I absolutely love this photo. Not because it’s perfectly posed but because the photographer caught a real moment.

Someone pulled out a phone, everyone leaned in, and for a few seconds we were just a group of people laughing together.

When I look at it now, I see something else. There’s probably a 25-year age span around that table. Immigrants and people born in Canada. People who work in corporate, government and non-profit. Consultants and in-house employees. Different careers, experiences, backgrounds and perspectives.

You might wonder what would bring this particular group together? Communication did.

And, more specifically, IABC/Toronto did.
I joined IABC more than 30 years ago because I wanted to learn and grow in my profession. I don’t think I understood then that some of the most important things I would gain wouldn’t be found in a conference session or professional development program. They would be found around tables like this.

The conversations, the introductions, the debates and the laughter. The people who challenge your thinking, open a door, recommend you for something, call when things aren’t going well, celebrate when they are, and somehow become friends along the way.

We talk a lot about the value of a professional network. Maybe community is a better word…because a network is who you know. Community is who pulls their chair closer so everyone can fit in the picture. ❤️

Thanks Kathryn Hollinrake for capturing this wonderful moment.