Become a Better Broadcaster: 12 Essentials that Will Set You Apart from Your Peers

Photos - Jamaican broadcasters ABOVE (l-r) Moya Thomas, Danae Ramgolam, Simone Clarke-Cooper & Hume Johnson; BELOW Australian news presenter Sharyn (middle) is all smiles with Gunn Bratland (r) trainee newscaster for 7 News, Townsville.

The following musings are excerpts from a book I am working on based on my experience as a broadcast journalist and as a Journalism lecturer and professional trainer of wanna-be radio and Tv presenters in Australia and Jamaica. Feel feel to share your comments and views.

One of the most profound remarks that I learned as a student of Broadcast Journalism and which really opened by eyes to the learned craft of on-air presenting and what makes one broadcast/broadcaster superior in impact than another was that broadcasting was a misnomer - an incorrect or inappropriate name/expression. This gem of wisdom came from Jamaican broadcast trainer, Dwight Whylie. He was taking a journalism class in which I was a participant. He remarked that the term 'broadcasting' is actually misleading and a "more accurate term would be 'narrow-casting;, he said. I have seen that in many broadcasting texts since then, but I was 21 years old and that was the first time I had heard this expression, and it was like a lightbulb had been turned on it my head. It occurred to me then that I did not even get what “broadcasting” actually meant!

It took me a while to wrap my head around this too. I thought - what the heck is he talking about, does it matter? Oh Yes, it does. What Whylie meant was that the broadcaster’s audience is never as “broad” as the term ‘broad-casting’ suggests. In fact, it is a very “narrow” audience of one. This is because people listen to radio and watch TV individually. Even in a group setting, each person is interacting with the medium, and processing the information individually. The broadcaster is this encouraged to speak as though he or she is speaking to only one person (through the microphone and/or television camera), not to a wide audience. If done well, the presenter sounds more credible, sincere and the audience will be more given to receiving the information.

Besides this, it is important for broadcasters to realise that they have access to people’s lives since they appears on the radio or on a television set in people’s homes – in their bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms, dens, dining rooms. In short, aside from the broadcaster’s own family, his /her audience is a total and absolute stranger. The broadcaster is therefore obliged to treat this (invisible) audience with respect. You are a guest in your audience’s life so do not become over familiar. Display courtesy of language and proper decorum.

Here are twelve essentials that will help you to become a better broadcaster, but will set you apart from your peers:

1. Never Patronise, Neither Suck Up to Your Audience
I do not believe any purpose is served by ‘suffering fools gladly’ but too many of today’s broadcasters assume a superior attitude and talk down to people. Speak at one level, that is, never patronise nor act sycophantic (suck up to). Whylie’s advice was to picture a respected friend and speak to/ with that one person. I, however, prefer the term “communicate” instead of “speak”. This is because communication is more suggestive of a conversation between intelligences whereas to speak maybe (or can be) limited to simply verbalizing (without necessarily giving effect to making sense).

2. Your Audience is not Deaf!
There is a tendency by some broadcasters to speak as though their audience is hearing-impaired. There is no need to stay in Kingston and holler to the people in Berlin. They will still hear you even if you speak at normal decibels. Indeed, they will adjust the volume on their TV or radio sets if they wish to hear you at higher volumes. If the broadcaster is using the correct broadcasting technique of speaking to one person (a respected friend), then he/she will see no need to shout or raise his/her voice above normal. It is in this sense that the real difference between “narrow-casting” and “broadcasting” becomes obvious.

3.Develop Personal Credibility
Successful broadcasting hinges on the broadcaster having credibility. This means that when you speak, it is important that people believe what you are telling them. An event has occurred, and it is the broadcaster’s job to tell people what happened, and to do so intelligently, and with due respect given to the parties involved.

A broadcaster’s effectiveness is undermined if he/she cannot speak with authority. Don’t assume and artificial personality or accent. Credibility comes from within. Being true to yourself (and to the story) is therefore the quickest and most sure way of building and sustaining credibility. Otherwise, you may find yourself stuck with a manufactured personality, and working doubly hard to try to maintain a performance.

4.Don’t Fall in Love with your own voice
It is wonderful to hear a great voice, or see a beautiful face on the media. If you possess one, use it, it is an asset, but it is not as relevant as speaking well, articulately and intelligibly. In other words, do not fall in love with your own voice at the expense of communicating effectively. If you have a speech impediment, work at correcting or controlling it. It is important that your speech comes across to the listener clearly, pleasantly and conversationally. It is also important that your mode of dress does not distract the viewer from what you are saying. This is not effective communication. Attire neatly and elegantly as this communicates respect.

5. Speak Clearly and Deliberately
This rule is tied to the one above. One of the first things I was taught during voice training was this phrase -- ‘to speak well is to speak in an intelligible, clear manner”. In order to facilitate clearer understanding, it is essential that the broadcaster speak in logical sequence using simple declarative sentences. Do not confuse the listener with a rush of information at once. This may be confusing and may cause the listener to tune out or worse, switch channels! Instead, allow people to digest one capsule of information before you disseminate the next. Unlike reading the newspapers, the electronic broadcast audience gets one opportunity to hear or see the information. They are unable to rewind for clearer understanding. It is therefore your job to render your narrative coherent and comprehensible.

6.Get to the Point, Don’t be a Bore!
With the increasing mediatisation of societies, information/images are coming at us at a very fast pace, and it is very difficult to keep up. And with the rapidity of globalization, people are also living even busier lives and time is like precious gems. The result is that the listener and viewers’ attention span is becoming even more limited. Just as 2 minutes to heat a meat pie in the microwave is now ‘too long’, the media audience often wants the essence of the story not only clearly, but they want it now! They have no time to listen to a bore who is taking forever to tell a story. Get to the point! Be economical in getting your ideas (or images for TV) across, and please, make what you are saying interesting. They shouldn’t have to wait so long for a dull and mind-numbing tale.

7. Think before you talk
Some people think that good broadcasting is simply the ability to ramble confusedly on and on about a range of topics. Recall the previous tips – speak coherently and intelligibly. This means thinking about what you are going to say before you say it. It means thinking about what questions you want to ask before you ask it. Don’t be caught thinking as you talk, as some interviewers do. This will only result in confusion. Of course, there will be times such as live commentary, on the spot interviews or ad lib moments when you are forced to think and act on your feet (without the benefit of prior preparation). Even in these instances, it may be better to pause and collect your thoughts than run the risk of babbling on confusedly and sounding stupid.

8. Always Read Over your script
Some of the best broadcasters are those who are well-prepared, who take pains to become familiar with their scripts, and to understand the material before attempting to deliver it. If there is a script, ensure that you read it over at least once (ideally several times). In other words, IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW YOUR MATERIAL, AND UNDERSTAND IT. If you don’t, it is guaranteed that your listener and/or viewer WON’T either. Reading over your script also ensures that you pick up errors, gives you the opportunity to change awkward phrases, check pronunciations, rectify omissions and clarify confusing information.

There are times when you will get what is called a “hot” script, and you are forced to do what is known as “sight reading”. This means you have never seen the contents of the script prior to that moment, and you have to read from “sight” (read what you see just as it is). The trick here is while you read, to also become aware of the other words in the sentence by unconsciously looking ahead. This means that by the time you get to those words, you would have already rehearsed them unconsciously. This kind of skill requires focused concentration on the task at hand, and lots of practice.

9. Be the Eyes and Ears of your Audience
Have you ever seen people at a cricket match or a football game with portable radios or earphones? They are listening to the media commentary while they watch the action on the playing field. In these scenarios, the audience is heavily reliant on the broadcaster to paint an accurate picture of the event, noting significant and perhaps not-so-significant information. The audience depends on full disclosure. You must therefore act as their eyes and ears. Many a broadcast trainer will suggest being honest with your listeners and viewers. This means not embellishing the truth, hinting or implying things that one cannot substantiate. I have seen newscasts on CNN for example, where the broadcaster puts a piece of information that he/she deems important out there, but with the disclaimer that the information is unconfirmed. In television in particular, people are often seeing what you are reporting on, so if your commentary is inaccurate or distorted, then they will not only know but your credibility will be undermined.

