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Book Review: Aim For The Heart

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I picked “Aim For The Heart” by Al Tompkins off my bookshelf out of sheer desperation for something to read after finishing “Gone Girl”. I used to live with a fellow coworker, who was a TV news reporter. When he decided to move back across the country to Iowa, he only took what fit inside his car. He left behind a handful of books written for reporters, like this one.

The title struck me though, and the tagline “A Guide for TV Producers and Reporters” made me think I could find something useful inside. After reading it, one chapter at a time over two weeks, I’ve come away with a greater appreciation for reporters and a deeper understanding of how newsrooms operate. Tompkins is a former reporter and news director with 24 years of experience. He now works for Poynter Institute.

Right out of the gate he asks the reader to ask why they chose journalism for a career. “If we can’t explain why we do journalism, than how can we hope to do it well?” Some of the answers given by journalists in Tompkins workshops were:

  • To hold the powerful accountable.
  • To give voice to the voiceless.
  • To warn people of dangers.
  • To seek the truth.

Then he moves on to tackle some of the basics most people learned in college, for example: “write to video” and “use active verbs, avoid the passive voice.”

All things we’re taught in school, but it never hurts to have a refresher. The best chapter of the entire book is the last one. Tompkins talks about balancing the stress of working in news with your relationships with a partner or family.  In this business, to survive, you have to be able to be there for breaking news or big coverage. The pressure to work long and strange hours in news means the time spent with loved ones is that much more valuable. Be with them when you can.

He also touches on what makes someone successful in a hectic newsroom. That’s being able to stay positive, and help others achieve success by coaching, not fixing. I admit, I’m guilty of this. When the clock is ticking, I don’t have time to explain or wait for someone to get to the correct conclusion on the newest part of a story or the best lead. I often revert to the “If you want it done right, do it yourself” mantra. Tompkins argues by coaching those around you to be better producers, you create a stronger team and coworkers will in turn respect you for it. Coaches teach, Fixers just solve the immediate problem without explaining. Coaches ask, “How do we know this?” to bring the person they are coaching to solve the problem on their own, rather than declaring it wrong and changing it.

As a producer on her third year of working the morning show shift and going into work as most people are going to sleep, this book has helped reinvigorate me with a sense of journalistic duty and excitement about my work.  It’s also good to know that the stresses I endure daily are shared by news producers all across the country.

One quote I really enjoyed (so much so I tweeted it):

“The Constitution of the United States only mentions one profession, journalism, for specific protection.”

There is a ton of great advice and lessons I’ve left out of this review, because, well that would be plagiarism. To pick up a copy for yourself, go here.

 

Five Things I Would Tell My Freshman Self

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I’m officially done with my undergraduate career as of Friday, August 5. I walked across the stage, got handed an empty leather folder with a letter inside thanking me for four years of hard work and lots of money. Having graduated college, I was thinking back to my freshman year and the advice I wish I could have gotten and actually listened to. Here goes:

  1. Go to class.  Looking back over my transcripts, I realized I could have made all A’s my entire freshman and sophomore year if I had just only missed class when I was actually sick. My course load at that time was not overwhelming but still required time and effort. If I had only not been lazy and gone to every class, my GPA would be in much better shape.
  2. Not everyone is going to like you. and that’s totally okay. You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time. If people don’t like you, it is really their loss. Move on to people who appreciate your honest awesomeness.
  3. Ask for help sometimes. There will be times when you simply cannot do it all. You are not actually super woman and you might need help every now and then. It doesn’t always have to be help from your parents. Friends are there for a purpose too.
  4. Exercise more often. Not only is it super healthy and will keep you from getting a beer belly, it will de-stress you. And de-stressing is a vital skill to surviving the next insanely busy four years of your life. Why didn’t you figure this out before your senior year? Running and yoga are God’s way of chilling you out. Take advantage.
  5. Don’t be afraid of failure. Cause it’s gonna happen, no matter how much you plan. It’s better to make mistakes in college and learn from them, rather than at your first job. It’s from failing that you learn the most, not from success.

Summer Reading

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Summertime. No school means I can finally get back to reading for my own enjoyment again.

So far I’ve read:

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

This was quite possibly the most odd novel I’ve ever read. It’s about a carnival family and their ‘oddities’. Dunn takes the reader into the carnival world and introduces them to the complexities of a family that prides itself on being weird and not normal. Overall, enjoyable.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This book was absolutely amazing. It takes a look at the relationships between African American maids and their White employers in Jackson, Mississippi during the civil rights movement. The characters are written so real, you really think you know them. It’s being adapted for the big screen this summer and I can’t wait to see if they do the book justice.

