Q & A with Paula Havlik - UI Alumni Association

Q: You majored in speech as an undergraduate and graduate. How has that helped your career, and how do you manage to talk comfortably in front of large groups of people, a huge fear that many have?

A. Speech communication was a great all-purpose degree that taught me the fundamentals of how to organize and articulate my thoughts, since the program involved a lot of reading and writing, as well as speaking. Communication skills have been my mainstay throughout my career in public relations, development and alumni affairs. 

 For me, the secret of successful public speaking is to focus on your audience, not on yourself. Instead of starting with the points you want to get across, think first about who your audience is and what they want - and, more importantly, need - to hear. Nine times out of 10 they'll forget what you said but remember how good you made them feel about you and your organization.

Q: Your job at the Alumni Association has allowed you to travel all over the country and world. In a nutshell, what are some of the memorable experiences that come to mind?

A: Hanging on for dear life on top of the Great Wall of China in a gale wind - exhilarating, to say the least! Walking into a pub in London wearing an Illini T-shirt and being greeted with "Oskee-wow-wow!" by the bartender, who turned out to be a recent UI graduate; having lunch with the former president of South America and other VIPs in the heavily guarded Sao Paulo home of a Brazilian billionaire; standing in the middle of Moscow's Red Square, which I remembered from grim, black-and-white Cold War TV news footage during my childhood, and realizing that it is actually a place full of life and vivid colors; my first jaw-dropping sight of a European cathedral; the taste of freshly made pasta in Tuscany; the beautiful spires and bridges of Prague; and hundreds of other experiences I would [have] missed if not for my job at the Alumni Association!

Q: Your husband, John, was the senior graphic designer at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts for many years. How has the creative direction of his work rubbed off on your work and life over the years?

A: I've learned a lot from John about spatial relationships and the importance of careful observation, which has actually helped improve my writing skills. He also brings his design aesthetic to the hobbies we share, such as gardening, landscaping and home decorating. And I sometimes get drawn into his creative endeavors, like his recent Green Munckie project that mobilized graphic design students at Parkland to design an awareness campaign for community sustainability.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your job and about living and working in Champaign-Urbana?

A: C-U has some of the best advantages of a city without the hassles. I like being able to get wherever I need to go in 10 minutes, but also enjoy the opportunity to eat sushi at CoFusion or empanadas at Escobar and then see a performance by Yo-Yo Ma or the Chicago Symphony [Orchestra] at a fraction of big-city prices.

What I have always enjoyed most about my job is the people I get to meet. Illinois graduates are incredibly smart, accomplished, interesting and friendly folks. Helping these people connect with each other really makes me feel good.

Q: What is it you like to do most in your free time?

A: This probably doesn't sound very exciting, but we plan to spend quality time on our little farm in southern Illinois. As some of my colleagues know, because I bore them to death yakking about it, John and I bought my family's 33-acre farm outside Vienna, Ill., three years ago and have been slowly restoring the house, barn, pastures and woods. I've been keeping a journal about our experiences and hope to turn it into a book someday. Our 1930s farmhouse sits up on a hill, at the foot of which is the Tunnel Hill State Bicycle Trail, so we'll be biking on that and hiking in all the nearby state parks with our Walker Coonhound, Henry. We're also avid gardeners and will be spending a fair amount of time either working in or enjoying our gardens, both in C-U and at the farm.

Meet more of your fellow APs