Call any of these phone numbers when something important comes up, said the Officer of the Day last August 31, 2019, at the Batong Malake Barangay Hall.
Data gathering is an essential step for all development-oriented activities. To exercise our skills, we were tasked in the end of August to gather data from assigned barangays. As a freshman student taking BS Development Communication, it’s important to learn the ropes of journalism as fast as I can.
Some of my key takeaways from the experience were as follows:
Be resourceful
Don’t go in completely blind! Chances are that you will have saved a lot of time by checking official websites and social media platforms. These were able to provide my group with point persons and contact information. If you find phone numbers or e-mails listed on their websites, you can try requesting interviews through those channels. However, they might not always be up to date, so preparing for real-life meetings is still very important.
Follow up
Government offices, for example, are always swamped with work, and they might place your requests on low priority. At other times, they might simply forget! While some might deem it a sign of impatience, following up on requests shows that you are genuinely interested. If by following up on your request, you reminded them that they forgot about it, there’s a big chance that you just saved so much time.
Respect is key
Since we are dealing primarily with people in DevCom, we should always strive to maintain good relationships with the people we connect with. In everything, we must practice professionalism – which entails being prompt to meetings, proper in attitude, and goal-oriented in every transaction. At best, this can lead to less worries and smoother processes.
In the future, the networks we build with people might prove to be valuable in other dealings. The world is small, so let’s develop our connections!
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