10. Use pictures and sounds as PROPS
I am sure you have heard the expression ‘pictures tell a thousand words’. I don’t know what ‘sounds’ do, but there is a huge effect on believability if one hears airplanes landing or taking off rather than being told by the reporter of the airport scene. In the same way that it is more credible to hear the shouts of “goal” at a football stadium than to have a sports reporter in the stadium telling us that a goal has been scored. In other words, it is important to allow pictures and sounds to speak for themselves.

11.Keep your Biases to yourself
Because the broadcaster is received by a diverse audience, it is ESSENTIAL that he or she strives to be objective. This often means passing on information as accurately and completely as possible, or asking questions in as balanced and fair a manner as possible - taking into account the multiple perspectives which may come to bear on the issue. In other words, don’t colour it with your opinions and biases. Instead, present all sides of the issue and let the listeners’ judge for themselves. Jamaican broadcast trainer, Dwight Whylie, suggests that if you have publicly declared views on a subject, remind your audience of your position, then report fairly and accurately leaving your views out of it. In some cases, it may be better to allow someone else to cover the story or event.

12. Unless the story is about you, DO NOT become the story
In much contemporary news media, there is a peculiar celebrification of the journalist. This has resulted, in part, from the increased use of ‘stand–ups’ where the reporter comes on camera during or at the end of a story to “act” out a part of the narrative. The development of the “celebrity journalist” has, in my view, the unfortunate consequence of journalists-on-location attracting so much personal attention that, at times, they seemingly become a part of the story being told.

I use as an illustration the case in Jamaica in November 2007 of CVM TV news reporter Michael Price. Price was on location in Spanish Town, St. Catherine to cover a story, but his celebrity was foregrounded when he was accused of political bias, and became embroiled in a physical fracas with a citizen. Price ultimately became the story. No offence to Mr. Price who I believe is a solid news Journalist. However, a good broadcaster must endeavour to AVOID becoming the story.

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Dr. Hume Johnson is a Journalism and Communications Lecturer at James Cook University, QLD, Australia. She was a specialist news reader on Radio Jamaica and FAME FM. She was also host of the Jamaica Information Service (JISTV) flagship programme, Jamaica Magazine. Hume continues to freelance as a writer and lends her voice to radio promos and commercials

My First Day on the Job: Student Bessie Blore's news reporting debut

This is a post submitted by one of my communication interns, Ms. Bessie Blore on her blog entitled "Bessie at the Bully" (Short for Townsville's daily newspaper, Townsville Bulletin) that I have decided to feature here. She talks about her experience of working at the Bulletin (Australia) on the first day of her internship. A delightful story written with passion and zest. The strength of this post comes from the honesty of the writing. Congratulations Bessie! Proud of you.
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I just wanted to do a quick post, before I get into the good stuff over the weekend, to reflect on my feelings of how the first day of my internship at the Townsville Bulletin went....

* I was nervous... so nervous of being late that I got there 40 minutes early and read a book in my car for half an hour...

* Linda and all the other staff were nicer than I anticipated... (not sure why I didn't think they would be... will mull over this over the weekend)

* I got sent out to do a story on the launch of a Driver Training program... at first I thought I was going out with a Journalist to cover the story and then I realised I WAS THE JOURNALIST... So it was just me and the photographer and she thought I was a pro... when I told her it was my first day, my first real story EVER she took pity on me and got right in there initially pointing out who all the officals were for me and telling me background info on people so I knew who to go and speak to... I was lucky becuase the launch had organisers there specifically to be a go-between for the officals and the media, so they asked me who I wanted to speak to and would go and grab them for me...

but then after the formal speaches I was on my own.. and I felt pretty confident from the first few little chats with people that I could go and speak to anyone.. it definitly helped that I was able to introduce myself as "Bessie from the Townsville Bulletin"... after years of being "Bessie a student from JCU"...and I don't think anyone guessed that I was still a student, which really validated me. I felt like I had completed a real job, which I had!

The photographer told me I had done a good job and I found it really interesting being able to follow the photographer around after I'd done my interviews, althought I don't think Linda would be impressed if I told her I had followed the photographer around... even though I really thought I had enough for the story!
* Going back the newsroom and writing the story was the hardest part of the day... but luckily I wasn't feeling too precious about what I had written. I was actually really appreciative of having Linda rip it apart and show me how it should be done... I will definitly learn better that way.

* I am really worried about having to do more than 1 story a day... Linda said by the end of the internship I should be able to do at least 4 stories a day! I only finished the 1st one by 3.30 and the subs start at 3.....and I had lots of help from Linda to get it right...

* I was a bit annoyed that it was straight news peice that I had to do today, as my passion is in features and photography... and I know my work won't show my full potential becuase I do struggle with hard news... but I tried my hardest today, Linda was incredibly helpful, interviewing such important people by myself (and having the Bully just throw me in there) was very liberating and I enjoyed it so, so, so, so, so much!

* The other girls in Advertising-Features were all really friendly and seem pretty keen to have me help them with their upcoming stories... they have a few monthly liftouts coming up and have told me to try and come up with some stories ideas based around their general topics... so that is exciting!

* I think I felt better by the fact that Tara and Ryan were there as well...thought I only saw them for our tour for the first hour of the day... but I didn't feel like I was the only intern in the building...so that somehow in the back of my mind made me a bit more confident...

* Overall it was new and very exciting... and I CANNOT wait to grab the paper first thing tomorrow morning and see if my story is in there! :) [Mum and Dad will definitly be sent a copy to stick on the fridge!]

Dress & Look the Part: Promoting Your Personal Brand

Photos: Jamaican Entertainers - Lady Saw, Tony Rebel, Cecile clearly understand the value of dressing well and its impact on their personal brand.

A few days ago I had an impromptu meeting in my office with my communication interns. They were preparing for their first day on the job of their host organisation and were naturally nervous about the process. One male student asked "what should I wear?" Although professional attire and etiquette is scheduled to be discussed more formally in class, I was very pleased that someone took the liberty to ask. The perception that jeans and other casual wear is fine just because they are interns is widespread. Indeed, some emplyers do give some leeway for student workers to dress semi-formally. I do not share that view. I expect all my interns to attire professionally for their internships jobs. Indeed, I told the group that no one should arrive at the organisation and be able to point them out as students.

However, outside dressing to suit an occasion, dressing appropriately speaks loudly about how you see yourself and how others see you. Some people are fully logged on to this message. Indeed, if you know anything about Jamaicans, you should know that we dressing up. Gosh, we can’t wait for the next occasion to spend what we don’t have to look our best (or most expensive) or some event – weddings, graduations, nightclubs, live festivals, Church function and not to mention funerals! So, ok, we do have a sense of occasion and as one colleague said recently ‘we know how to put we self together’. Fair enough, but when it comes to critical events such as career and professional progress, a lot of folks ease down or are very confused as to what is required to ‘look the part’.

CHECK YOURSELF - YOUR SENSE OF STYLE IMPACTS YOUR SELF-CONFIDENCE
Have you ever left your house feeling crappy about the way you look, knowing that you do not feel or look your best in whatever you are wearing, but had changed so many times already – that you surrendered and went out anyway. Bet all day your self-confidence dipped and you just had a drab day. I understand – it all started with a bad hair day – and then it went downhill from there.

And have you ever left an interview knowing that if you had got to buy that amazing, expensive suit, you would have felt more confident and aced the interview. But because you had one your ragged suit and the tie you wore a million times before, your esteem was not lifted so you performed less than your best?

I am saying this to say that dressing up is not vanity. It is only vain but we overdo it – come to work looking all shiny and glistening and so overdressed and noticeable as to look cheap and ridiculous. That is the look of trying too hard which only exposes your lack of confidence and esteem. Yet, the opposite is equally problematic – when you spend little effort to ‘put yourself together’ because you tell yourself remarkable lies such as the following:

• “I am a Christian, dressing well is ungodly”;
• ” I am a naturalist – I don’t wear make-up”;
• “After me not looking anybody”
• “I am too old to be stressing myself about how I look”
• ‘I am married, my days of dressing up are over”
• ‘I wear what I have; I can’t afford to spend money on clothes”
• “I have children; when you have kids, you will understand”
• “I have no time”

I could continue but the excuses for ‘not looking the part’ are infinite. Experts agree that looking crappy is highly likely to erode your self confidence. This suggests that it is time for a make over. And if you are familiar with the British programme, Trinny and Sussanah; the American counterpart, “How to Look Good Naked” etc, then you know what a makeover is. It’s mean to be a shift (perhaps radical depending on need) of the way you look – ‘from shoes down to grung’ and all of the top from the head coming down.

