Dear class,

With the easy accessibility of the internet in campus, it’s not surprising to see many of you using internet as the primary source for research and learning. After all, one just needs to key in a search term in any search engine of one’s preference and the information will be found. While online research looks useful, there is one pitfall that most of us are unaware of, which is the lack of structure in our learning.

Let’s consider an example. When we want to learn more about communication skills, it’s easy for us to type in “Communication skills” as the search terms in a search engine, and we get the information that we want. However, the information that the search engine pulls out for us comes from all types of sources. Lack of credibility aside, we also face the issue of having to define what it is that we really want to know about communication skills. And without a structure for learning, it is easy for us to get lost in the tons of information and data that is prevalent in the internet. This is the reason why textbooks still exist in the face of the internet, for they provide the structure that is so crucial to our learning.

Textbook acts as a precursor to our learning, providing the basic structures that guide our learning. Of course, one textbook is insufficient to cover a subject matter that we wish to learn. So, we should source for several textbooks. By providing a structure for learning, textbooks adds depth to learners’ learning. This means that books often enable learners to learn more about a particular subject matter than any online articles can hope to achieve. However, online information adds breadth to learners’ learning, in the sense that online information often provides more perspective on a particular subject matter than any single textbook can hope to accomplish (after all, it is impossible for the author(s) of a textbook to cover the entire scope of a subject matter as compared to countless information sources on the internet, no matter how wide-ranging their knowledge is).

So, how do we combine the use of textbooks and the internet for learning?

I propose that we start with a few textbooks and based on the topics of interests in these texts, we can proceed to source for information on the internet. In this way, we are learning through a properly defined structure (with depth) while enhancing our understanding with information on the internet (thus increasing the breadth of our study).

All of you are fortunate to have a library and internet access in campus, so the abovementioned approach is one approach that you might like to consider when it comes to enhancing your learning experience.

In life, I believe that all of us have dreams. It is easy to have a dream in life. The challenging part is in turning our dreams into reality. Some of us didn’t put in the effort, some of us think that it is too difficult and some of us give up midway. If you were to look closely at the cause of our procrastination, we will realise that it is fear and insecurity that stop us in our tracks and prevent us from going forward and realising our dreams.

So what are we afraid of?

In a society that recognises achievements and applauds prestigious titles, it’s not surprising to see many of us not daring to undertake challenging tasks like public speaking, coaching/mentoring tasks etc. The challenge is even greater for students who do not have any previous experiences, unlike working professionals who have both experience and credibility. Merely looking at a public speaker’s online profile and/or resume can be intimidating.

Nevertheless, we have to ask ourselves this: how do all these professionals become successful? And we will realise that - like us- these professionals start with nothing and accumulate their experiences over time. But is it smooth-sailing? Probably not. We only see the successful aspect of their careers but we often overlook the obstacles and difficulties that they overcome over time.

As students, have more courage and believe in yourself. Constantly remind yourself that successful people do not become successful overnight. They put in a lot of time and effort before they become successful.  You can do the same thing if you live life with courage.

Life is not smooth-sailing and it can get rough at times. What’s important is not to hope for a life with no worries, because it’s not going to happen. Life’s a roller coaster ride with its ups and downs. We can’t stop the roller coaster from moving but we can definitely brace ourselves for the ride.

As the saying goes, “the night is darkest before the dawn”. If we have the resilience, determination and perseverance, we will definitely get to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  

Most of us are familiar with product/service marketing through the use of branding.  With the rise of consumerism, branding has become more prevalent. We have seen the impact that branding has on consumers. Since branding promotes the uniqueness of the products/services (and often a lifestyle in recent years), many consumers have been influenced to more readily purchase the product/services. Considering that branding is so impactful, it’s not surprising that marketers have been emphasising on companies branding all if not most of their products according to their target customers.   

What is mentioned above is obvious. However, what is not so obvious is the fact that we can and should brand ourselves to potential employers. I call it “personal branding”. When it comes to personal branding, we do not promote a specific lifestyle. We promote our abilities and talents.

So, how do we do that?

We should start with the basics, which is identifying and acknowledging our talents and abilities. All of us are unique and we possess specific skills that others do not.  These skills and abilities are what differentiate us from other job candidates when we look for jobs. Most job candidates apply for jobs with a cover letter and resume. But the details on these documents are merely skimming the surface when it comes to promoting our talents most of the time. I will recommend an additional 1-page document which provides a detailed summary of your achievements and abilities alongside your cover letter and resume when you apply for job in the near future.

