The reason why I’m on radio is because I don’t look good on television.
No, I am not going to blabber about the good quality, or the lack thereof, of my genes.
Yes, I am about to tell you about my other profession…my other passion…which, believe it or don’t, is largely responsible for equipping me with the skills and the discipline which I needed to be good in teaching, learning, and most importantly in communicating.
I discovered radio on one sunny April afternoon while on store duty at my elder sisters’ “sari-sari”store. It was just like any other day at the store – my mind was elsewhere. Then, the radio dj said something that I couldn’t recall now but which I thought was simply funny. Or perhaps it was too corny which made me say to myself, “I could do that! I could make people laugh and I can be funnier than that dj”.
Of course, as you may have read in one of my previous entries, that wasn’t the case at all.
I was in radio for the wrong reasons. Worst of all, I was inadequately equipped in the area of communication skills. Fortunately, my being a beginner made me open to growth, however painful and embarrassing it was. Looking back, I believe that was the only good part of my adventure to the world of fm radio. If it were not for that open attitude to learning, I may not have had this opportunity that I so enjoy doing now.
Radio has four functions – to inform, educate, persuade, and to entertain. These functions are very much like our purpose when we communicate to another person. In our daily exchanges with others, we always perform one of these four functions of radio, if not all of it. So, if you think about it, each of us is a radio set within ourselves. There is always that natural feeling to reach out to others thru phone conversations, water cooler talks at the office, a small talk with a salesperson, meeting with co-workers, and the list of opportunities to communicate goes on. The only thing that makes us different from one another is our skill in being able to communicate our thoughts and feelings. Some of us may be able to express thoughts simply and correctly, or in a complicated manner; while others may not do so well.
There is a popular proverb in radio that says, “What a good communicator can say in 10 words, a better communicator can express in 6 words. What a better communicator can say in 6 words, a great communicator may say in 4”. You and I may possess either great communication skills, or perhaps better. Or it could be entirely the opposite – you and I may be struggling with our communication skills; a complete beginner; a trying-hard learner. In either ends of the spectrum, the “I don’t want to go on” trap is always present. Never fall to that trap. Keep your motivation to learn and your faith in yourself up. On my first radio program I shared this proverb which I got from a poster in my brothers’ room. It said, “When life gives you a wave, ride it to the end”. I didn’t know then that I would greatly benefit from that message.
The four functions of radio can be summed up in two words.
But I’d like to give you the chance to figure it out yourself… at least until my next entry is up.
One doesn’t have to be a radio guy (or girl) to become better in communicating in English. Yet, there are a lot of things that you and I can learn from communicators, from radio or any other mass media, that will surely help us out in attaining better communication skills. On this note, let me just tell you to have your pen and paper ready for some note taking on my next entry. If I may add, prepare a mirror too. The size doesn’t matter. Let’s do something fun.
The wave of learning never stops. It’s all up to you to give up enjoying the wave, or to ride it out while doing a handstand.
My genes are great, a gift from my parents.
My spelling, on the other hand, is not.
“Brocolli” – that’s the reason why I’m on radio and not on tv.
No, I am not going to blabber about the good quality, or the lack thereof, of my genes.
Yes, I am about to tell you about my other profession…my other passion…which, believe it or don’t, is largely responsible for equipping me with the skills and the discipline which I needed to be good in teaching, learning, and most importantly in communicating.
I discovered radio on one sunny April afternoon while on store duty at my elder sisters’ “sari-sari”store. It was just like any other day at the store – my mind was elsewhere. Then, the radio dj said something that I couldn’t recall now but which I thought was simply funny. Or perhaps it was too corny which made me say to myself, “I could do that! I could make people laugh and I can be funnier than that dj”.
Of course, as you may have read in one of my previous entries, that wasn’t the case at all.
I was in radio for the wrong reasons. Worst of all, I was inadequately equipped in the area of communication skills. Fortunately, my being a beginner made me open to growth, however painful and embarrassing it was. Looking back, I believe that was the only good part of my adventure to the world of fm radio. If it were not for that open attitude to learning, I may not have had this opportunity that I so enjoy doing now.
Radio has four functions – to inform, educate, persuade, and to entertain. These functions are very much like our purpose when we communicate to another person. In our daily exchanges with others, we always perform one of these four functions of radio, if not all of it. So, if you think about it, each of us is a radio set within ourselves. There is always that natural feeling to reach out to others thru phone conversations, water cooler talks at the office, a small talk with a salesperson, meeting with co-workers, and the list of opportunities to communicate goes on. The only thing that makes us different from one another is our skill in being able to communicate our thoughts and feelings. Some of us may be able to express thoughts simply and correctly, or in a complicated manner; while others may not do so well.
There is a popular proverb in radio that says, “What a good communicator can say in 10 words, a better communicator can express in 6 words. What a better communicator can say in 6 words, a great communicator may say in 4”. You and I may possess either great communication skills, or perhaps better. Or it could be entirely the opposite – you and I may be struggling with our communication skills; a complete beginner; a trying-hard learner. In either ends of the spectrum, the “I don’t want to go on” trap is always present. Never fall to that trap. Keep your motivation to learn and your faith in yourself up. On my first radio program I shared this proverb which I got from a poster in my brothers’ room. It said, “When life gives you a wave, ride it to the end”. I didn’t know then that I would greatly benefit from that message.
The four functions of radio can be summed up in two words.
But I’d like to give you the chance to figure it out yourself… at least until my next entry is up.
One doesn’t have to be a radio guy (or girl) to become better in communicating in English. Yet, there are a lot of things that you and I can learn from communicators, from radio or any other mass media, that will surely help us out in attaining better communication skills. On this note, let me just tell you to have your pen and paper ready for some note taking on my next entry. If I may add, prepare a mirror too. The size doesn’t matter. Let’s do something fun.
The wave of learning never stops. It’s all up to you to give up enjoying the wave, or to ride it out while doing a handstand.
My genes are great, a gift from my parents.
My spelling, on the other hand, is not.
“Brocolli” – that’s the reason why I’m on radio and not on tv.
Your favorite vegetable is the reason why you're not on TV...?
ReplyDeleteHi! Thanks for dropping a comment. Really appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteAbout your question, hmmm... let's just say that there's no love lost between me and Broccoli.
Thanks for reading the entry :)