Look- dressing well does not need to mean dressing ‘expensively’. Indeed, according to Andrea Molloy in the book “Work Happy: Get the Job You Want; Love the Job you have”, “changing your style can be one of the quickest and cheapest ways to bring out your best self. You will notice that the self-confidence and ‘go-getter” attitude of majority of the candidates in those make over shows rises immensely as soon as they are ‘repackaged’ and ‘rebranded’ through hair styles, different kinds of dressing and a dash of make up.

Ok, so you don’t wear make up – I can see the frown or fear of some faces – a little lip gloss never kills anyone. Bushing your hair properly, or for God’s sake, taking out the braids when it looks fuzzy and unkempt is not too much to ask. And the beauty about make up - I have learned – is that it can wash off!

HIGHLIGHT YOUR BRAND BY GROOMING WELL
Molloy argues that “the most obvious way to highlight your brand for instant impact is through image and grooming”. This applies equally to men and women. I had been invited to give a seminar on grooming to teachers at a school in Jamaica, and the vast majority who turned up were women although there were several men on the teaching staff. It occurred to me then that men felt that grooming was exclusive to women. We are equally impacted by how we present personally.

The experts say “the way you dress reflects your brand”. It is therefore important to decide on the image you want to project. Wearing a mini skirt that you constantly have to be pulling down is not a look of confidence and poise in a young woman. It is the opposite. Leaving your house with your hair unkempt and your clothes barely on is a look of “I do not care about myself” so please don’t even approach me because I am not a serious person. And for me, if you come to a formal event with your shirt out of your pants – no matter if its Ralp Lauren design – you will look like a Bhutto, an expensive bhutto but a bhutto nonetheless.

For example, I had the displeasure of bearing witness to the poor style of one really talented Jamaican entertainer earlier this year. He is one of my favourites yet he turned up and perfumed at a very formal festival – where everyone else dressed well with his a cap turned behind, a raggedy jeans and sneakers and the Tunisian/Moroccan scarves which were being worn as style at the time in Jamaica. He looked awful, uncared for and plainly unprofessional. It would not have hurt to notice the kind of event it was; the venue, the people it was marketed to etc gave clues as to the type of dress required. The entertainer’s decision to dress in that garb was disrespectful of himself, and the occasion.

Nothing is wrong with wearing sneakers and jeans to an event. I see Justin Timberlake, Usher, Jamie Foxx and Kayne West do it all the time – but it has got to be polished. For example, it may be advisable to wear a semi/formal coat, or a dress shirt which lifts and complicates the look for edginess rather than a poor attempt at informality.

Andrea Molloy, in her book says “image is hugely important in daily life”. The plain truth is people judge us by the way we look, whether we like it or not. In other words, the way we look impacts how we are perceived. For example, Molloy says “if we look scruffy we appear disorganised”.

CREATE A WARDROBE THAT SUITS YOUR BRAND
Molly maintains that people should create a wardrobe that works for you by matching your image (look) to your lifestyle or career. ‘Spend your money where you spend your time – if you never do formal events but have a wardrobe of formal gowns or tuxedos, there is an expensive incongruity going on!”

Take account of your colour, shape and skin tone and dress accordingly. The wrong colours, fashion experts say, can make you look sick and the wrong style can exaggerate the worst points of your body. It is amazing to see really dark skin women in dark browns. It is odd so stop now please. Browns tend to look better on lighter skin folks. It is easy to look appropriate or elegant even at a casual event. The trick for me always is to wear a nice dress with my flip flops (sandals). My friend, Ingrid loves her jeans and T-shirts – but she dresses this up with a high heels or platform heels. Either way, we both look smart, elegant and appropriate at the most casual setting.

For me, I would say go with a dress shirt at a semi-formal even than a T-shirt. It is easy to dress down a shirt than to dress up a T-Shirt. If you are a T-shirt person, keep a blazer in your car, so that you can quickly look professional or elegant of needs me.

TIPS FOR LOOKING THE PART

•Plan your wardrobe, instead of buying on impulse. If you don’t absolutely want the item or completely sold on it, leave it. It shall be a waste because you will go home and do not like it or unable to get a refund.

• Choose pieces that work together well, that are versatile so that you can wear it for a while and get your money’s worth.

• Men – buy quality trousers and jackets as you will wear these most often and you want them to last. Shirts are easy to come by and ties are a great accessory and easily accessible.

• When considering a purchase. Ask yourself: (1) Does it work with the three items in my wardrobe? (2) Can I wear it three different ways? And (3) Will I wear it for three years. A classic white shirt, Molloy says is a great example. You can wear it with jeans, under a jacket for work, or dressed up with black pants for dinner. Always think versatility and quality.

• Always check your rear view before buying a garment. The idea is to make CERTAIN you look as good arriving as you do leaving!

• This is perhaps the most important advice: if it does not fit, or you ae in doubt, DO NOT BUY IT! It does not look snug, it makes you look uncomfortable. People will notice you and not for the right reasons. There are some folks who believe they will lose weight and fit into it. I am not saying buy baggy clothes; just clothes that drapes your body elegantly.

Until, next time, dress the part… look the part! It is crucial to your personal brand building and brand credibility.

How to Discover & Shape Your Personal Brand

Photos - Successful Journalists, Hume Johnson, Janice Budd and Ian Andrew; Reggae Artiste, Lymie Murray

Now that you understand the importance of personal branding whether you are a celebrity or not, the next logical step ought to be discovering and determining what your brand is. For some people, this will be easy because they already know what they stand for and what they wish to be known for.

But for the majority of us, the question, “what do you want to be known for” is a very hard question which requires deep and deliberate thought. It is not easy for these folks largely because from high school, their goals, directions, skills and interests have been fluid, changing or unformed. And nothing about this has changed for them since leaving high school 10, 20 and 30 years. Face it – many people still have not figured out who they are or what they want to do.

So let me ask the question of you? : What are you good at? What do you want to be known for – professionally and personally? You must be good at something!

HOW TO DISCOVER AND IDENTIFY YOUR BRAND?
Here is a simple exercise I would like you to perform. Take a sheet of paper ad write down some adjectives which you think could best describe the kind of person you are. Ok, if this is hard, you may want to clue yourself in by what others say about you; what do people say you are good at? A good suggestion is the testimonials widget on Facebook. Ask a few of your friends to write a few testimonials about you and use this to become clearer as to how others perceive you.

Or you could do what I do! Each time I am leaving Jamaica (to return Down Under), I host a mini farewell away party (mostly because living in Australia is tantamount to being out of space!) where my colleagues/friends would invariably eulogise me by standing and giving these speeches about me. I pay close attention to what they say. Given the fact that people very often talk only behind your back about you, these events would be the rare opportunity to gain real insights into what they think of you.

So stage a party … LOL! I am just kidding! The point is if you are unsure about your assets and reputation, use the praise, commendation or criticism leveled at you by others to clue yourself in. All of what you hear is a sum total of how you are seen, in short, the personal brand you are projecting. It may give you the first start point at correcting behaviours that aren’t helping your personal brand or honing those that have potential to draw benefits to you.

For example, do you have a reputation for being reliable? Can people take you at your word? Can they trust you to always do what you say you are going to do? Are you always late for a meeting, function, event? If you answered yes, then punctuality is not part of your personal brand. If you would like to be known as a punctual, reliable, disciplined person, then its time to make that extra effort to turn up on time, do what you say you are going to do, and if you can’t, say so in advance and mean it!

