Communicators have more tools than ever to deliver a message. Social media networks provide you with a unique community of listeners and YouTube makes video distribution as easy as sending an email. But what skills do you need to tell a compelling story? Get caught up on the opportunities available to you with this series of interactive workshops hosted by the University of Washington, Department of Communication and the Common Language Project, designed specifically for Communication alumni.

Personal Branding for the Web

11/2/11

6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Communications 304

Learn how to leverage your skills and experience online through social media and a personal website and/or portfolio. This workshop will demonstrate available online tools that will give you a boost when you are marketing yourself to potential clients and employers.

Learn how to get the most of these online tools:

Establish yourself on LinkedIn and other social media.

Curate a network of valued connections.

Determine whether a blog will help you meet your goals.

Create an online portfolio using Wordpress.

This workshop will include 45 minutes of lab time at the end to allow for individual instruction and implementation of workshop information. To get the most out of this time, it is recommended, though not required, that you bring digital assets, such as portfolio materials, a resume, or photos, to work with.

About the Presenter:

Kristina Bowman discovered the benefits of building a web presence online while she was working as a copy editor at The Bellingham Herald. She shares her experiences with students and faculty as program operations specialist at the UW Department of Communication through workshops and individual instruction. She is a graduate of the UW Master of Communication in Digital Media. Her writing has been published at Geekwire.com and Journal Newspapers.

NPR contributor Joanne Silberner on Interviewing and Storytelling

Interviewing

1/14/12

9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Communications 304

Storytelling

1/21/12

9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Communications 304

Joanne Silberner talks about her radio experiences (good and bad), and the future of public radio. The workshops also include instruction and hands-on experience on effective interviewing and storytelling. Joanne brings her experience with NPR to such topics as “How to get around the media-trained person.” And “Best practices for use of sound in your multi-media piece.”

She will talk about how to get people to talk normally. How to get them to say interesting things. How to control the interview without letting your interviewee know you're controlling it. Questions you should (almost) always ask. We'll do before-and-after interviews so you can see what you've learned. And she will throw in details of a few real-life gaffes of her own.

There are 1,001 ways to tell any story. Joanne teaches you a couple that always work -- having a default structure in your toolbox means you'll never have writer's block again. We'll also talk about innovative structures, and consider print and radio examples of well-told stories.

About the presenter:

Joanne Silberner is an Artist in Residence in the Department of Communication. Before joining the faculty, she was 18 years at NPR as health policy correspondent, covering everything from the Food and Drug Administration to the chocolate industry in Brazil. She continues to contribute to various radio programs.

Video Bootcamp: How to Shoot, Edit, and Upload Video to the Web

5/12/12

1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Communications 302

Video is fast becoming a "lingua franca" for web communication. Whether you're in PR, business, the nonprofit sector, or journalism (or you're just dreaming of YouTube fame) skills in shooting, editing and posting video to the web are increasingly vital. This workshop will teach you those skills, whether you've never picked up a video camera in your life, or you're looking to hone the skills you already have. Beginners will learn to shoot simply but effectively using affordable HD cameras and edit using accessible and affordable software. Advanced participants will learn to shoot with prosumer HD cameras, edit in Adobe Premiere and compress their high-quality videos for distribution on the web. This workshop is presented by the Common Language Project.

About the presenter:

Alex Stonehill is a photo and video journalist who has worked in over a dozen countries, most recently Pakistan, Syria and Iraq. Alex’s work has been published by The Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly, PBS and NPR. He is the co-founder of the Common Language Project (www.clpmag.org), a non-profit multimedia journalism organization based at the UW Communication Department, and devoted to coverage of underreported international issues. He is also a lecturer in the department, where he teaches courses in entrepreneurial and multimedia journalism.