My aspirations after graduation revolve around television and radio reporting. This has been my dream and definition of career since my childhood. Attaining this goal is not an easy thing, and it calls for a multi-disciplinary approach. By multidisciplinary, it means that one has to be molded from different viewpoints, so as to effectively realize the dream. Apart from getting the educational perspective of the career, it is essential to listen to and be guided by the experiences of the people that have been in the field long enough (Jenkins et al 2013). Such speakers can guide an individual by motivating them and shedding light on the ups and downs of a career in the media industry. While this is the case, I must say that I found these speakers – Jim Carroll, Linton Besser and Mike Williams – exceptionally engaging and interesting. Their speeches were quite resourceful and encouraging. This paper endeavors to explain how and why the speakers were the most interesting, engaging and helpful as far as my post graduation aspirations are concerned.
In the September 10 address, Jim Carroll of SBS TV conveyed a very important message. Carroll is no doubt one among the most interesting speakers I have met. Perhaps one of the qualities that make him outstanding is the fact that he does not just educate the audience, but also explains a number of reasons why the contemporary world embraces the career that he is talking about - a career in journalism. Relating a topic to contemporary issues is arguably one amongst the ways of upholding relevance. Further, such connection make the audience better understand what the speaker is seeking to illustrate (Niemi, 2006). Going beyond education means that the speaker must embrace some aspects of experience and personal narrations. Jim Carroll uses illustration from both within his career and within the industry as a whole. One thing worth noting is the actuality that the position Carroll holds currently is, in it, a motivation since it is so much related to what I want to achieve after graduation – being a reporter on TV or radio.
Being the head of news and current affairs, Carroll gives a detailed explanation of how the media industry changes in accordance to changes in technology. From his speech, I established that Carroll is a person worth looking up to because he is well versed with the changes and the emerging trends in the media industry – both social media and mainstream media. His explanations of the connection between viral media and social media platforms reveal the tremendous role of media in society. Jim Carroll’s mastery of the recipes for viral media is the most interesting aspect of his speeches. Carroll has a unique capability of bonding with his audience. He forms a certain link between himself and the audience, such that communication becomes easy. Ultimately, Jim Carroll is not just a professional speaker, but also a motivational figure that gives his audience the reason ad hope to carry on.
Award winning journalist Linton Besser of Fair Fox is another noteworthy speaker as far as engaging the audience is concerned. Besser, who adopts a unique approach, one of some kind of press conference with questions and answers, has the greatest potential to actively engage the audience. Through the asking and answering of questions, Besser creates a link with his audience, which serves as a way of establishing whether or not there is communication taking place. Besser is no doubt a very interesting speaker as gives real life examples of what media is all about. Additionally, he has the most updated information about social media, including the statistics. This is a show of a clear mastery of the media profession. Since I want to be a reporter on radio or TV, it makes sense that I endeavor to master ways, apart from the traditional ones, of accessing trending news, such as social media like Facebook, twitter and YouTube. The prominence with which Besser addresses such media makes his speeches interesting because as a matter of fact, the current generation is so much connected to social media.
Linton Besser is not only educative and interesting, but also capable of influencing and entertaining. Arguably, Besser’s sessions are more interactive that educative. Unlike the traditional unilateral communication style where one stands before the audience and give them some kind of lecture, the interactive approach is more entertaining and engaging. Additionally, this was the speaker whose explanations embraced the centrality of social media in today’s information spectrum. Besides the great achievements made, Besser‘s involvement in investigative journalism gives him the potential to influence the minds of the audience because, as a matter of fact, investigative journalism is the most interesting aspect of today’s media world (Niemi, 2006). It is a matter of common knowledge that when an individual is addressing an audience, such audience will give them a keener ear and a keener eye if the speakers are great achievers in the field that the members of the audience seek to venture into.
Speaking on the 22nd day of October, Mike Williams was another name among the list of the most interesting speakers. A guru in multimedia and current affairs, Mike Williams is quite an entertainer, if his illustrations are anything to go by. In his speeches, Williams creates a close link between post graduation practice and academia. He gives the explanations of that which he intends to communicate, and accompanies such explanations with relevant examples, which add weight to the points being put across. According to Jenkins et al (2013), good speakers and influential media personalities have the capacity to create a rapport with their listeners. Mike’s ordinary beginnings and current achievements helped establish a communication rapport between the audience and the speaker. This is essentially because, telling us of his career’s starting point revealed that we, who had yet to graduate, could achieve the heights of success he had achieved. So basically, we were not any different.
Williams has the quality that every media personality ought to have – a good voice. Additionally, he incorporates a light sense of humor, which eliminates the tension and possibility of lack of concentration. He also brings himself out as an example of success in the media industry. This brings in an aspect of personal motivation and optimism. Such are the factors that make me see that, I, just like Williams and other the big names in the industry, can achieve my dream after graduation. Unlike the other speakers, Williams addressed all aspects of media – ranging from print to digital and even online media. This comprehensive approach gives the audience the ability to appreciate the links between all forms of media.
Reference List
Jenkins, H., Ford, S., & Green, J. (2013). Spreadable media: Creating value and meaning in a networked culture. New York: New York University Press.
Niemi, R. (2006). History in the media: Film and television. Santa Barbara, Calif. [u.a.: ABC-CLIO.