Years ago, as a member of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council, I was asked to take the minutes a few times in the absence of the Secretary. My notes were detailed and well–presented and I became known for that. I was later elected as Secretary of the Executive. You may have a reputation as a caring listener, someone who will give 100 % to a task, or an initiative-taker. You may be identified as a person with assertiveness and positive leadership skills. Maybe you are an excellent problem-solver, or a charming, easy going personality who knows how to deflate a conflict.

Ask yourself: what makes me different for stand out? For businesses, the same is true. Suppose everytime customers come to your food establishment, they find it dirty, flies all about etc. Wouldn’t you become known as that place where people are advised not to eat? The same is true of your personal brand. The idea is you will recognise your brand definition when it is aligned to your values.

So go ahead – NOW - Sum up in one word or a group of work what you stand for. So answer all of these questions honestly, listen to the feedback, take them on board, and revisit your values to uncover what you want to be known for. Experts agree that you will then how to align how you look, sound and behave to this new brand.

ALIGNING YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS WITH YOUR BRAND STRATEGY

Andrea Molloy in her book, “Work Happy: Get the Job you want, Love the Job You Have” stated what, to me, is perhaps the most profound statement on personal branding. She said: “While some celebrities are famous for being famous, in the real world, YOU NEED TO DELIVER RESULTS and be able to follow through”. She advises that you think about your track record and areas in which you are most competent. Are you renowned for promising to meet deadlines and then missing them? Maybe you are well known for being late to appointments.

The idea is to be able to ‘walk the talk’ and deliver on your promises. The more I read the literature on branding, the more it redounds to personal credibility; Walking the talk is not to live in theory of all this knowledge but to actually use it. It is doing exactly what you know is right. It is about becoming that respected brand that we talked about in the first of this series.

So ACTION TASK: Decide what you want to be known for? What is your personal brand and how can it potentially be expressed.

SELLING AND SHARING YOUR BRAND
So you have discovered your personal brand and you are ready to show “Me Inc” to the world. In the next few posts, I will pass on tips that I have picked up from personal experiences and reading books like Molloy’s on how to express your brand through how you look, sound and behave. Molloy maintains that “your brand will evolve over time as your knowledge and experience grows”.

It certainly did for me as I moved from being a broadcaster to the wider field of communications and later embraced fully the study and practice of politics. I have used my own developed perspectives on a range of issues, my gift of gab; a highly-developed penmanship, an innate political instinct and personal credibility of giving 100 %, being reliable, turning up on time and offering critique, and workable ideas and suggestions to high profile business entrepreneurs, politicians over a period of now 20 years.

What I have now is the “Hume Johnson brand”. It is by no means a celebrity brand. It is one crafted on my skills, experience and expertise as a broadcast journalist, academic, political analyst/advisor; and strategic communication specialist. If you flick to Simone Harris’ webpage on Facebook or her website www.simoneharris.com you will also see a superb example of an ordinary individual (not a celebrity) taking her set of skills, experience, interests, abilities, passion and values to create and sell a personal brand.

Of course, as you change careers, or move through lifestyle changes, experts agree that you will need to adjust and check in with your values. Some celebrities such as Madonna, Michael Jackson or Prince go for dramatic reinventions. In the same way, some companies would upgrade a product by improving the packaging. Jamaican artistes such as “Frisco Kid” and “Yogie” changed their names to “Ancient Monarchy” and “Courtney John” respectively to reflect amendments to their brand strategy.
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See also www.reverbnation.com/humejohnson for audio and video samples of my work.
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Build Your Personal Brand ; It isnt just for the celebrity or product

Branding is like breathing for today’s celebrity. It is their life. Without it, they are likely to suffocate and die, Well their career that is, although some celebrities would literally expire from lack of exposure. The same goes for the modern business corporation; they understand fully (hopefully!) that proper branding of their product is essential to success. But what about you – yes, you regular chum sitting at your PC - surfing the internet? Please - catch on to the idea that branding is not reserved for the celebrity. It is as much for the janitor sweeping the office as much as it is for the senior executive or the line staff.

I have been talking a lot with my colleagues in Jamaica about the “ReBrand Jamaica” project and the ‘nation-as-product’ concept. It occurred to me that many of the discussions/writings on branding focus on corporations, products and the celebrity person. But what of the average person who is not a celebrity? Is branding important for the ordinary professional? In researching materials for a series of career seminars with my communication interns at James Cook University, I have developed a personal view on this very important area of personal development which I will share with you over several posts.

First of all, you have got to know the now popular name for personal branding! It is called – get this – “Me Inc”. Got it? Amazing isn’t it. It’s all about me- Me Me Me Me Me Me Me! I mean YOU! You get the idea. It simply means that you are the one in charge of your own brand.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL BRANDING
Let me hasten to say that we are not here talking about a narcissistic selfishness and shallow attention-seeking behaviours for which some celebrities are known. Neither ought it to be dismissed as celebrity styling.

Andrea Molloy, author of “Work Happy; Get the Job You Want and Love the Job You have” says branding is the image you project to others – your individuality. Branding is thus fundamental in how we choose to present ourselves to others. It also refers to the sum total of your assets, skills, abilities, experiences and values. She says when it comes to getting a new job, lining up for promotion, being taken seriously, returning to work or running your own business, you need to stand out from the crowd as your own person.

I am attracted to this definition and philosophy on branding because it is more than mere image and instead a honest reflection of your identity and reputation. The idea is that of you develop your personal brand, you may get not only noticed for your talents and expertise, but you have a real opportunity to make a genuine first impression and of course be remembered once you left the room- for all the right reasons (Molloy, 2005)!

JUDGE THE BOOK BY ITS COVER - YES I SAID SO!

Face it - we live in an image oriented world. The media surrounds us and focuses our attention to as moving images and symbols. We have no choice to judge based on what our eyes can see. When you are attracted to someone for the first time, t is usually some physical aspect of them that we are drawn to. It is later that we begin to appreciate their other wonderful qualities. A friend of mine said once “you have to look good to attract people to your brain: Funny and cynical but this remark holds some profound truths. The reality is that we do lean heavily on that first impression to make judgments about others. Your brand thus influences how others perceive you.

Psychologists say when we meet someone our brain compiles all the information we can gather about image, body language, stance, posture, smell and tone of voice to make an impression. Most of the information is communicated non-verbally (55%). The words you say form only 7% of the message and your tone and voice 38%. This process happens in less than 30 seconds and often the clues we receive don’t add up.

The idea is that if you don’t look sound and behave the part, it’s not surprising that incorrect assumptions can be made about your ability to do a job professionally.

GET NOTICED

If you are like some of my own colleagues here on facebook, twitter and my space, you will draw on your marketing expertise and experience and brand yourself in the same way a company would promote a product. I am not suggesting you go make yourself into a superstar. What I am saying is LEARN to position yourself to capture the opportunities that may be passing you by.

Please, don’t take concept of positioning yourself well in the workplace and in the workforce for granted. It is important to recognise that selling yourself can mean you stand a better chance of getting that well-needed promotion at work; standing out above others for a sought after job. I give you an example; of the 600 persons turned up Downtown Kingston (Jamaica) in March 2009 for the 3 positions that Captain’s Bakery advertised, it would be the applicant who stand out (in a crowd literally!) or gets ‘noticed” (for their skill, talent, experience – brand) that would most likely land this position.

To brand yourself is about selling yourself. What about you that makes you a cut above the rest? Molloy in her book suggests that the next time you go shopping, you should take note of the brands which are most well known to you. It’s no accident she says that you can pick the next known brands because millions are spent on advertising their qualities.

Think about big names like Adidas, Coca Cola, McDonalds, Microsoft, Nike and Vodafone. How does your perception of each brand influence your buying habits? The idea, Molly states, is that “Just as global brands present an image of what they stand for, the same applies to us as individuals”. Well-known personalities, she continues, can give us insight into how branding works with people: “Life style guru Martha Stewart; The Body Shop’s Anita Rodduck; Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, David Beckham, Tiger Woods; Richard Branson and Donald Trump need little introduction. Despite Martha Stewart’s legal woes, her fans still look to her for domestic solutions. Likewise, Madonna and Oprah have brands so strong that they are known by their first names only”. Indeed – what the heck is Oprah’s surname?! Oh – Winfrey! Wow – I forgot for a second there – it is rarely ever used.

