Thursday 23 March 2017

How the challenges of the newsroom create effective business learning

Interview with John Young - local TV journalist, news presenter and business owner of John Young Media

Chimera Communications' Managing Director, Jill Woolf, met up with John just after his first Newsroom Business Bootcamp in the city, and chatted to him about how and why his business John Young Media came about. 

John Young on TV
Jill: Great to see you, John. Tell me more about how your career has developed and how your Newsroom Bootcamps came about.

Like so many people, I found that after many years working for the same employer (a quarter of a century at the BBC, in my case!), I wanted to step outside of my own comfort zone. My Editor at BBC South East Today knew I was interested in schools and educational stories — so when teachers sometimes asked if he could send anybody in to talk to pupils, he would send me in. I would go to a lot of trouble to make the talks fun and interactive — the kids loved it — and I spotted a business opportunity: for a fair price that state schools could pay, create workshops that used the buzz of live TV news reporting to give pupils an in-your-face experience of deadlines, decision-making and getting things done. 

Jill: What prompted you to bring your already well-established Newsroom Bootcamp into the business arena?

Word spread — and I found business-owners and team-leaders asking if I could run the same sort of workshop for them. They, too, wanted to test themselves (and their teams) with the pressures all employees face: confidence in a meeting, dealing with change, trying things differently. After three successful pilots, I’m now finding it a wonderfully rewarding experience to bring the same sense of energy and humour to an adult audience. 

Jill: How do you feel the first one went in terms of translating from a school and college environment to working with business people?

It was a joy. Young people can be great fun to work with, but part of the challenge can be getting them to trust you at all. They may all enjoy it, but half of them may be silent, the other half boisterous. Adults are more giving and trusting from the word go! (And the coffee from an office is generally much, much better than from a staff room …).

Jill: What specific skills areas do you bring to the Bootcamp, and how did the business delegates’ responses differ from those the students?

I bring energy. I don’t use jargon. The games we play are in-your-face, sometimes challenging, but I make sure there’s a lot of laughter, too. Business delegates are often more confident and prepared to ask more questions as we go along, which gives me a chance to constantly refine the sessions to ensure it’s achieving the goals business owners want. 

Jill: What were the important take-aways for delegates to put into practice when they returned to their offices?

If you think you’re the only one in the room believing something, you’re probably not. If you’re worried you’ve been too succinct in a report you’ve written, your report is probably spot on. If you think you’d never dare to do something you’ve not done before (like reading off an autocue in front of strangers), you’re probably wrong. If you hate change, you may find it’s not as painful as you think. 

Jill: Having worked with you on the first one, I know we’re hoping this will be the start of a series of Bootcamps. What key messages would you like to get across to those who might be thinking of joining us for the next one?

We can all learn from each other. My 25 years in live broadcasting don't give me a single academic qualification in team dynamics — but that’s probably a good thing, because it means I’m not going to drown you in a PowerPoint riddled with industry jargon. But those 25 years do give me a lot of hugely exciting experiences to share with other people, giving us all new ideas about how to be effective in the workplace. 

Jill: What inspires you, John? What makes you get up in the morning and look forward to the day?

A ‘thank you’ letter I received last month sums it up for me — from a 15-year-old girl who struggled at school. She had actually sat down to write it to thank me for giving her confidence during my Employability Express workshop. Here’s what Georgia wrote: 

"You taught me so much, such as getting out of my comfort zone, how to talk in meetings and how to present yourself and you kept on pushing us to work harder and to challenge ourselves. The part I found the most challenging was getting chosen to read off the auto-cue when I didn’t want to. It freaked me out as I don’t like standing up in front of everyone and reading aloud. Although I found it hard to do that, it really helped me and now I feel more confident in myself.”

Jill: What are the best and worst things about your news presenting job, and have these influenced the way you put together the Bootcamps?

Worst thing? There are very few — I’m lucky enough to love the whole process. What we call a ‘quiet news day’ can be frustrating — we like to go on air with compelling news stories, and let’s face it … not all days are as busy as others! The best thing? Knowing that reporting people’s stories can often help them … and knowing that, even if the day hasn’t gone the way you’d hoped, tomorrow is an entirely new news day … 

John Young in front of the camera


Jill: Do you have three top tips for those who didn’t attend the first Newsroom Business Bootcamp?

Less is more — when you’re writing a report, think about a ‘headline’ for it first … because that may be the only bit anyone remembers. 

Don’t be afraid of changing something at the last minute — it can be easier than you think, and nobody’s going to know what you didn’t do or say anyway. 

You have a right to believe what you believe — and you may be surprised how many other people are thinking what you’re thinking, even if you’re the only one that says it out loud.

Jill: I’m inspired! Thanks so much, John.

John: My pleasure.

This piece was originally published on the Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce website. Jill Woolf is Lead Ambassador and a Vice-President of the Chamber www.businessinbrighton.org.uk