No one starts as a master or an expert. Everyone has to start from the bottom to arrive at the top. Not everyone also has the same set of qualities and skills they’re good at. We all differ but what makes us the same is that, when we want to be good at something, we work harder. Indeed, “no pain, no gain” but it doesn’t have to be literally blood and tears behind every success, it can also be losing one’s sense of purpose and passion. At some point, our creative minds are nowhere to be found and lose sight of our goals and aspirations. It’s not the end of the world already, it’s not yet the end of your journey. Remember, this is only the beginning. The start of something new. To rediscover yourself and explore your potential. To learn about new things, new skills, and to consider new qualities. It may take you days, weeks, months, or years, but this is the time to remind yourself that you are a work in progress. You don’t have to rush things. Just run at your own pace. We all have our timelines.
Now that I am taking Development Communication, it’s time to set things straight as more learnings and more opportunities await and this includes practices I have to unlearn and relearn. It may take quite some time but the process will be worth it. We all have our skills and qualities, some of which are caused by influence while some we only learned on our own through our experiences and habits. The same thing with devcom, as a field of study and an area of practice, it also has its own set of skills and qualities that media writers and development communicators-in-training should assess themselves if they’ve already possessed this or they should never stop practicing, committing, and learning towards betterment.
As for the qualities and skills of media writers, there are a lot of qualities that should be possessed and observed and skills that should be honed or shaped more by everyone in the field. Moreover, I believe the most critical quality I need to develop would be putting premium on accuracy and truth. Why? Among all of these qualities, it’s not enough that we are service-oriented or someone who is interested and loves the people. Thus, we also have to be credible and by default, someone who puts premium on accuracy and truth/facts. Remember the tagline of most broadcasting stints, “We deliver nothing but the truth,” and that should be our mantra as media writers. A media writer puts prime importance on fairness and resourcefulness to be able to deliver or publish quality stories or contents.
Everyone starts from scratch until someone immerses in the field and later on becomes effective as a media writer or media practitioner in particular. On the other side of the coin, there are two skills I would greatly consider as most important or crucial as a media writer should have. These skills would be the ability to write clearly and effectively and proficiency in the operation of communication tools and devices. As someone who writes a lot, the most critical skill I should develop and practice more in on writing clearly and effectively and invest more time and effort on what will help me become an effective media writer in the field. While, one should also consider to be proficient enough in the resources available and be knowledgeable on how to utilize or troubleshoot these media tools or devices. Enhancing the quality of your content or devcom story could be easy if you focus on what will help you improve and be fully equipped with the proper knowledge and skills.
“Consistency is the key,” as they always say and it should always be. Moreover, the photos below are self-assessments consisting of the qualities and skills of a media writer and after a thorough evaluation, these are the ratings I have for myself:
I still have a long way to go to further develop, practice, and hone these qualities and skills. Thus, first things first, I have to be familiar with all of these to be guided and to be effective in the field, to give nothing but quality works and writings. Knowing all of these is already an edge in the career path I will pursue in the future. Keep learning, work smarter, and try harder! You can do it and you can still be better. Just take your time, trust the process, and all will be well. Again, you are a work in progress!
sixtyfifty2021 