If we can consider some of the personalities such as the late Steve Irwin– Usain Bolt, Brian Lara and Chris Gayle; – each of them present a consistent brand and the sum total of how they look sound and behave express the type of person they are and determines how we perceive them.

Finally, it is important to reiterate that you aren’t required to be well-known (famous; a celebrity) to have or create your own brand image. It goes without saying however that branding will enhance and improve your reputation and what you are best known for. Don’t allow yourself to be misconstrued and misinterpreted by permitting others to determine who you are. Create your own narratives. In short - manage your own brand.

Which Way is Right? Media Power & Indigenous Australians

This post was contributed by my James Cook University Journalism student, Mr. Kieran Moran. It is a beautifully written essay which explores how the Australian media has portrayed its Aboriginal population negatively in the media. The consequence of which is an embedded negative view about this group. Feel free to leave your comments!

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Domestic violence, unemployment, drunkenness, petrol sniffing and prison – are some examples of the general public perceptions of indigenous Australians. The power of the media in shaping peoples beliefs and values about society is paramount with the messages, images and symbols they produce. Australian people have limited knowledge of other cultures, obtaining their beliefs and attitudes predominately through the media. The lack of knowledge and understanding of indigenous culture among Australian journalists have contributed greatly to the perceptions about indigenous people.

Australia has only a handful of indigenous journalists to communicate indigenous issues and concerns with indigenous media only recently beginning to communicate through radio, print and television. There has been much debate in regard to media reporting on indigenous issues concerning a fair and balanced journalistic approach. To write about people, it is essential to recognize their culture, environment and their concerns. The mainstream media have always been inept when reporting on indigenous issues; they do not know the complexities, the procedures, the laws and the traditions that sustain Aboriginal people. The media can educate themselves, workshop and learn indigenous culture, but at the end of the day, they will always be “behind the eight ball” when reporting on indigenous issues, due to the fact that the majority of the Australian media are not Aboriginal.

Since 1803 when Australia’s first newspaper was published, the media have portrayed aboriginal people in a negative way. A culture portrayed as unintelligent, destitute and violent with no-means of helping themselves. The Australian people constantly receive ‘negative images of Aboriginal Australians (usually found in the news) some fighting, crime and disorder in urban contexts’ (Van Krieken & Habibib 2006, p. 297). The images that the media produce can give a positive or negative view instantly of any person or culture in society. A recent example of this is the photo that the media produced in 2001 after the capture of David Hicks in Afghanistan. The first image was of a weapon (anti personal gun) on his shoulder. The media tried to dehumanise Mr Hicks and keep the public at a distance, while in 2007 when public opinion changed, the media published images of Mr Hicks smiling and wearing a woollen jumper.

Public perception of issues and images generally depends on the way the media relay the information. It is also claimed that ‘media images reinforce racist aspects of the dominant culture and worldview. This theme is exemplified in their analysis of images of Aboriginal Australians’ (Jakubowicz, Goodall 1994, p. 60). The lack of protocol, knowledge and empathy that journalists have regarding indigenous culture is regrettable to say the least, with ‘unfortunately the most frequent contact between journalists and Aborigines is in Australia’s courtroom’ (Sweetman and Summerfeld 1996, p. 4).

Aboriginal culture has been constantly bombarded with Western views, beliefs and ideals, ‘all we hear on the wireless is white culture, white values, white songs’ (Macumba 1980, p. 127). Aboriginal people are a minority in Australia with little chance of being heard over the prevailing culture. David Byrne, Policy Director of the Cape York Land Council addressed the Press Council Forum and stated that ‘the press…[is] a very powerful non-indigenous institution that has been a powerful influence throughout the occupation’ (Byrne 1997, p. 2). The challenge for indigenous Australians is how to get a balanced and unbiased view of their culture out to the wider Australian public. During the early eighties, the broadcasting of indigenous messages and music started to be heard around the country. ‘The first Aboriginal station, 8KIN in Alice Springs operated by…[the] Central Australia Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) came on air in 1985’ (Craik, Bailey, Moran 1995, p. 152). Aboriginal broadcasting and the training of indigenous journalists cannot only offer opportunities to Aboriginal Australians, but can also benefit the wider Australian public, ‘the expansion of indigenous media, far from being in competition with mainstream media, or absolving it of responsibility for Aboriginal white relations, offers opportunities for them (white people) to shed their colonising roles’ (Bayles 1993, p. 2).

The balance of power is beginning to shift with indigenous people now becoming agents of power themselves through radio, print and television. The reporting on indigenous issues is generally concentrated on either health, employment, violence, alcoholism, “helping themselves” articles, unemployment and land rights, ‘these are very small boxes into which to squeeze the cultural and human diversity of a nation’(Schultz 1996, p. 17). The perspective of most Australians is very narrow and discriminative when it comes to indigenous culture due largely to bias and uneducated reporting. A basic example of this is a cartoon from the Cairns Post – the caption reads “Do you feel we should integrate into a mainstream, multicultural Australia apropos economic, societal and cultural opportunities and rights … or should we just go on taking whitey’s hand outs?”(Yanmin Yu, Ph. D, 2005).

The distorted image that mainstream Australia has of indigenous people is maintained through film, television, books and newspapers with the media shaping those ideals, ‘The media informs and entertains but also indoctrinates individuals with the values, beliefs and codes of behaviour acceptable in the larger society’( Acland 2001, p. 13). Included in this essay are some articles concerning indigenous affairs. These newspaper clippings were collected over a month (March 10 to April 10, 2007) from the Australian and the Townsville Bulletin. Besides one or two articles, the stories were either on health or social issues including alcohol abuse, petrol sniffing, crime and housing as well as the “feel good” stories concerning indigenous people helping themselves, ‘I’ve seen young kids walk out of the shadow of suicide and the doldrums of drugs. / Now they are out of the unemployment queue, they have jobs. They have broken the cycle of welfare dependency’, (Getawan 1997), The “feel good” stories perpetuate the continuing image that indigenous people are of lower class and need to be helped by the affluent population. The other angle that journalist take on Aboriginality is for the most part dominated by the abuses of alcohol, petrol sniffing and housing.

The frequency of these articles is principal to the attitudes that white Australia have about indigenous people. One such article appeared in Saturday’s Australian newspaper with ‘a Northern Territory Supreme Court judge conceding that after sixteen years on the bench he could not “remember the last time an Aboriginal offender was sober” at the time of the offence,’ (Roberts 2007, p. 2). These sorts of articles are ingrained into the public’s self-conscience. In a study of 2700 articles to press making reference to ethnic minorities Teun van Dijk states, ‘The prominent presence of the concept of ‘black’ in the headlines suggests that the disturbances are defined primarily in terms of ethnic background or colour. They are not defined as ‘urban’ or ‘social’ forms of protest or unrest. Or as actions of ‘youths’, but specifically attributed to black people, usually young males, despite the fact that 30 per cent of the participants were white,’ (Van Dijk 1991, p. 55).

The media have great responsibility when it comes to reporting on any issue. Their influence is substantial with its effects being both wide ranging and influential on us all. The different opinions and beliefs that journalist encompass, have no place within journalism, as Nelson Crawford points out in The Ethics of Journalism ‘The press is a human institution and no human institution ever conforms precisely to a consistent ethical or philosophical theory,’ (quoted in Kier et al. 1986, p. 33). The existing stereotypes and depictions of indigenous people need to be challenged and deconstructed if the media are to be respected not only by Aboriginal people, but by the wider society as a whole.

The hope is, with the transition to more Aboriginal journalists, indigenous messages and news can be translated and reported respectfully for all Australians. In time, as more diversity is spread across the Australian media, instead of headlines like the following from the Cairns Post, ‘Land grabs – FNQ Blacks lay claim to 7,000 square kilometres,’ (Yanmin Yu, Ph. D, 2005), indigenous stories and issues will begin to expand in cultural sensitivities and knowledge with fair and unprejudiced reporting. Until indigenous Australians become “agents of power” themselves and diversity is achieved, the Australian media will always be “behind the eight ball” when reporting on indigenous issues and current affairs. It is hoped that with the introduction and integration of Aboriginal journalists, the Australian media will finally be able to step out from behind the queue and take its place amongst a respected journalistic society.

