Comm11007 – Week 3

Hi everyone,

1a. There are many events coming up in Canberra, so there is a lot to choose from. Two possibilities are:

– ACT Writer’s Festival
– Fashfest

1b. The inaugural ACT writer’s festival is taking place from the 26 – 28^th of August at various locations around Canberra. Power, politics and passion are the themes of the festival and there are many different activities taking place from workshops, panel sessions, keynote addresses and book launches.

Fashfest is Canberra’s annual fashion festival celebrating arts and culture as well as designer fashion. It is held from the 29 September – 1 October and features two curated and themed shows each night.

1c. Once I select the event to cover I will contact the organisers to see if accreditation is required.

1d. The writer’s festival has many sessions on each day and doesn’t have an opening speech. I think the following events would be good to attend:

• ACT Book of the Year Award
• Coffee and Papers with the Canberra Times and Festival Authors
• Closing address

There are many events scheduled including book launches, interviews, panels and discussions. I will attend several of these also.

Fashfest will be holding two shows every night and there are behind the scenes tours and after parties. I would attend all the shows, and contact the organisers to see if I could do a behind the scenes tour.

1e. For the writer’s festival I would try and get quotes from one of the organisers, an attendee and some of the authors or speakers. For Fashfest I would try and get quotes from one of the designers, a model, an organiser and an attendee/fashion enthusiast!

1f. Planning is important for many reasons, the top three are:

• Time flies – You will miss key things if you don’t know what is happening. What are the main events and when are they happening? If you are efficient, you are open to other opportunities.
• Find the schedule and have a plan – this will make sure you don’t miss anything
• Check is accreditation is required

Other key points are:

• Research key facts and people – who are the main people, is there someone famous coming
• Research logistics and access – how will you get there, where do you park
• Be prepared
• Be ready to adapt as the event unfolds – be efficient and you will guarantee that you capture the story and also have opportunities to explore new avenues that open up.

1g. My plan is to be very organised with this event and have a copy of the schedule, which events I will be attending and who I would like to interview. I will have a schedule for myself which will include locations and time frames to ensure I don’t miss anything! I will contact the organisers and let them know what I am doing, and also ask if I can interview someone from the team, as well as finding out if there are other interviewing opportunities.

1h. I am leaning towards the writer’s event as I think this will be interesting to a variety of people, seeing as this is a writing course! There are so many interesting events scheduled and fascinating people and topics. I believe this would make a good story and provide a lot of material.

2a.  The story is about a dog who was rescued from a dump and became a friend to the nurses in the remote community of Doomadgee.

2b. With his scruffy grey fur and missing teeth, Max the kelpie might not look like much of a superhero.

2c. Who – Max the kelpie
What – Max walks the nurses home who live off site
Where – Doomadgee
When – Now
Why – Not stated
How – Not stated

2d. I like human interest stories and I know it’s a light and fluffy kind of story but I thought it was really sweet. It reminded me of the story that the Red Dog movie was based on. The news is so overwhelmingly negative, with the worst of humanity constantly on display and terrible situations being reported on day and night. Sometimes it is great to see something heart-warming or positive. It was really sweet how the nurse adopted and looked after the dog, and then he started looking after the nurses. We need to be reminded that there are many good things happening in the world and acts of kindness and love happen every day, they just don’t usually make the news.

2e. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-01/unlikely-hero-of-doomadgee/7677286

 

 

 

 

 

Comm11007 – Week 2

Hi everyone,

I don’t know about you but I enjoyed this week’s blogging activity of researching Twitter. I hadn’t actually been on Twitter before and must admit that hours were spent scrolling and clicking on links, ‘following’ various people and researching interesting subjects. I will have to limit my Twitter time so I don’t spend too many hours in the world of social media, as opposed to the real world! Anyway this is blog two.

1. What are the top stories in your area of interest?

I found some interesting articles and tweets regarding NAPLAN. There were many different views from teachers, parents, education experts and journalists. The Australian had an article saying that good teaching and student wealth were the main predictors of success. The ABC had a tweet and article that said there have been no major improvement in literacy and numeracy despite record government funding. Sky news had some tweets and a link to a story saying that the results show that needs based funding is critical.