Below are some questions to help you with this 1-page document:

• Do you have any interests or hobbies that you do not mind engaging in, even if it cost you time and effort? List them down. Identify the skills that are required for these activities.
• Do you have friends who commended you on specific achievements? List them down.  Identify the skills that are required for these activities.
• Have you joined any activities in school before?  What skills have you learnt from these activities? List them down.
• Have you attended any courses before? List them down.
• What is your goal in life? Is there anything that you wish to achieve in your life? Write them down.
• Look through your school testimonials. Look at the comments by your teachers and identify any skills that have been highlighted. Write them down.
• What profession(s) are you interested in? Write it down.
• In your life, which areas do you tend to excel and have interest in? Write them down.

After you have done the above, try to identify common areas and summarise your abilities and talents.

Now, do your interests and talents align with your preferred professions/career? If they do, it’s good. If not, you might like to explore other career options, since working in a profession of your preference which requires expertise that you do not excel in is not a good option. It’s best if you are able to join a profession where you have both the interest and the abilities. While we may switch career more than once in current times, it’s still advisable to get the right job for our first job. This is because our first job usually provides the foundation for our subsequent jobs.

Now, arrange your abilities and talents on a piece of paper. Writing in paragraphs or in point forms are both all right. Personally, I will encourage you to write in paragraphs as it looks more detailed and structured. Organise your writing such that your readers will be able to get an overview of your achievements, abilities and talents easily. Be as detailed as possible.

It will be good to start working on personal branding now while you are still in school.

Brand yourself, and shine.

Dear class,

I have noticed that some of you are holding back during the course of the lesson when questions are posed by the educators. This is especially so when it comes to the “Q & A” session at the end of each team’s presentation, where some of you have also hesitated to question the presenting teams. 

There are several benefits to asking and answering questions, as follows:

• Improves analytical skills: When you ask a question in class, you are actually clarifying some facts on behalf of your classmates as well. This benefits the class on the whole. The same can be said when you pose a question to the presenting teams. When you attempt to answer a question posed to you by one of your friends, you have to think things through before answering. This improves your analytical skills, a set of skills that is drastically different from your presentation skills.  While your presentation skills involves getting your message accurately across to your target audience, analytical skills involves exploring issues from various perspectives (some of which you have not even thought of previously) and putting forward your stand persuasively and convincingly.  A good presenter needs both analytical and presentation skills since both are vital ingredients for an interesting and credible presentation.
• Gaining confidence and learning humility: When you start to ask questions consistently, you began to develop a skill to explore issues from various perspectives, which is good. And if you were to answer your friend’s or your educator’s question correctly, it builds your confidence over time. And confidence is an important ingredient to being successful in life. And if you were to answer a question incorrectly, you learn humility from the experience, which is also good.  This is because it is always good to remind ourselves that all of us make mistakes and we do not know everything. When we are able to accept ourselves, others will be more accepting of us.
• Failures are the stepping stones to success: Following from the last point above, we should have an awareness that failures are the stepping stones to success. Many successful individuals fail many times in their lifetimes. Therefore, avoiding failures will also hinder you from being successful. Instead, go ahead and put in your best effort in everything you do (which includes asking and answering questions in class). If you fail, learn from your mistakes and try again. It’s merely a matter of time before you succeed. But remember, we must all learn from our mistakes and failures.

So, I hope that all of you are able to put in more effort in class by asking and answering questions during the course of the lessons, which includes the “Q & A” sessions at the end of the presenting sessions.

Keep up the enthusiasm!

Out of all the talents, the Creatives are the most misunderstood.

Highly individualistic by nature, the Creatives take pride in all of their works. While there may be some Creatives who appreciate the contributions of others, most of them do not. They take great delight in creating something out of their own efforts and they often create something for aesthetical value and not for practical usage.

The last point is what makes the Creatives unsuitable in most corporate workplaces, where practicality and profits often take precedence over aesthetical beauty. Conflicts and disagreement often result between management and the Creatives since there’s apparently a conflict of interest between the two: the management wants to make a profit with a practical product while the Creatives often opt for aesthetics.

