Barb's Story -  Barbara Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND

Greetings, fellow nutrition professionals! Welcome to NutritionCommunicator.com.  My name is Barb Mayfield. I am here to lead you on your journey as a nutrition communicator. I can help you create effective communication that captures your signature style. Your style is characterized by your experiences, your interests, and your personal story.  
 

          I'll tell you my story & invite you to write yours!

 

I have enjoyed teaching and creating educational resources since I was a teenager.
My first audience was preschool-age children in my neighborhood in Ithaca, NY. I created a program called “Playschool” and each summer our backyard became a learning playground.

 

Years later, I built on that experience to create nutrition classes for children in my local WIC program which grew into a national program. Teaching nutrition to children became part of my signature style and my professional expertise.
Through resources and workshops, I taught other nutrition professionals effective communication strategies with children. On the Resources page, you can find several free downloadable lessons for teaching children. I enjoy teaching a variety of audiences, but children are a favorite of mine.

What audiences do you want to reach?

 

Like many young professionals, I became active in my local dietetic association, now the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. I gravitated to roles that involved nutrition communication like volunteering to be on television or the radio. Promoting National Nutrition Month was a personal favorite and my signature style was to write a song that fit the annual theme. I was nicknamed “the singing dietitian” by my peers for this unusual, but effective approach to teaching others. Songs were an integral part of my lessons for children and you can find some favorites on the Resources page.

How might you creatively deliver your messages?

 

The subject matter that we gravitate to is part of our signature style. My 20 years at WIC and raising three children were instrumental in forming interests in building positive feeding relationships, supporting breastfeeding, and promoting family meals. Many of the presentations and resources I created focused on these areas. The Resources page has several you are welcome to use.

What topic areas are you drawn to learn about and communicate to others?

What personal and professional experiences have led to these interests?

 

An underlying theme to my signature style has been a keen interest in becoming a better communicator. As both an undergraduate at Purdue University and then as a graduate student at Cornell University, I minored in communication.  My continuing education choices have focused on building my communication knowledge and skills. I joined Toastmasters in 2001 and continue to participate in a local club, working to become a better communicator.

In what areas are you interested in building your communication knowledge,

skills, and confidence?

 

For 16 years I taught Nutrition Communications to undergraduate students as a faculty member in Purdue University’s Department of Nutrition Science. It was here I identified and developed my signature style for leading others to become more confident and effective nutrition communicators. I studied and taught the art and science of effective nutrition communication:                       

 

• assessing audience needs,

• creating clear, evidence-based, life-changing messages, and

• selecting and creatively utilizing a wide variety of communication channels

• speaking, writing, video and audio production, demonstrations, and more.

 

After retiring from Purdue I was invited to serve as Editor–in–Chief for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' book: Communicating Nutrition: The Authoritative Guide. This book will serve as a legacy for current and future nutrition professionals. It is an honor to use my expertise in such an impactful way.

 

Now is your time. What is your story? Who is your audience? What is your message? What strategies and channels will you use to creatively share your signature style with the world? It would be my pleasure to lead you to communicate with confidence -- to educate, inspire, and motivate. Let’s get started.