ABC News

Sky News

There were some interesting stories and tweets on Nauru. ABC news had an article and some tweets about an Amnesty International report which uncovered allegations of abuse and inhumane treatment. Sky News had a tweet and story which interviewed a Human Rights Watch representative claiming that there is a deliberate policy of abuse on Nauru. Human Rights Watch also had a tweet and story with the findings of their report.

The top twitter story when I was researching was on Jarrod Hayne. There were a lot of stories regarding his return to Rugby League and about joining the Gold Coast Titans. There were many TV news stories covering it from Sunrise to Fox Sports.

2. Numerous articles on the Jarrod Hayne story used tweets. On the http://www.news.com.au website in the ‘Parramatta fans are furious Hayne hasn’t returned’ story, there was a whole section dedicated to the social media reaction.

There were also some tweets in Nauru news stories. In the Huffington Post article titled  ‘Nauru Abuse ‘Allowed’ To Occur In Strategy To Deter Asylum Seekers: Amnesty And HRW Claim’ there were a number of tweets:

I couldn’t find any stories that had tweets about NAPLAN.

3. There were quite a few news stories that had tweets in them from political and social issues to movie and television reviews, it seemed to be fairly common. A couple of examples:

• Story: ‘What’s wrong with having a baby at 63?’

  

• Story:’Veteran gives Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump his Purple Heart’

4. I found a couple of tweets on organisations promoting events:

•  Telstra promoting ‘White Ribbon Night’

  

• ACT Government promoting ‘Australian of the Year’ awards

  

• Qantas promoting NAIDOC week:

  

  That brings me to the end of my first dip into the great big ocean of Twitter. Thanks for reading, if you have any suggestions please let me know 🙂

Comm11007: Week 1

Hi everyone,

This is my blog entry for week one.

1. What is each story about?

   Each story has a different perspective but both are about Billy Slater being named the official ambassador for Queensland Racing.

2. What are the differences between the two pieces

   The two articles were structured differently. The Queensland government article starts with some quotes from the Racing Minister Grace Grace. It then goes on to explain Billy Slater’s role and includes a few quotes from him. It then has a few quotes from Racing Queensland CEO and finishes with some details on Slater’s first appearance.

   The Bulletin article starts with Slater’s prior involvement with racing, then talks about the details of the arrangement. It then talks about Slater’s passion for racing and the possibility of becoming a trainer in the future. It finishes by mentioning the previous ambassador having quit after the greyhound racing scandal.

   Both articles mention certain points such as Slater’s passion for racing, his high-profile that will draw attention to racing and some details of the arrangement. The Queensland Government article has the perspectives of the Racing Minister and CEO, whereas the Bulletin article mentions the Gai Waterhouse link and also the previous ambassador.

3. Was there any follow-up or related coverage on social media?

   There was some coverage on the Racing Queensland Facebook page which had a post and photo of Slater at the event. There were also a few Twitter posts from Racing Queensland and Billy Slater.

4. Do you care about this – why or why not?

   I don’t care about this story because I have no interest in horse racing or Billy Slater!

 

 

 

Hi everyone :)

Hi everyone,

My name is Rebecca Chalker and I am studying a Bachelor in Professional Communication via distance. I am currently working full time and like most people, managing other commitments.

I try to keep a good balance in life and between zumba, exploring new places to eat, traveling as much as possible, church activities, and catching up with friends and family I keep myself pretty busy!

I have a passion for learning and communication, and am interested in the public affairs and media world, hence the decision to study! The media writing course looks really interesting and my aim is to learn as much as I can and develop skills, improve my writing and develop an understanding of the media world.

I look forward to reading everyone’s blogs, best of luck with your studies!

Bec

What makes a good public speaker?

There are several key skills involved in being a proficient public speaker, including:

• Engaging the audience
• Making the subject matter interesting
• Effectively using voice control, body language, facial expressions, eye contact
• Understanding the audience and pitching the message accordingly
• Preparation, perfecting and practice

Effective public speakers understand the necessity of preparation. There are very few people who can ‘wing it’ when it comes to delivering a presentation. Preparing gives the speaker time to research their audience and message, to practice and refine and also develop confidence. According to Cenere (2015) the planning process should include: a situational analysis, aims and objectives, target audience, key messages, strategies and evaluation.

