Reading Reflection: Chapter 1

Chapter 1 is all about communication on three different levels: broadly, in teams or groups, and one-on-one.  I am a communications major.  My emphasis is broadcast journalism, which directly translate to large scale, mass communication.  I found this chapter interesting because I learned that, even as a journalist, I will be doing much more than just mass communication.

Eleven News at Noon Monday crew Fall 2014

Interpersonal communication in a work place is key to a happy environment.  Some of these skills include listening, socialization, trust, and networking.  I really liked the part about trust.  In our newsroom, there are many different components that must happen to make a successful newscast: reporters have to meet their deadlines, producers need to pick good stories, tech engineers must have the settings correct, etc.  We have to trust each other and be trust worthy.  As soon as someone drops the ball, or even accuses someone of dropping the ball, the trust is gone and the stress level heightens.  This is when the intensity that is natural in a deadline driven world turns to anger.  The best product is never produced in an angry place.

Personal Biography

Katie Ryan is currently a student at Brigham Young University studying Broadcast Journalism and Political Science.  She is also a weekday anchor for KBYU Eleven News.  Katie hopes to pursue a career as a journalist and become a political reporter or anchor.

As a student, Katie has done work as a political reporter for KBYU Eleven News.  She focused on politics and government and covered Election Day in 2014 extensively.  She one-man banded most of her projects, meaning she was responsible for the enterprising, photography, scripting, voicing, and editing of her work.

Katie worked as a BYU First-Year Mentor from June of 2013 to December of 2014.  As a mentor, she worked with approximately seventy students per semester students and supported their academic and personal success.  One of her most important jobs was to contact, meet, and follow-up with student individually.  Her interactions with students also included mass emails, individual emails, and phone calls.

Katie is from Bluffton, South Carolina where she graduated from Bluffton High School in 2012.  She was the president of the student body as well as an officer in the National Honor Society.  She also won second place in the Coastal Empire Leadership Development Association speech contest while in high school.