Now I’m reading Ape House by Sara Gruen, since all copies of Water for Elephants are currently checked out. So far, it’s absolutely riveting. The Poisonwood Bible is next on my list. Any summer reading suggestions?

Politicians on Facebook?

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On a national level many politicians have embraced social media. The White House and several Congressman have Twitter accounts.  Now George W. Bush is on Facebook according to BBC News. Check it out http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10221253.stm

There is some debate on allowing politicians to manage their own online identities. Bush has received some criticism (what else is new?) about allowing his persona via Internet to be managed by a media representative. Bush did ask, “Are is our children learning?”. I don’t blame his manager for not giving him the reigns to his social media accounts. I think that for a national politician it is acceptable to allow your online presence to be handled by someone other then yourself.  Obama’s first tweet wasn’t even from his “personal account” but from the Red Cross account when he and the First Lady took a visit to the Disaster Operation Center in D.C.  in an effort to raise money for the people of Haiti. He says that he doesn’t know how to use Twitter. Personally, I don’t expect my President nor my state representatives or Senators to manage their own social media presences. Their responsibilities lie beyond updating Twitter. After all, that’s what they have staffers for.

On a local level, however, I think social media can be a huge benefit for politicians.

As the loss of traditional journalism increases and smaller newspapers close down, local politicians can and should utilize social media in their campaigns. Fewer and fewer people are reading the paper and news reports last a minute or two if you’re lucky. Adapting to today’s technology means cranking up a facebook page or twitter account.

This doesn’t mean uploading a picture and some information and calling it a day. Social media is like a toddler. It requires near constant attention. Update religiously and respond to what people are saying. Social media is not advertising. It’s a conversation. Twitter and Facebook are the perfect platforms for local and state politicians to speak directly with their constituents. Once a community is built it can run on it’s own but still needs supervision. Virtual town hall meetings, debates and rallies are all possibilities. It is also important not to flood your viewers with legal jargon. Speak in layman’s terms so the average Facebook user can understand.

And one more thing. Keep it consistent. The biggest mistake made when creating a social media campaign is not keeping it consistent with their non-social media messages. Put the same slogan/message/information on your roadside posters and flyers as your web site, Facebook and Twitter. Obviously, the conversation can be more in depth in your online communities but the basis of your message should be homogeneous.

I don’t know about you but I’m ready for a #jaxtownhall. 🙂

Food Service Skills That Transpose

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We all have bills to pay. In college it can be difficult finding a job in your field that isn’t nine to five and is willing to work around your class schedule. The majority of college students find part-time jobs working in either the retail or food industry.

I worked at an American Eagle for two days. I couldn’t take refolding the same shirts and jeans a hundred times a day. Thus, I’ve been working in the food service industry for the past three years. It isn’t always easy and it certainly isn’t always fun. Many students think that since their bill-paying job isn’t in their desired field that it becomes irrevelant in an interview.

FALSE.  These slightly higher then minimum wage jobs teach the following skills that are actually essential in the office:

Patience. It’s a virtue that doesn’t come easy to most people. Wikipedia defines it as,“the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way”.  Dealing with customers and restaurant guests is the ultimate test of one’s patience. You learn to bite your tongue, grin and smile. This comes in handy when dealing with a pushy or nosy coworker or waiting for your very busy boss’ feedback on a project.

Multi-tasking. The capability to do many things at once. The key to really making this skill useful is to not only complete tasks, but do them above and beyond expectations.  While you won’t be memorizing orders and refilling drinks in the office, the ability to take on more than one project at a time is priceless.

Organization. As Ben Franklin wisely said, “A place for everything, and everything in its place.” Most (good) restaurants or retail stores have a specific place for things. Dirty dishes go in the back, personal belongings go in a closet etc. Take this same idea to your cubicle and you’ll save a lot of time looking through papers/notes/business cards.

Customer Service. Last but most certainly not least. Knowing how to treat people in a kind manner, no matter the circumstances is not only vital in the work environment, I’d argue, it’s vital for life in general. The ability to calm someone down, make small talk, rub their egos and knowing when to do all that is invaluable.

Don’t think that your work experience can’t carry over into another field.

In a recent interview I was asked, “What skills can you bring to this company?” I talked about the basic knowledge I have of my field through school courses and extracurriculars. I also mentioned that I’d been working in a restaurant for over three years. I know how to deal with people and have exceptional customer service skills.

She was very impressed by this second point and remarked that customer service can make or break any company. Working retail/restaurant is the best job college students can have because it teaches them that very vital skill, she said.

In case you were wondering, I got the job. 😉