Bibliography:

Ackland, Craig 2001. Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues – The interactions of Aboriginality, media and education. Vol 4, No. 4, December.

Bayles, Tiga 1993. Australian Press Council News – Accommodating Differences Vol 5, No. 2 May. Print Mail.

Byrne, David 1997. Australian Press Council News – The Press and the Reconciliation Process, Vol 9, No. 3 August. Print Mail.

Conley, David & Lamble, Stephen 2006. The Daily Miracle – An Introduction to Journalism. Oxford Community Press, Melbourne.

Craik, Jennifer. Julie James, Bailey. Albert Moran 1995. Public Voices: Private Interests - Australia’s Media Policy, Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, NSW.

Getawan, Henry 2007. The Townsville Bulletin, Saturday 31 March, p. 17.

Jakubowicz, Goodall, Martin, Mitchell, Randall, Seneviratne 1994. Racism, Ethnicity and the Media. Allen & Unwin, Sydney - . Sociology themes and perspectives 3rd edition.

Kier, Gerry: McCombs, Maxwell & Shaw, Donald L. 1986, Advanced Reporting, Longman, White Plains, NY - Conley, David & Lamble, Stephen, The Daily Miracle.

Macumba, John 1980. Broadcasting in Australia: Today’s issues and the future. Australian National University, Canberra.

Roberts, Jeremy, 2007, The Weekend Australian, Saturday 31 March, p. 2.

Schulze, Julianne, 1996, ‘Searching Beyond Stereo Type’, The Courier Mail, 27 November, p. 17. - Conley, David & Lamble, Stephen, The Daily Miracle.

Sweetman, Kim & Summerfeld, Jeff 1996, ‘Leader Lashes Inaction over Deaths Report’, The Courier Mail, 26 November, p. 4 - Conley, David & Lamble, Stephen., The Daily Miracle.

Van Dijk, T. 1991, Racism and the Press, Routledge, London, p. 55.

Van Krieken, Habibib, Smith, Hutchins, Haralambos, Holborn, 2006. Sociology themes and perspectives 3rd edition. HarperCollins.

Yanmin Yu, Ph. D. 2005, “Australia – New Country, Old History”Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad. www.fulbright.com.au

9 Ways Public Relations can serve or rescue your organisation

So you own your own business and you are desperate for some publicity. You hear that you can create your own Facebook or MySpace page or you can join the twitter world and twit away about your business. However, the internet confuses and intimidates you so you want to find someone who can do a bit of communication on your behalf. But you remain unsure about what Public Relations can really do for your organisation. Here are 9 functions that public relations serves within an organisation:

1.Awareness and Information – Public Relations provides publicity and use promotional tools to raise awareness about your product; It can aid sales and boost fundraising efforts.

2.Organisational Motivation – Public Relations builds internal relationships. This means through different staff based activities, it helps staff to get along by fostering positive morale, teamwork, productivity, and corporate culture.

3.Issue Anticipation – Public Relations does not only publicise things. PR can also identify any issues which may affect your organisation negaitively and aid you to act on them before they become crisies. For example, through environmental monitoring, research and continuous connections with its publics. PR can provide what you may call 'an early warning system' of potential problems.

4.Opportunity Identification - Inthe same way Public Relations can monitor issues which may affect the organisation negatively, it can also identify potential oppotunities which can benefit the organisation and help the organisation to act on and/or maximise these opportunities. Indeed, through environmental monitoring, research and connections with its various publics/markets, PR can identify new markets, products, methods, allies and positive issues.

5.Crisis Management – Public Relations can manage an appropriate response to crisis situations that will minimise the harm to an organisation’s reputation and allow it to continue functioning.

6.Overcoming Executive Isolation – Public Relations through research and counselling keeps management in touch with what is happening so that appropriate decisions are made. Indeed without the PR person, management can be so out of touch with the happenings within the organisation that may affect it.

7.Change Agentry – Public Relations can assist with organisational changes through communication and other activities to ease resistance to change and promote a smooth transition for those affected by the changes. Ok what I mean here is if you are about to get fired or to fire someone, then the Public Relations effort is designed to smooth this process and minimise the fall out to the organisation.

8.Social Responsibility – Public Relations can take the lead in helping organisations act responsibly in such areas as the environment, workplace issues, and philanthropy. These actions can lead to greater public trust an positive feelings for the organisation, which can increase mutual understanding, and translate into increased sales and use of services.

9.Influencing Public Policy – Public Relations can use its connections to government officials and other influential individuals and groups to gain acceptance for its activities, products or services and also remove political barriers.

Bad at Networking?: Six Tips to Improve Your Networking Abilities

‘A contacts a do it’ – a favourite expression among Jamaicans. Many people love to have ‘contacts’, but they both resent and fear the concept. We love it when it’s working for us – you know the promoter so you get a free ticket to the show, or you know somebody who knows somebody so your distant cousin will definitely seal the job.

We however despise the ‘contacts’ business when we don’t know anyone to pave the way for whatever our requests might be, or we perceive that others getting through solely on the basis of the weight of their contacts. Indeed, there is a popular view that many successful people have acquired success or certain opportunities so only because they knew the ‘right’ people.

But is having contacts such a bad thing? Today, that same word is called NETWORKING, and all it means is the ability to make connections and build relationships. Building your network is especially important for those wishing to work in careers as wide ranging as media and communications, the entertainment industry, customer service, hospitality and tourism, politics etc.

Here are SIX TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE NETWORKING that are guaranteed to establish and expand your personal profile as well as increase your professional network.

1.Make a list of your current network: Study who you now know. I like to make a mental list of whom to invite to my wedding (no date proposed as I am yet to confirm fiancée  ). Nonetheless, this simple exercise is not only interesting but incredibly useful as you may realize that your friendship network is an enormously lengthy one. But I am talking about professional networks. When you get together with your friends, take a few minutes to talk about career progression – the work you do now and what you aspire to do. It’s amazing how people just lock into your business immediately and offering suggestions and directing you to the ‘right people’ etc.

2.Study your work network
Do only hang out with the receptionist, the lunch lady, the security or the janitor? Not saying you shouldn’t – these folks are a crucial part of your work network. They can place a call in your behalf, give you credit in the cafeteria, or let you into the building after hours (because you even have their mobile phone, and know their children’s names). But what do you know about your colleagues? Find out- what are their goals and dreams? Don’t limit your conversation to the work at hand. Talk to them about the direction of the organisation, its priorities and how they fit into it. You never know when they will offer you a good suggestion of how to get promoted or benefit from a work opportunity.

3. Always Seize the networking opportunity
Every time you meet someone new, it’s an opportunity to build/expand your network. Don’t just add people to your Facebook friend’s list at random. A list of people is not a network. It’s just a list. Take a few minutes to ask people what they do and make a note of it. The consider that their work or aspirations may intersect with theirs. Volunteer to assist them with a project. Point them to something (an article, an idea) that may be of some benefit to them. Even if there is no obvious intersection of your work, the point is that they will remember you.

4.Participate at work: Volunteer in your community
Volunteer for a social committee. Offer suggestions in office meetings. Do not hide amongst the group. People will forget that you work there! Actively participating in activities at work allows you to make contacts throughout the organisation. It is important to be seen to be involved and interested. If you are self-employed, volunteer in the community. Join a community group, maybe a sports team (e.g. business house netball); the gym, Neighbourhood Watch, a community charity etc). Actually go out on Labour Day and do something in an area. This kind of attitude gives you profile and presence. Don’t forget however to take numbers, business cards, and keep in touch with people of influence.

5.Join your industry group.
Are you a musician, join the federation of Musicians. Are you a journalist, join the Press Association. Are you a taxi driver- join the taxi operators association. There will be tons of people to meet with whom you can share ideas, interests, plans and goals. I was on every Committee in High School, at College. I am much more selective now, but the point is that you have the capacity through this avenue to acquire a strong network of people with influence in a range of areas which may come in handy one day.

