It was with nervous excitement that a group of Positive People staff & peers visited The Clipper Community Music Hub on 29 November 2021 – their mission: to participate in a simulated Radio Broadcasting Workshop…
The POP branch of Positive People works alongside our peers to discover identity, facilitate personal development, promote confidence building, and provide support into volunteering, or further training or employment. When discussing the idea of hosting a radio broadcasting workshop, Trace Jared-Davis, the Founder of Omnium Radio CIC based in The Clipper Community Music Hub, was quick to highlight the positive affect the Omnium radio training package has had for his broadcasters – many having never presented before, and some of whom require additional support to suit their needs. Omnium is the Latin word for everyone, and Trace has designed a training package to be inclusive of all with particular attention paid to active listening, effective communication, and confidence building.
Trace eased us into the workshop with an introduction to the technical equipment we would be using that day – a frighteningly vast display of knobs and sliders soon became a simple sequence to shift between mic and music. Then it was on to an ice breaker task designed to elicit information between ‘presenter’ and ‘guest’ roles that focused on active listening and effective communication. A great exercise in getting to know people better – especially when the findings were presented to the group!
As the day went on, each participant found themselves in the hot-seat selecting and presenting their music choice to the group – an activity that surprised a few of our shyer members who found voices they never knew they had and chatted like pros into the mic! With confidence lifted and support from each other we nervously made our way to the Omnium Radio Booth at The Plot to take turns being the presenter or a guest speaker. Trace dropped random topics for discussion mere seconds before hitting the record button and launched us into simulated broadcasts… and it was exhilarating! Give people the right support and an environment to grow in, and they thrive. We witnessed laughter, jokes, and a wealth of natural ability emanate from the broadcasting booth, made even more apparent by the reaction of the room during the playback of our recordings. Our time with Omnium delivered on the promise of an inclusive workshop aimed at communication skills and building confidence.
A huge thank you goes to Trace and staff at The Clipper Community Music Hub for a great experience! Perhaps if you’re looking for a staff team-building activity, or a similar workshop to ours, give Omnium Radio a call!