Another factor that makes the Creative averse to working in the corporate workplace is the fact that most of them hate the rules and bureaucratic atmosphere that exist in most work places. The Creatives often wants independence and flexibility to do what they want to do, which means that they want some quiet time to think things through. And they have a strong dislike for deadlines. Unfortunately, deadlines are prevalent in most work places and the numerous meetings often frustrate the Creatives. This may explain why the Creatives are often found in certain professions, which includes fashion design, advertising and any form of performing arts (dance, musicals etc) where freedom and flexibility is often given and even encouraged.

It’s interesting to note that there exists a group of Creatives who are able to blend their creative talents with the practical demands of companies. This gives them an edge when it comes to certain industries such as the design industry, the IT industry etc. An ability to use their creative talents to increase the profitability of a company may be one of the few ways for Creatives to assimilate into the company. Nevertheless, most Creatives will never allow their creative talents to be compromised by bureaucratic demands.  

To most Creatives, being creative is actually a gift. This is because not everyone is one. They feel that they are special in this world and they want to make use of this talent to create something for the good of mankind.  Most of them do not pursue materialistic wants and they are satisfied that the works that they have created have made this world a more beautiful place.

Dear students,

I will like to introduce you to a website for journalists, which is Poynter.org. This is a website that was first introduced to me when I am still a student taking Mass Communication studies. I find it to be a very good resource for journalists and for those of you who wish to join the media sector.

Below are some interesting sections of the website that you might find interesting:

• Design / Graphics:  For those of you who are into the visual arts as well as page layout and design, you might like to explore this section to gain more insights into the intrinsic workings of the visual artists.  Some interesting links include this link where photographers bring art to life. This  link  provides you with some insights into what makes good newspaper layout and design.  
• Photojournalism:  As the title implies, this section takes a look at various aspects of photojournalism.  Some interesting links will be this where a photographer Mona Reeder provides her take on photojournalism. More noteworthy is her perspectives on the qualities of being a news photographer and her advice to all aspiring news photographers. Another interesting link provides a visual treat for enthusiasts of photography.
• Writing/Editing: For this section, this interesting link enables readers to see life through the eyes of a journalist through a comprehensive interview. This link  highlights the outsourcing of editors to India, China and the Philippines and questions the standard in news editing.

There are many useful and interesting resources for journalists and media professionals, so do have a look at the website and hopefully, learn something from it.  

Dear Class,

The media industry- like all other things in life- is constantly changing. And as media professionals in the near future, it will be good for all of you to be adaptable and to be able to cope with changes.

It’s also good to get an experience of working with deadlines as several professions in the media industry  (such as journalists, writers and editors) do require one to work under such conditions. Many media professionals love their job and the reason that they are able to excel in their line of work is primarily because they have the passion to do it and working with deadlines often provides them with an adrenaline rush  to see their valued work come to fruition.

It will be good to realise that media professionals work towards what their target audience wants to see and read, and not what the media professionals themselves want. Understanding this perspective is crucial to the success of media organisations and subsequently, the media professionals themselves. 

Below are some of my thoughts on the areas that that all of you are able to develop:

-          Writing Style: Develop a strong curiosity of what is happening around you. Develop a strong thirst for knowledge. Identify the trends in the media industry. What do media consumers want? During your leisure time, keep a personal journal and pen your thoughts frequently. This practice is similar to what you have been doing for your reflection journal. This will help you improve your writing style. So, do develop a writing style of your own. Most successful writers have a distinct writing style. You can be one of them.

-          Photography / Page Design and Layout: Browse through all types of magazines and mentally “digest” the images on the various pages.   Observe the various angles that images are captured. Do you see a pattern? What are the common types of photographs? Subsequently, take your own pictures and develop your own style.  You can also cut out photographs from your used magazines. Gather the photographs together and base on a theme of your preference (such as “Courage”), selectively choose the photographs of the same thematic element by putting them together and separating them into sets. Now move one set of photographs to a piece of A4-sized paper and move the photographs around on the piece of paper.   Practice moving them in different directions and at different angles. Try stacking one part of a photograph on another. Tile them at different angles. Which of these arrangements have a stronger visual feel/appeal? Why? Doing all this will enable you to seek out common patterns in images, familiarise you with the art of photography as well as improving your foundations for page design and layout. It’s interesting to note that a single, well-selected photograph is impactful. However, having several photographs of the same thematic elements  arranged in  an appropriate and creative way adds a lot more punch to the message that you want to convey to your viewers/readers.  