6.Invite yourself out to different functions.
This is perhaps the most challenging one. I can hear people saying it is the height of presumptuousness and down right rude to invite yourself to people’s functions. I am not suggesting that the Prime Minister or President is having a private dinner and you are not invited yet you dress in to boot and turn up at his/her residence. This is not it. Yet, there are a raft of activities and events happening that are not ‘strictly by invitation’. People turn up to these things all the time. Whenever I am in Jamaica, my friend Lorna and I go on the prowl. We see an event advertised and immediately we say ‘we are there” – from the Manufacturers’ and Exporters Association Expo to the Mayor of Kingston’s annual soiree.

When you arrive, look for small group of folks and say hi – with a big smile plastered on your face. Avoid people in two’s – they are usually deep in (many times private conversation). Be ready with your name (some people will be with you for the whole day and not offer their name). Say ‘where do you work; have you been here before, do you know any of the speakers. Your goals is to meet people and have fun!

BONUS TIP: Do not burn your bridges.
Make sure that everywhere that you have worked, you can go back, be chummy with you boss (or at least civil – sometimes we do have to get upset and abandon a job!); call and ask a favour or just hang with your former colleagues.
A family member told me once’ life is about building contacts’.

My own experience has taught me that enthusiasm, friendliness and kindness are contagious and naturally attracts people to you. And a professional career in journalism and communications has taught me how to build, maintain and nurture my professional relationships and the importance of rebuilding them if and when they go awry. In this case, you are always on my ‘contact list’!

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Hume Nicola Johnson, PhD is a strategic communications consultant. She teaches Journalism and Communications at James Cook University, Queensland, Australia.

Ten Sure Signs 'It’s Time to Quit' Your Job

Ok, we are in an economic recession and, let's face it, most people are trying to hang on to their job than lose it. Still, recession or not, if you are so uncomfortable in your current position, then it may be time to call it a day! The following are ten things are sure indicators that will tell you its time to throw in the towel, dust off the interview suit and hit the job hunting market.

1.You Hate Your Job - You don’t find it challenging or fulfilling. Your mood changes when you drive into the company car park. You hate the people you work with and spend all your time twittering or facebooking or planning what you eat for supper and where to go on the weekend.

2.You hate the people you work with – Experts agree that getting along with colleagues at work is important as it boosts morale and makes working fun even if not stress-free. If you can’t get along to a point where it makes carrying out your task especially uncomfortable, then it may be time to ask to move to another department. If cimproved communication and mediation efforts do not help, the it’s time to get another job.

3.You Feel Unaccomplished – If you dislike your current position, the tasks you are doing is not challenging your abilities or they fall outside your area of expertise, then your job can become an exercise in tedium. If this situation has been persisting for more than 6 months, then you are not really contributing to the productivity of the organisation or to your own development. It’s time to seek out your passion!

4.Your Salary Sucks! – This is a good reason as any to leave a job. But if you have children to feed, then having a low paying job is better than no job at all. However, it may be a good idea to seek a job which pays better. Why live in poverty when you can negotiate your way to a better lifestyle.

5.Your Job is Overly Stressful – Don’t be like that 25 year old who died of overwork in Japan! If your job is so demanding that your health is being affected, then its more than time to quit! Stress levels are high at certain jobs but if you feel overwhelmed, your blood pressure is raised and you can’t sleep because you are still thinking of the tasks left undone at the office, then it may be time to seek a job that allows you to retain your sanity.

6.Your Job is unrelated to your long-term career goals – You would be amazed at the number of people working in a job which has very little or nothing to do with their long-term careers goals. If you are one of them, my tip is to go find the career you want. Waste no more of your precious time. Quit!

7.Your Boss is making your life hell – Yes, there can be colleagues from hell but the worst kind of workmate is the boss from hell! Some bosses do abuse their power and authority. Is your boss demanding that you work even when you asked for time off to see your kid’s recital? Are you forced to skip lunch often to finish different tasks? Is he or she insisting that you come in on weekends and stay late at night to complete the project (while they go home). Are you being treated unfairly and inequitably compared to your colleagues? If Human resources can’t help to sort this and myriad other work kind of workplace abuses, then its time to say goodbye.

8.You are being sexually harassed – This one explains itself. If you are facing this kind of abuse at work, and management is unable or unwilling to help you, then quit! Your moral will become low, your productivity will dip and your stress levels will increase. Nothing is worth enduring this level of harrassment.

9.Your work/life balance is off balance – Are you at the last one out of the office in the evenings? Are you the one the cleaner says good evening to everyday? Are you there on weekends too? Come on! Get a life! Unless, you own this business and you are investing the necessary time in its development, then you have got to find space for personal life. Ask someone out on a date; Curl up on your sofa and read the newspapers. Do something besides work. If work consumes all your time, its time to find one where you can actually have a life.

10.You are bored – Maybe you have worked in this same position for a lifetime, have learned all you can and now do it grudgingly or perfunctorily (like an automaton in a factory). This means you are bored. You can no longer see the fun in the job and you wander aimlessly through your tasks. Aim higher, seek to work in a different department or challenge yourself to assume a higher position in the organisation. If his is not your desire, then quit, or ask to do it part time so that you may free up time to take a course you have always wanted to do. Go find your passion in other words!

If five or more of these scenarios ring alarm bells, then hey- this is your wake up call! It is time to take a new approach to your life and career. Empower yourself, find your passion. Start living!
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Dr. Hume Johnson is a Professor of Journalism and Communications at James Cook University, Queensland, AUSTRALIA. She owns a communication training business called “The Communication Workshop”. Email: thecommunicationworkshop@gmail.com

How my students are learning via Blogging

This semester I decided to embark on an experiment with my Communications Internship students. I asked them to create their own blogs, a sort of reflective journal of their experiences while gaining job experiences at various communications organisations throughout Townsville (Australia).

Interestingly, prior to this only one of out a total of ten interns had already started a blog! This was surprising to me since with the explosion of 'citizen journalism', one would have thought students would have replaced writing in notebook journals with blogging away on the Internet. Wrong! They were facebooking and twittering but they rarely created exposes on a variety of topics - which is the essence of the blogospshere.

The idea of integrating web 2.0 technologies into teaching is not a novel concept. I had entertained the idea of setting up chat room discussions for my public relations class but was too bogged down with the tedious task of teaching three subjects and coordinating PR subjects taught at JCU satellite campuses in Singapore (and Brisbane) to be bothered.

My attitude to using technology in this way changed when I went on holiday in the United States during the Australian winter break (July 09). I met with a wonderful friend from Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Sacha Joseph- Mathews with whom I had studied when I was reading for a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communications at the University of the West Indies (Mona, Jamaica). Sacha is now a Professor of International Business at the University of the Pacific in California.

She invited my participation in a meeting she had with a senior staffer at UP responsible for educating and assisting academic staff on integrating web 2.0 techs into teaching. The meeting was an eye-opener. I learned that the technologies were less cumbersome and hard to figure out than had anticipated. I learned that one could record the introduction to a lecture on Skye using a regular web came.

Yet to try it but I will. We discussed using face book as a tool and setting up discussion boards and wikis and having students interact with each other. I had the experience of that in New Zealand when I was teaching Assistant for a subject called "Politics and the Media". Yet, at that time, I felt so daunted by the technology that I don't think I went on the discussion board more than two times! LOL!

One of the more interesting concepts that Sacha and I were exposed to in that meeting in California was the potential of the blog as a real learning tool. This caught my attention since I already operated a blog and wondered how I may integrate this into the process. Simpler than I thought!

I required of my interns to write a 'reflexive journal' (to be graded) of their experiences at their various jobs, and what better way to do this in the 21st century than on a blog!. This way, I thought the students could not only reflect on their working environment and say what they were learninga nd how it was improving their journalism skills, but insert samples of their work, and become their own citizen journalists. They also have the extraordinary opportunity to bypass editorial rules and really act as their own editors on their own newspapers, e.g the blogs.

A few of my interns have already started their blog and they look fantastic! I look forward to reading their inserts and watching them mold these blogs into their own world of creativity. It is wonderful when students get their own voice and the beauty of the web 2.o technologies is that it lends that freedom to explore. I am glad I am a part of this process.

