I bring through never giving up on the first try, another little athlete, you know, mindset as well. And I think a lot of that has, you know, still carried with me throughout this kind of you know academic journey that I now find myself on. And this is my passion and this is my career. Um, and I no longer want to do law, even though I still love law, but I like the teaching environment. And so if I could wrap up everything, I was saying my Caribbean background, my athletic background is really the foundation to some of the success that I've had as I, you know, continue my career in teaching.

Culture As A Communication Skill

SPEAKER_00 6:42

Yes, I love that. And even with me, you know, sort of having my athletic background as well, with being a gymnast and then being a cheerleader, you know, you always hear that it really is about the grin, it's about the process. And you know, practice may not make perfect, but it does make for better and for improvement. And so with you teaching with communication and me specifically taking your intercultural communication class, where we did a project actually with students that were based in Malaysia or Japan, sorry, but you did go to Jamaica. I mean, go to Malaysia for the GIE. And so I also love to talk about that as well. But with those working with the students in Japan and just through that experience, um, could you kind of walk me through with, you know, you mentioned how y'all are kind of relaxed and having that Caribbean flair? Like how did the communication kind of cross over once you came to the States? And even with, you know, that being your profession and that being the class that you teach us, in what ways have you kind of taken life lessons to apply it to your teachings?

SPEAKER_01 7:55

That's such a good one. Um first of all, I'm I'm big on exposure to culture because I think be it in Jamaica, I'm aware of US culture. We see it all the time, but sometimes when I come to the US, I feel like people not are not as aware of Jamaican culture. And so sometimes you find yourself in a space where you're educating them about some of the nuances that they think they may know. Um, and what I love about communication is I can pull from several different areas that I feel like I have the expertise in and share that with students. So we can talk about culture from a business perspective, organizational culture, what you learn on the job, and then we can also talk about culture in and of itself, uh nationality and difference, and what does that look like? And so that's what I love about my communication role and my professor role in this particular topic is that I'm able to pull on those experiences. And I think those experiences are really valuable for students because as much as we are very similar, we have such distinct differences in the way we things that we believe, you know, how we speak, how we interact, how we build something as simple as like trust and collaboration. Um, and I feel like people need to know that because it feels students, I should say, need to know that because it feels greater understanding as you transition from what I like to call the safety of the university environment, right, um, into the more complex workplace data and organizational culture where your environment might be multi-generational, multicultural, right? And so it it it's it's the experiences that I've had working with Japanese students, um visiting Malaysia, my Caribbean background and being in the States just allow me to it it actually adds a little bit of credibility and solidify some of the things that I teach students and what I encourage them to do as they find their own path and how communication is a central foundation to that. It's not just like what you say, it's how you say it, how you make people feel, how you connect with their culture, even though you haven't been a part of that. Because those things develop into relationships, and while you are in your workplace environment, the work is still key. You still gotta do the work, but it's the relationships that you make along the way that get you the promotion and it gets you into certain doors and access to certain people. Um, and I think communication is the foundation of some of those things that can happen.

SPEAKER_00 10:27

Yes, definitely. And I think you bring up a lot of good points in saying that. And I know specifically you talking about those relationships, but for students who maybe aren't sure how to foster those relationships, or again, they may be having different cultural backgrounds, what are some tips that you would encourage students to use, or even if they are trying to connect with someone but they're seen as higher up in the company, or maybe they're of older age, like how do you kind of find a middle ground and you know really maintain that relationship throughout those years?

