* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Passing the baton - workshop shows journalists how to pass on their skills, experience
Ask any group of journalists what their role is and invariably the words inform, educate or entertain pop up.
Lord Reith, who developed the concept of independent public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, used these three words to describe the mission of the BBC in the first half of the 20th century.
Fast-forward to November 2014 and a downstairs training room at Morocco's Maghreb Arab Presse (MAP) news agency.
Fatima, Zhor, Nadia, Amal, Mohammed, Abdul-Latif and Hafid had just been told that the following Monday their boss could tell them that they had a week to prepare for a workshop … and that they would be the trainer!
“Really?” asked Amal, with a look of deep misgiving on her face. Hafid said nothing. The look on his face spoke volumes!
Fast-forward an hour or so and Mohammed, who had been watching myself and fellow trainer Mat Robbins intently since the Train-the-Trainers workshop began, had a question: “Is it a gift?” he asked.
Well, is it? Do you have to be born a trainer to train or is it something you can learn?
What followed over the next five days set out to answer that question, and show them that the skills we use as journalists to inform, educate or entertain give us a head start should we be called upon to step out of the newsroom and into the classroom.
By day three, they were presenting. On day four, they presented again. On the final morning, they were immersed in a mock news conference with Mohammed playing Hollywood actor Brad Pitt.
Throughout the workshop, Mat and I worked to tease out ideas that they would find useful should the call come. Working with the participants, we captured these in a mini-handbook for them to use if or when the occasion demands.
The handbook is also aimed at colleagues who were unable to attend the workshop and might be called upon to share their knowledge or skills as part of a workshop run by the MAP training department.
Did the call come the following Monday? Were they ready?
“I'll be able to do it because the messages and objectives from the training came across and stuck, at least with me,” Mohammed said afterwards. “I know that it will not be a 100% success but I'll be able to do it.”
There was a similar message from Zhor. “I feel able to continue this adventure as a trainer,” she said, adding that the workshop had opened her eyes to a fruitful and challenging new way of using her professional skills. “ I have a huge appetite to acquire and further refine my skills as a trainer.”
Nicholas PHYTHIAN, media consultant
