Guest Speakers

Kammie was the first guest speaker that we had in class, she came in and talked about the importance of networking. She had a couple of main points that really stuck out to me, the first of these being that she said networking is more than just going to a networking outing with drinks and nametags. Instead it is the actual relationships you build with people through your job and everyday life. The second point that I thought was interesting is how she said the best jobs come from networking and not on a job site like monster. I had never really thought of it like this but thinking about it afterwards it is obvious that this is indeed the case. When I came into class today I did not think that this speech would apply very much to me since I plan on becoming a football coach, but the more that Kammie talked the more I began to realize that it will be EXTREMELY important in my future as it is the main way that coaches get their jobs. I learned through this speech to treat all of the people you meet with respect as they could one day lead to an important reference or job recommendation source. The main thing I enjoyed about this discussion was seeing networking in a new light that I had not seen before, it made me realize that no matter what field you decide to pursue, networking is a very important aspect. I plan on using this information in my job search by simply creating and maintaining relationships with professional individuals that I can hopefully use as a source for new and interesting job positions.

Monica was the next speaker that we had talk to the class; she talked about the behavioral interviews that were being used by express scripts. Monica described many different things in her speech all the way from being interviewed to the pressures the interviewer are under. In this speech I learned a lot about how interviews have changed throughout the years. I thought that it was very interesting how she talked about the importance of conducting effective interviews is for the company that is looking for a new employee. I could not believe how much money companies spend on training, interviewing, and losing employees each year. This really made it obvious why interviewing is becoming more and more focused upon by employers. While Monica was speaking I really enjoyed hearing about what goes on from the other side of the desk at an interview, and how the small things such as focusing on each interview as an individual so that you do not fall into the trap of comparing one interview to the next or last. Another small thing that I did not think about is how careful the person conducting interview must be to avoid certain questions. Before listening to Monica speak I had not clue how much effort goes into conducting the interview. I am going to use this in my professional life more as a stress reliever than anything. I feel that by thinking about how much pressure the interviewer is under to pick the right person for the job will ease my stress as I know that both of us are under high expectations.

The Magic Box

Overall I really enjoyed J.J. Abrams magic box speech. I thought that he did a great job of using humor to keep his audience involved and interested, however he did it in such a way that it did not take away from the seriousness of the speech. Another thing that I liked about the presentation was how he used something small like the magic box as a visual, it was just enough to peak your interest and make you wonder if he was going to open it or not. His videos were also very good as they once again kept the audience interested but at the same time had relevance to the speech. With these good things in mind I do think he could have made the speech better by cutting down on his use of the word “um”. At the beginning of the speech he used the word continuously and it became very distracting, I will say however that once he got farther into the presentation and established a flow he used the word a little less. Another thing I would do differently if I was him was I would not have had a video playing while I was talking about something important this was distracting at times as your attention was on the video and not him. The main thing that I think can easily be transferred into the business world from Mr. Abrams presentation was his use of visual aids. In the business world it is important to have visual aids in your presentations so that your audience can better visualize what you are describing.