SPEAKER_01 11:08

You have to take it. So, my first tip use the university environment for how it's designed. It is your you know place to make mistakes. And and I think what students do is that they're trying to be like the perfect person within the university environment. Um, but this is your trial and error time. So if you are interested in making connections or you're working on your language, or you are you know trying to get more confidence in an area, start with your classroom. Start with the peers that are with you in the classroom and just start talking there. People underestimate the power of chit-chat. Just coming in and talking about a topic that in and of itself gets you comfortable with your own voice, you get to build a little bit of confidence. Start with talking to your professors that gets you experience with multi-generational folks that you will be within your work environment. Strike up a conversation about something that is interesting. Um, and then the more you do it consistently, right, the more it becomes kind of commonplace. If you find that there is maybe an international student within your classroom, see ways in which you can partner with them and learn from their culture. Because again, that gives you window and insight into just another classic. Um, and so you have to take advantage of like where you currently are and the fact that you have these opportunities that I sometimes don't think students are tapping into because it's it's almost too easy. I go in this class every day, all right. I'm sitting here, I just kind of want to get the work done. But how can you make those relationships and practice those skills that you know you will need in that work environment in a safety of the university environment? Your professors will always talk to you, that might not happen in your work environment. Some people don't have time to interact and share things. Um your classmates will always have a conversation with you. So you just you're just practicing these very critical connection skills in a safe environment. And I will tell students to take advantage of that every single day. Don't wait until the end when you're about to do these interviews or you're humbled with networking opportunities and you don't know where to start. Start just in the classroom. Shit tagging all the time.

SPEAKER_00 13:25

Um, those are definitely some useful tips that I know I've personally used. Um, some of my closest friends that I have, it we started off in the classroom and just making sure to sit beside each other each day or compare notes and stuff after class. So that's definitely become effective. And as you were talking, I was kind of thinking of just another factor of with you being an athlete and at your university, you know, at Keenan Flywood, we have several student athletes in our program. And I feel that sometimes for the athletes, it can maybe be a different transition of, or even harder for them to make those connections in the classroom because you know, maybe they're coming from workouts or they have to rush and go to lift after, you know, they have meets and they have games, and so they're not able to really communicate and like just be a part of the regular student kind of community because they are having to go back and forth to their team and you know, athletic duties that they have to the university. So did you notice with your college experience, or maybe even students that take your class that are part of athletics, maybe having trouble with that specific communication skill as you see it transferred into the professional setting, or just even transitioning from being an athlete to now just only being a profession in your skill? Like, do you feel that there is a shift that maybe not a lot of people talk about?

SPEAKER_01 14:59

I mean, as a former athlete, I think there needs to be a shift in kind of the athlete mindset when you transition from um a purely athletic background to now professional background, right? Your skills are 100% transferable, right? The all the skills, the the tenacity, the drive, the confidence, the determination, all of those skills are what people want in the workplace. You are a leader, you're a part of a team, it just looks a little different. And so while you might not be able to stay back and chit-chat with the group, you do have a strong network of people within the athletic arena, right, that you can pull from. And so um I would encourage athletes not to be disadvantaged that you're not living the normal student life. You are living just a different version of that experience. I would say having lived that different version, I mean, I might not be able to go on certain events or do certain things after class, but I can be involved, more involved in the in-class presence when I'm there. Right. So instead of all the athletes sitting together, sit with someone else that may be outside your athlete circle. So you can just get a different perspective, right? Still connect with professors, um, still be a part of, and I I know the athletic department probably has opportunities for athletes to join groups and organizations, but give it a try. Um, you you you have to really push yourself to make the necessary connections that you think you're worthwhile. You want to kind of have a vision. If from athlete to professional athlete is your vision, go forth with that. Um, if athlete to now uh business uh prof uh uh organizational culture is gonna be a transition, what's your plan for that? So if you can plan ahead as best as you can, because we know the plans always change. You you heard my plan change um from law to teaching. But just putting yourself in an opportunity for you to get creative, to get like let other people inspire you or spark creativity or spark just different thought processes. And I think that's where a student athlete really needs to, you know, think about. I am a hundred percent, everything that I'm doing is going well right now from the student athlete perspective. Where where else can I add, or how can I build within the realm that I'm already in?

SPEAKER_00 17:29

And so I think today in just our society and kind of our culture, you know, we've had a lot of unprecedented issues arise, and we're just in unprecedented times at the moment, and I feel that communication is so essential with what a lot of people may be going through or dealing with? How do you effectively communicate in times where it feels like maybe what you say or what you do could potentially get you canceled per se, or just with the environment that sometimes can be hostile and maybe not necessarily a safe space? How would you recommend that uh we navigate that?

