As a teacher, I know that field trips provide students a window to the world. I love taking kids outside of school to glimpse something new. They always learn and create new perspectives.
It dawned on me that field trips shouldn’t only be for children. As adults, we must engage our curiosity regularly and ask those questions of how and why. Then, when we do, we must put the answers to work. It is then that new ideas form.
So I made my own field trip to learn how WNIJ chooses what news to share and how a radio program works.
WNIJ news programs run on a tight schedule. The reporters read, prioritize, and write news stories all while managing the soundboard. They expertly micromanage seconds so their audience hears the most pertinent, timely news. Because the reporters center all their decisions on their audience, they have to keep their ideas very focused.
When the news writers brainstorm, I noticed they skillfully negotiate how to focus their topics. They make decisions based not on what they individually deemed important, but on what was most thought-provoking to their audience.
After my field trip to WNIJ, I realized something about focus and negotiation. As experts in our professions, we all must direct our thoughts and sort our ideas to fit a desired outcome.
When we engage our curiosity with these skills, we can focus our new ideas to create even greater outcomes.
I’m Elsa Glover, and that’s my perspective.