For page design and layout, there are 6 primary factors that you need to take into considerations:

-        Emphasis   (e.g. placing a dark image on a white background etc)

-        Contrast   (e.g. using strong colours of different contrast to draw the viewer’s attention)

-        Balancing (e.g. Ensuring that the elements on the page are all balanced. That is, there should not be a situation where there is five images on the left side of a page while the right side is blank)

-         Alignment: (This has more to do with text than images, such as aligning the text left, centre or right)

-         Repetition: (Repeating visuals elements such as lines, font type, font size etc. has the ability to enable the readers to retain the information that they have read or seen)

-         Balancing:  (Such as the rational way of aligning the photographs from left to right)

A great visual layout and design usually fulfils all the abovementioned 6 factors. Do also build up your knowledge of typography. Changing the font types can also change the impact of the message. 

Dear class,

As media students, you will probably be asked to present your work in visual form. These may often include the use of photographs, photographs in text, visual design etc.  As all of you have the opportunities to make presentations on a daily basis, I will recommend that you seize these opportunities to learn about the usage of photographs. Usually, what is implied by the photographs is equally if not more important than the literal meaning interpreted by the viewer of the photographs directly. Yes, semiotics is equally important when it comes to the interpretation of photographs.

Now, let’s consider the following factors:

•  Semiotics: Semiotics is a rather abstract term and I will rather describe this field of study in simpler terms. Usually when a viewer looks at a photograph, his or her interpretation goes beyond what is shown. Just think of any movie poster that you have came across. How do you know- at a single glance- the type of movie that it is and the kind of content that you will expect? And more often than not, you will realise that you are right after watching the movie. How does this happen? This is because the photographs that you have seen previously have been somewhat stored in your memories as prior knowledge. When you view a new photograph, you will tend to associate what you know with what you have just seen.  Knowing this concept, we can - as presenters- put it to good use in the visual aspects of your presentations as well as any form of written communication that involves photographs. This is because your audience are like us, with their own prior knowledge. On the whole, some of our prior knowledge are somewhat similar. For example, all of us know that smiling indicates happiness and crying indicates sadness. Such  similar interpretations usually cut across different cultures.
• Humour: It can be observed that some of you are already applying humour in your presentations. So, do read this section for more insights. For those of you who have not, this section will give you some ideas on how to apply humour using photographs and in this case, images. Some common techniques that are commonly employed are the use of comic strips and captions below photographs, which is good. However, most of these images/photographs are usually retrieved from external sources. As presenters, using photographs that are taken by yourself and utilising your creativity to come up with insightful and thought-provoking captions can be refreshing and interesting as well. Try it and see.
• Factors that affect the mood of the photograph: In the process of using photographs in your presentation, it will be good to note that there are certain aspects of the photographs that can be changed to affect the mood of your presentation. For example, turning a colour photograph into black and white gives it a somewhat serious nature. Changing the colour of a photograph using sepia tone will give the photograph a somewhat nostalgic feel.

Another factor that you can change is the contrast of the photograph. When the contrast is increased, it will bring out the vibrant colours of the photograph. This is especially so for images where there are a wide variety of colours in the picture. Do note that contrast is different from the brightness of photographs. Increasing the brightness of photographs does not accentuate the colour differences in photographs, but changing the contrast does. However, both the brightness and contrast of photographs are often considered together when visual artists and designers made changes to their works.

Another aspect of enhancing the aesthetical value of pictures will be - as mentioned in my previous post - cropping. Try to crop the images in different shapes and angles to see if there’s a particular style that is appropriate for the presentation. The best way to do this is through trial-and-error.

Do note that when it comes to  journalistic writing (especially in the newsroom), no manipulation of photos is allowed as realism must be strictly adhered to. Do take note.

• Sequential photography shots: Sometimes, it might be useful to use photographs sequentially. For example, if you are presenting a topic that is somewhat instructional in nature, showing the sequence using photographs might be a good idea. Some flow charts can also be substituted with photographs but do leave the indicating arrows intact.  However, sequential photographic shots often have the drawback of overshadowing the texts on the same slide as well as consuming too much space. So, do ensure that this does not happen. Text and photographs/images are often vying for space, so it’s up to you as a presenter to strike a balance between the two.
• Photographs as backdrop of slides: Using photographs as a backdrop to your slides is also a good technique. This is especially so when you have a photograph that represents a specific thematic element of the presentation content. For example, if you are presenting a session on the school’s open house, it will be good to use the school’s logo as the backdrop. However, there are some areas that we need to steer away from, one of which is the fact that the colours cannot be too dark. This can be controlled by changing the “transparency/opacity” of the image. If the photograph is too dark, there might exists a possibility that the words blend in with the photographs, thus making the text unreadable. Do avoid this. As you practice this technique, you will gradually improve over time. Practice is key.