SPEAKER_01 18:21

That's a good question. It's a hard one. Um I think a lot of times people think communication is just talking, but sometimes it's listening and observing. Right? I think it's important for us to when we get into certain spaces, to listen and observe, like what's the lay of the land, like who is saying what, what is really being said, um, is it directed to you? Do you have an opinion? What is that opinion um gonna reflect within this space? And and and it makes it a lot more this listening and this observing makes communication a lot more strategic in times where there is uncertainty, where there can be fear, where there can be misunderstanding. And so I my thought process is that whenever you're in a room, it's it's good for you to kind of step back and listen and observe to see if this is a space that is going to value the your voice, if this is a space that um is going to allow you to articulate your thoughts very clearly, or do you need some time to collect those thoughts and come back, right? Um, so that we not only protect our credibility, but also protect our mindset within a space, whether or not it be a positive or negative one. Um, and so it's it's in a time where there should be less talking and more kind of observing the room and listening to the conversations to see where we can add or where our silence will be either one of uh resilience and strength in an area where whatever's being said is not worthy of your time, or you know, one in which we can say something that will ensure that we articulate our thoughts very clearly and maintain our our credibility, especially in situations where that can seem like a challenge. That was a hard one. I hope I said that. I hope I articulated that clearly.

SPEAKER_00 20:28

Yes, I think you did, and I feel that it is a hard question because oftentimes with communication, sometimes there's not necessarily a right or wrong because it can look so different, and even as you said, communication may not always be talking, it could just be listening and observing, it could be body language, it could kind of just be physical cues, like there's a lot that goes into it. And you know, I know that with your work, you some have been able to conduct seminars and topics that are ranging about powerful communication and even redesigning students' engagement in teaching. And so I would love to know from your perspective and with you doing those seminars, in what ways have you kind of seen the changes and the shift to really having interacting learning, especially in college settings or university settings?

SPEAKER_01 21:32

I love the college and university settings because of the curiosity from students. So I think students right now are really hungry for applicability. What I mean by that is when I'm teaching about communication, I want to show it actually happening out there, um, the good and the bad, so that we can have a discussion about what that looks like. And I often frame that discussion in the fact that communication is strategic. There's so many things that go into it. Um and it can and it can look subjective, but there can be a strategic process to how you approach uh good or bad situations. And so with the seminars that I teach, I always try to have an interactive element where students can apply the theory to the practice. Um, because in a university environment, we are collecting a lot of knowledge, but all of that knowledge won't be necessary in our organizational environment. You have to know when to apply that knowledge and when that knowledge is just not relevant for that space. And so is that balance that I really try to create to look at strategic communication as a strategic process, to showcase examples in which we can look at the pros and the cons, right, and the in-between so that there is no one perfect way, right? That way in which you are going to communicate whatever, whether that be verbal or through silence, is going to have an impact on your audience. You need to have the forethought of who may be in the room and may connect with your message in a positive or negative way. And you have to be ready to tailor that message so that at the very least, right, you achieve your intent and purpose. And so it's always a strategic process. And I love teaching it in the college setting because it blends that theory to practice and it gives them the as students the applicability to say, okay, I can actually do this thing. This is something that I can practice. It turns it more into a skill rather than this just happenstance thing that they're doing. Um, and so I feel that there's really great power. That's why I love the university environment, right? It gives them that power and create and that ability just to be more creative.

SPEAKER_00 23:39

Yes, definitely. And even going off the creativity element, I love how with our class you were able to bridge us working with students from Japan. And that was my first time ever doing something like that in class. And I would love for you to just talk more about that experience and how you fostered that connection for us to even do that in your class, and then also about um your global immersion elective in Malaysia.