Although I already have a blog, Talking Politics at:http://www.hume.johnson.wordpress.com/ - I have decided to start another blog which is specific to communications. My best friend and busines partner Dr Nickesia Gordon, a Communications Professor at Barry University (Florida) and I had already created a media training business, so I thought our communication interests could collide here! Our blog can be found at : www.thecommunicationexperts.blogspot.com The business is called - The Communication Workshop. Feel free to read our posts as we delve into the widest range of topics relating to communication - organisational communication, strategic communication, business comunication, oral communication, interpersonal communication; inter-cultural communication, political communication as well as public relations and journalism broadly speaking

We also hope that our blog will become a reputable resource for those interested in careers or information in the media and communications industries. So until we blog again, remember "if you cannot become your best, you cannot be happy" (Les Brown)!

Principles of Disaster Management: Transcripts from Australia

With so many crises consuming the international public in recent years, particularly in the health sector and by way of natural disasters that risk communication and crisis management and planning has become a new growth area and of growing interest to students learning public relations. ON Tuesday August 4, instead of regular lectures, I invited my students taking Advanced Public Relations to attend a seminar put on by the Business School at James Cook University (Townsville, QLD, AUSTRALIA) on Disaster Management in the state of Queensland.

The keynote speakers included experts in Disaster Management across Queensland and senior members of the Audtralian Defence Force. The speakers gave a very interesting presentation and useful insights into how disasters are prepared for and managed in Australia. Some of the suggestions came from the response review of Hurricane Katrina in the United States. Although that diaster was perceived to be mishandled, a ot of lessons had been learnt from this experience and Australia adopts/adapts and reflects this model. The following is what I learned from the presentations. I hope you find it useful.

The major planks in disaster management in QLD/Australia follows the following acronym, PPRR: PREVENTION; PREPARATION; RESPONSE and RECOVERY. Prevention requires taking steps to mitigate the problem before it occurs. Preparation requires planning; Response speaks to the operational mechanisms put in place in the height of the disaster and Recovery involves the whole of government working together to rebuild and repair after a diaster.

Prevention
In terms of prevention and mitigating of disasers, effecting capital works are mandatory such as ensuring that building codes, are being adhered to; as well as zoning and land use. The reinforcement of infrastructure and educating the community is an important part of what .. called "flood resilience".

Preparedness
Preparedness suggests cretaing an informed community, attention to emergency management and planning; effecting proper warning systems; evacuation procedures and training and exercising of diaster response personnel.

Response
This includes establishing a disaster management group at the local state and federal levels of the state; coordination centres that would operate at the local community level. Warning and alert systems have to be designed at this level; resources acquired to effect the plans and evacuation, rescue effected.

Recovery
This involves 4 elements: Economic, Social, Infrastructural and Environmental. This would naturally invole community or city councils and the larger government system.

The state of Queensland is said to be vulnerable to disasters such as floods as it's loacted near transport rivers and ports; possess good drinking water; fertile lands; rainfall etc. Since people were attracted to these elements, they tend to build houses near these centres. In addition, development patterns pushed people to previously hazard prone lands. For example, people are feeling comfortable to live in heavily wooded secluded areas such as Victoria but are increasingly at risk from Bushfires when they break out.Some of the disasters whic have affected the state of QLD in recent years have been storm surges which indundate roads and entire communities, cyclones (hurricanes), floods, the equine influenza (horse flu) and oil spills.

As a national of the Caribbean (Jamaica) which is flood prone and have been hit by several hurricanes over the last 30 years, I found the QLD Disaster Management System effected by the State Government an effective one which should be adopted by small states such as Jamaica. The model reflects a bottom up approach to information flow and resource supply. It begins at the local government level within the councils and community grouos. It then filters up to what is called a "Disaster District", then to the State Government and then upwards to the Commonwealth Government. In this model, the people at the local government level say what kind of support they need and then the higher up level of the state respond accordingly.

Too often in the Caribbean, it is the opposite which takes place where a disaster occurs and the national government intervenes and determines what the resources are and takes control of the response. Mind you, the Australian Disaster response seems to reflect how the Australian Government works. Local city councils are empowered to operate autonomously to manage the development and operation of their various cities. This does not mean they have all the answers are know everything about their needs but in times of disaster, the bottom up approach works better as those at the bottom are in the best position to determine their challenges and request asssistance of the state. During the Australian Bushfires in Feb 2009, this bottom up approach worked nicely as the Victorial Government responded, assessed their needs and then approached the Federal Government to assist.

Naturally, in oder to 'solve big problems quickly', the Australian Defence Force may be called in. The goals of Disaster Management I gathered from this seminar - can be summed up in the following bulleted points:

Fight Apathy
Develop an Active Community
Effect Community Risk Reduction
Secure Vulnerable Infrastructure
Ensure Community Resilience - people should be able to take care of themselves for at least three days ( even without regular water supply, power etc if needs be).
Educate the Young at school (to develop preventative skills to teach their families.

It is also important to note that the water Supply system, sewerage and power supply should be able to withstand the pressure of a national disaster and governments must ensure that these are secure. the better secure, the quicker the recovery.

Disaster teams must coordinate and communicate well with each other. The communication and Public relations component is a critical part of disaster management. Despite the presence of resource, uncordination of teams and activities can affect outcomes. For example, it was clear that uncoordination and poor communication impacted the quality of the response and recovery process after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in the United States.

DR. HUME JOHNSON - BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Hume N. Johnson

Author, Broadcast journalist, Professor and Political Analyst, Dr Hume Nicola Johnson is ranked among the leading communication specialists in Jamaica. With over 15 years of professional experience in television & radio broadcasting, public relations and strategic political communication, paired with poise, strong public speaking skills and a sharp political instinct, Dr Johnson is am emerging powerhouse in the Caribbean political and socio-cultural arena.

Her expertise in political communication and active engagement in the Jamaican public sector and creative industries sector won her top-notch clients including high-level Government officials, entertainers and business executives. For example, Dr Johnson served as a specialist Speech writer within the Ministry of National Security; researcher with former State Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade, Delano Franklyn, political advisor with parliamentarians and media consultant with political parties. She also served as an executive member of the Youth Advisory Council with former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Most Hon. PJ Patterson. Her outstanding work, in building the image and brands of iconic Jamaican entertainers Tony Rebel (and reggae festival Rebel Salute), Queen Ifrica and Lymie Murray is also well regarded.

Nowadays, Hume manages a global academic career extending from her native Jamaica to Australia, New Zealand and the United States.  Currently, she is Professor of Public Relations and Media Communications at Roger Williams University, Rhode Island, United States. Previously Dr Johnson lectured in the Broadcast curriculum (radio and television) at James Cook University, Queensland Australia. She is also an Honorary Associate of the Department of Politics and Public Policy at the University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.

Dr Johnson holds a PhD in Political Science & Public Policy from the University of Waikato, New Zealand. An astute political thinker, she writes extensively on governance and civil society in Jamaica. She is the author of ‘Challenges to Civil Society: Protest and Governance in Jamaica’ (Cambria Press, 2011); co-author of ‘Jamaican Dons, Italian Mafias and the chances of a reversible destiny’ (Political Studies, Vol. 56, March 2008); ‘Performing Protest in Jamaica: The Mass Media as Stage’ (International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics, Vol 2, no. 4, 2008) and “Ode to Quasheba: Resistance Rituals of Higgler Women in Jamaica” (On the Edges of Development: Cultural Interventions, New York: Routledge, 2009). Dr Johnson is also a regular political commentator and analyst with The Jamaica Gleaner and various broadcast media. She comments on politics and governance, including civic, social and cultural issues.

Dr Johnson offers Executive Training and consultancy services in Strategic Communications including – Radio and TV Broadcasting, Public Speaking, Public Relations Techniques and Crisis Communications. Her ‘Step Up to the Microphone’ series is a workshop designed to train working professionals in public speaking. The training components include The Art of Conversation, Building Your Personal and Professional Brand, Understanding the Media; Speechwriting and How to handle Media Interviews.

She is available for speaking engagements on Political and Social Affairs (civil society, governance); Crisis Communication; Leadership; Image & Reputation Management, as well as Nation Branding.