The 13th of May was an important day for me. It proved what I already know; young women want to succeed but feel like they have no place in the media industry because it’s dominated male dominated. No one is reaching out but who owes them the opportunity? Are we proactive enough? Do we raise our hands for opportunities to find us?
I invited myself to be a speaker at the Kasie Radio Seminar on the 13th May. I say invited myself because I was initially asked to attend the event and I said I would only attend if I’m part of the panel of speakers, I was offered the MC role and I refused that offer. I insisted on being on the panel; my selling point was that the lineup was males only and it needs a female. And just like that, I was on the panel. This was a great move because the audience was female dominated. I got the sense that they actually needed to hear the female perspective of it all.
Before and after the seminar, I already had females asking me why I didn’t host events for females. That’s in the pipeline but here was my advise to them.
Know Thyself
The media industry is packed; with options and people and as the saying goes; if you don’t stand for something you will fall for everything. Because this was a radio seminar, it was important to stress that not everyone is meant to be an on-air presenter. There’s content production, music compilers, news readers, production manager assistants and and and. Unfortunately (or fortunately), having a great voice doesn’t qualify you to be an on-air presenter. And that’s where knowing self and your strengths and weaknesses will guide you as to where you’ll be a great fit.
Being an onair presenter is actually taxing because you have to be you but also consider the stations overall voice. You have interpret content from the producer in a compelling way while you consider the mood of the audience. When I was on-air; I did the content production, on-air and music compilation. It was hell but I know where my strengths lie because of that journey.
Tell A Story
Telling a story on air is no different from telling your friend, mother or spouse a story. That’s what creates relatibility and builds relationships. I am someones friend, sister, daughter, role model or even girlfriend when I’m on air. The last part freaks me out but it’s true. Creating content is not about reading stuff on the net and re-interacting it. People have data and the same social media apps you have. I loved using public transport for the content I would derive from it the minute I stepped out of the house. I’ve since discovered other sources of content like the office job or conversations I overhear at restaurants, lol. Best practice, always tell stories and engage with whoever you’re telling the story to. Practice makes perfect.
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.
This can’t stress this enough because we tend to forget this and focus on ratings; emotional intelligence is what keep you in any career. It is literally why others last while others don’t. My favourite radio personalities who master this skill are DJ Fresh and Anele; the way they ask questions is admirable. The other day DJ Fresh was asking a guest about her divorce but instead of asking the question directly, he asked her “What do you miss about being married?”. You could hear she wasn’t expecting that question but instead focusing on the downfall of her marriage she could highlight the good. That is called emotional intelligence best practice.
The Use Of Social Media and the Internet
The powerful tool called social media. So many people have been discovered because they used this tool effectively. At the core of it all; most people who follow you on any social media platform are curious, they don’t really, really care about what you ate or where you are. Think about that for a moment… So why not use social media for what is beneficial to you. Showcase your skills on this platform because you never know who’s watching and where opportunities will pop up because your work spoke to someone.
Lastly, Invest In Yourself
Invest in your emotional, physical and psychological well-being because if you don’t, nobody will. In fact put that first. Whether it is through studying further, more training or even just maintaining your peace of mind. Have a vision for your life and don’t give up. I don’t preach the whole “it’s not about talent but rather who you know” theory because that means your destiny is in the hands of other beings, and it’s not! Invest in yourself with the above and you will excel.
Now go out there and excel boo.
No Comments