Japan Collaboration And Malaysia Immersion

SPEAKER_01 24:10

Yeah, I mean, ArtClass was awesome. So um, intercultural, I always believe you can't just read about culture. You have to live it. Like you need to touch it and feel it and experience it. And so I had a prior partnership with Kansai University through the Global Immersion Elective. Um, and that was just, you know, me sharing, like I have thoughts about doing this and people hearing it, and then you know, thinking of me when an opportunity came up. Um, and so that fusion was just to allow our students in our class to really put the theory of what we were reading about and of the culture into practice to see if there was a bridge between the two and to also gain some experience, right? Because not everybody can possibly travel abroad, but in a core format, we get the benefit of internationalization right at home, like right within our computer. Um, and so I wanted to create a moment for you all where it wasn't just us reading about what all these other cultures are doing, but you actually had to experience that and the challenges that come with that, because culture isn't stagnant and it must be learned. Um, and the same thing is happening with the GIE course that I'm gonna be doing this spring. It's called Business in Asia, and our focus is really on innovative solutions that are happening with sustainability, especially in the country of Malaysia. So Malaysia is gonna be our host city, we're gonna partner with Japanese and Malaysian students. Um, and so what I what I have planned for our students is for us to look at the concept of sustainability, which is very worldwide, right? Everybody has different viewpoints on it, but blend it with culture because different cultures view sustainability in different ways. We're gonna look at three SDG goals um climate action, uh, clean energy, and sustainable communities, which is a thread that runs within almost every culture, right? Everybody's looking at climate action in different ways. Um but culturally, those viewpoints may be different. Um, everybody's looking at ways in which we can preserve our energy. We're in the AI world, and data centers are, you know, a hot you know investment issue, um, but also one that is very fruitful for technological progress. How does that look like in different cultures? Um and communities, sustainable communities, we have housing issues within the US, um, and those kind of challenges extend through a lot of other cultures as well. So it's really just again making the things that we experience every single day applicable within the classroom environment. So students build knowledge from it, they know how to share and communicate with it. I'm hoping that you know, you've taken my class, you can talk about your experiences in a more confident way. And if you have to go into a work environment where you're working with somebody that is multicultural or somebody from a different cultural background, you know how to navigate that. Even if they're just, I don't know, from California or from Alaska or from Jersey, right? You know that there's going to be difference and you're open and more confident in that perspective. And so um this VIE course is to help build that, help build your communication, your applicability to talk about current events, your um kind of ways in which you express current topics. And so I'm I'm hoping that these are the objectives that are being achieved. Um, and so I try to make sure I I generate a class that achieves those aims.

SPEAKER_00 27:38

Yes, I definitely know I appreciated the um opportunity that we had within our class. And I've heard amazing things about the Malaysia GIE. Um, some of my friends went on it last year, and um even the few GIEs that I've been on, I they've been such amazing experiences. And I think that's something that I always get told if you have the opportunity to study abroad, to learn abroad, even just to go be abroad, to take advantage of it, because there's so much that you learn from experience and even just from traveling. And so with that, and us now coming to the end of my episode, I have a signature question that I asked, which is what's one piece of advice you would give Gen Z to go out and diversify themselves?

SPEAKER_01 28:29

Oh, oh good. Um, one piece of advice take a chance on yourself. Right. So you have really cool ideas. You have things you want to do, you have things that you want to explore. Give it a try. Make some connections. So get out of your phone, or even you know, take it from just phone viewing to actual real life connections. And it may work out great, and you might have some pitfalls along the way, but it's the process. Like it's not perfection, it's the process because you you learn so much from your mistakes. Um, you're just better attuned to doing things better. It builds up this kind of resilience and confidence that you can't have if you don't give yourself the room to try. That's my advice.

SPEAKER_00 29:26

My grandpa always says nothing beats a try but a fail. So if you never try, then you always fail. And I think that is very important, and especially with us being in the new year, I think that is a great resolution to have to just always give everything a try. And with it being a fresh start, like you just never know to take a chance on yourself. And I think that was a golden nugget. So thank you so much for coming on. I really appreciate all of your insight. And again, you taking the time out of your day to be here with me today. Thank you to everyone for listening to this episode. I'll make sure you have that information in the bottom below. Thank you again for listening, and I'll