1. What do I expect to learn from the podcast project?
Hopefully a lot! I'm really excited not only about what BGB Entertainment (my group) is cooking up but also about what all my other classmates plan to do with their projects. In particular, I want to learn to be more sensitive to cultural differences so that even if I don't know how to behave exactly as custom demands, I can at least act neutrally enough not to offend.
Besides content, working in a team will force me to pick up on universal skills as well: how to edit a video, how to appeal to an audience, how to balance humor and insight, how to act, how to manage time, and how to communicate ideas in Japanese that require more than the structures and vocabulary we've covered in class. As far as I can tell, there'll probably be a steep learning curve, but I'm confident that my teammates and I will pull through with a successful podcast!
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If you've never seen Susan Cain's TED talk "The Power of Introverts," check it out on YouTube. This woman is the epitome of a good communicator! |
2. What does "communication" mean to me?
In two words: "clarity" and "interest." First and foremost, good communicators get their points across as clearly as possible. Having knowledge and being able to communicate it are two different things entirely. The latter isn't always a corollary to the former. Case in point: Academics may develop many insights from their long hours of research, but academics are also notorious for writing opaque texts that obfuscate rather than elucidate what they know.
Second, good communicators take interest in what they're saying and convey this interest to other people. That is, good communicators have fun and encourage their audiences to have fun, too! There are few experiences worse than sitting through a presentation where the speaker has zero interest in what he or she is saying. It's unfulfilling for the speaker, and it's frustrating for the audience.