On the whole, whatever techniques that you use, do ensure that every photograph always reinforces the content that you are presenting. Do not include photographs that are irrelevant, no matter how much you want to put it in the presentation. It’s good to remember that aesthetical value is always secondary to the presenting content itself.

What you present and how you present is key.

Out of all the talents, the Enthusiasts may be the easiest to identify because they are often the most prominent, both in terms of their verbal contributions to any conversations as well as their bubbly and their ability to create laughter around them.  Enthusiasts may not be complete optimists but their vibrant personality often misleads people into thinking so. Nevertheless, Enthusiasts are often the people that one turns to when they need a listening ear or just wants to lighten up, besides the Nurturers.

They also have an ability to turn mundane things and activities into interesting endeavours.  They make work enjoyable and are often able to see the positive side of things. It’s almost impossible not to be affected by the positive vibes  of Enthusiasts. Thus, Enthusiasts often have the privilege of being asked to be the team player who gel people together. This is because most Enthusiasts have the ability to communicate with most individuals of diverse personalities. 

Because Enthusiasts are spontaneous, they are often individuals who like variety. Hence, Enthusiasts are also among the individuals who will often pursue the latest trends and look for the latest technical gadgets in town. This tendency might not be true for all Enthusiasts but it does illustrate the fact that Enthusiasts are individuals who like changes and have fun at the same time.

This desire to have fun is actually a weakness of Enthusiasts, as they often do not have a tendency to take on heavy responsibilities. As taking on responsibility means tackling tasks with intense seriousness, Enthusiasts have a tendency to steer away from it. However, with encouragement from friends, Enthusiasts might just overcome this psychological barrier. 

During our course of studies, we have learnt many things. While it is always good to be knowledgeable, not all the things that we came across are relevant to us in our lives. And what’s interesting is that we usually forget what we have learnt once we lose touch of them. For example, how many of you are able to remember every significant date from your history classes (for those of you who have taken history lessons)? Or how many of you are still able to remember all the equations in your chemistry classes? 

So, what is important in our learning process is not to gather as much information as possible in our lifetime, because we usually do not use most of them. Try reading today’s newspaper from front to back and see if you can remember the details of every news articles that you have read ten weeks down the road. You probably can’t, and you won’t need to.  So, what is important in our learning process then? It’s actually to convert what you have read (that is, data) to something that you understand (that is, information) before finding ways to make use of the information to your advantage. That is, turning information into insights.

But how do you turn information into insights? This is what the bulk of this article is about.  Well, you can do this by making the effort to relate everything that you have learnt to your lives. Of course, when it comes to the media, there are some knowledge that is either irrelevant (such as the announcement by the media on an upcoming conference for engineers. Why do you want to know that if you are not an engineer and have no use of such information for anyone? ), redundant (such as an article on the convergence of digital technology. Well, you have known this already, yes?) or short-term (such as a publicity on a car exhibition tomorrow. Such information is useless since the occurrence is not long-term, and this is especially so when you have absolutely no interest in the event). 

It is important to note that the media caters to a large group of readers, which differs greatly in terms of demographic and psychographic profiles. Hence, not all the information that is provided by the media is related or even useful to us. We need to sift out the relevant content for ourselves, else it will be a matter of time before we suffer from information overload.

So relating the things that you have learnt to your lives is crucial, since these are often the things that you will remember for a long time. If you do not believe this, just think of the most memorable scene and/or character in a movie that you have watched. You will not be able to remember every single detail of it but rather, certain snippets will stand out. Examine these snippets and you will realise that the reason that you find these moments/person memorable is because you can relate to it in some way. Maybe it’s the humour, or maybe it’s the emotion(s) that you have experienced when watching the film that reflects how you feel in your real life, or maybe it’s the fact that you are able to relate to the characteristics of the lead character(s) in some ways that are similar to your own.

Therefore, it will be good if all of you are able to relate what you have learnt in class to your lives. Try to see if you are able to apply what you have learnt in the classroom to your own lives. This is because when to comes to acquiring knowledge, its application is equally if not more important.

Whatever you are able to relate to, you will remember it for a long time.