I recently got married and it was important to me to say a speech. I spent around 4 weeks developing the speech, practising, amending and getting feedback. Although I was nervous before I spoke, once I began the nerves disappeared and I felt relaxed, comfortable and confident. Preparation was key in expressing myself effectively, making the most of the moment and also in feeling confident.

Caroline Gowder (Scott, 2015), developed a holistic approach to public speaking, called ‘The Disney Method’ (based on Walt Disney’s approach to making films)

There are 4 steps:

1. Dream: what is the ultimate result, visualise how you want the speech to go
2. Be realistic: go to work, research, prepare content
3. Be the critic: step back and view the content from the audience’s perspective. What else do they need to know? What will bring this to life for them?
4. Polish and refine: seek feedback

As with every skill, practice is essential to improvement. In addition to regular practice, evaluation and constructive feedback are key to development.  Anybody can improve their public speaking skills and grow confidence in their abilities.

 

 

 

 

References

Cenere, P, Gill, R, Lawson, C & Lewis, M 2015, Communication skills for business professionals, Cambridge University Press, Great Britain.

Charisma on Command: six public speaking tips to hook any audience, video, 23 Sep 2015, viewed 13 May 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8GvTgWtR7o

Julian Treasure: how to speak so that people want to listen, video, 27 Jun 2014, viewed 13 May 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIho2S0ZahI

Scott, N 2015, ‘8 ways to be a better public speaker in 2015’, Director, vol. 68, no. 4, pp. 4.

Your EQ

What is emotional intelligence? Daniel Goleman describes it as ‘a set of skills, including control of one’s impulses, self-motivation, empathy and social competence in interpersonal relationships’ Goleman (2009, p. 7)

Figure 1: Emotional Intelligence
Source: http://www.3cm.com.au

In his book ‘Emotional Intelligence’ Goleman identifies five key areas of EI (Cenere et all 2015).

• Self-awareness – some consider this the most important aspect of EQ. These people are aware of strengths and weaknesses and don’t allow emotions to dictate. They evaluate and develop themselves.
• Self-regulation – the ability to control emotions and impulses, to look at situations and evaluate before making decisions or responding. Often thoughtful, able to say no, have integrity and open to change.
• Motivation – self-motivated and able to focus on long term goals. Effective, productive and like a challenge.
• Empathy – often regarded as the second most important skill. Able to recognise and understand the feelings, wants and needs of others. Good at relating to people and not judging or stereotyping too quickly.
• Social skills – often team players, easy to talk to and generally liked. Able to manage disagreements and build relationships.

Emotional Intelligence is vital to understanding ourselves and others ‘individuals with high EI have greater empathetic ability, are able to understand self and counterpart emotions, and as a result may produce better outcomes’ (Choi 2015, p. 49).

What are some strategies for building emotional intelligence? (taken from Cenere et al 2015).

• Recognise emotions – identify what you are feeling and why. What is the best way to deal with those emotions in this particular situation?
• Look for the emotions of others – what are they feeling? What are the different approaches you could use?
• Develop an emotional vocabulary. Identify various words and phrases you can use
• Develop listening skills and assertiveness techniques
• Understand and adapt your communication style, depending on the person

  References

  Brendan Gouveia: Emotional intelligence, video, 11 Dec 2013, viewed 15 May 2016, https:www.youtube.com/watch?v=weuLejJdUu0

  Cenere, P, Gill, R, Lawson, C & Lewis, M 2015, Communication skills for business professionals, Cambridge University Press, Great Britain.

  Choi, J, Chung, G, Sung, S, Nazir, B, Moataz, S & Chang, J 2015, ‘Does emotional intelligence matter in interpersonal processes? The mediating role of emotional management’, Seoul Journal of Business, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 49.

  Goleman, D 2009, ‘Working with Emotional Intelligence’, Bloomsbury, UK.

  Phillip Crowe: Emotional Intelligence part 1, video, 28 Mar 2010, viewed 15 May 2016, https:www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVxdUqLJT6s

  Figure 1: digital image, viewed 15 May, 2016, http://www.3cm.com.au

What does your body language communicate?

Communication is so much more than words. Often non-verbal communication expresses more than words do. Non-verbal communication has many facets such as facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, body language, posture and tone of voice. There has been much research done on the importance of non-verbal cues in human communication.

Some researchers estimate that 65% of communication is non-verbal. An exact percentage is hard to estimate but the consensus is that non-verbals are as, if not more important than words (Cenere et al 2015).

If a speaker’s words contradict their body language, the audience is likely to believe the non-verbal cues instead of the message. This can undermine the speaker’s intentions and also have an impact on how the message is received.

Figure 1: Friends
Source:www.youtube.com

Conversely, if words and body language are aligned, the message will come accross as authentic and will be more likely to be received positively (Cenere et al 2015). According to Deepika (2015, p. 47) body language can have several different effects:

• Repetition – supports what is being said
• Complementing – adds to the words
• Accenting – emphasises certain elements of the message
• Substitution – replaces the words
• Contradiction – opposes the message, the speaker may appear misleading

Non-verbal communication is not only important in speeches, but in every day interactions; ‘non-verbal communication regulates relationships and can support or even replace verbal communications in many situations’ (Deepika 2015, p. 43).

Figure 2: It’s what you don’t say that counts
Source: http://www.tes.com

It does not come naturally to everyone; so how can this area be improved?

• Observation – start noticing non-verbals of others and yourself
• Evaluate – what do you think they are communicating?
• For something fun – watch movies or speeches and see what you can decipher
• Ask for feedback from trusted people
• If doing a presentation, record the speech and evaluate

Non-verbal communication is important, and essential to a message being received as intended. Anyone can develop and improve this skill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vicuZS0ChYQ

References

Cenere, P, Gill, R, Lawson, C & Lewis, M 2015, Communication skills for business professionals, Cambridge University Press, Great Britain.

Daniel O’Callahan: big bang theory on body language, video, 3 Mar 2013, viewed 6 May 2016, https:www.youtube.com/watch?v=vicuZSoChYQ

Deepika, P 2015, ‘The importance of non-verbal communication’, IUP Journal of Soft Skills, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 43, 47.

Kimberley Klawans: the importance of non-verbal cues as told by friends, video, 12 Dec 2013, viewed 11 May 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvEci5Bjgd4

Figure 1: friends, viewed 5 May 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvEci5Bjgd4

Figure 2: digital image, viewed 4 May 2016, http://www.tes.com

 

Roleplay

People perform many different roles in life, all of which come with certain expectations and requirements. Communication styles vary significantly depending on the role. For example, how an individual behaves and communicates in a professional setting with be very different from their behaviour in a personal or social environment: ‘humans adopt a specific behaviour guided by the expectations of what the role requires’ (Cenere et al 2015).

In the workplace my communication style is professional, respectful and appropriate and it varies depending on who I am interacting with. With colleagues I can be more relaxed and informal, but with managers or clients it is more appropriate to adopt a business-like approach. I vary my choice of language, tone and style depending on the audience and situation.

According to Hanke (2009, p.23-25), there are five traits of being a flexible communicator:

• Good listening skills – looking for non-verbal cues, asking questions
• Being open to change – keeping an open mind, resolving conflict
• Willingness to learn – open to new information and behaviour, seeking feedback
• Positive attitude – take responsibility, move forward and let go of mistakes
• Respectful – acknowledge that people are different, adapt to your listener

It is worth mentioning that changing communication style depending on the audience and role is not being inauthentic, or behaving as a different person. The analogy of the multiple hats is helpful as the person remains the same, but modifies their behaviour as required. This is maturity, to recognise what is required in different circumstances and adjust.

Being able to adapt to the requirements of various roles in life allow us to function effectively both in the workplace and in our personal lives.

 
Figure 1: Cartoon
Source: Cartoonstock (2012)

 

References

Cenere, P, Gill, R, Lawson, C & Lewis, M 2015, ‘Communication skills for business professionals’, Cambridge University Press, Great Britain.

Hanke, S 2009, ‘Communication styles: what is your impact on others’ Professional Safety, vol. 54, no. 5, pp. 23-25.

Communication matters

Hi all,

Welcome to my blog!

This is not only my first blog, but also my first year of university and distance education – 2016 is all about new things!

I have not yet posted anything but will do so in the coming weeks, any constructive feedback is welcome as this facilitates improvement! The blog topics look very interesting for this subject.

Thanks,

Rebecca Chalker