Mariella Godinez-Munoz CTP BLOG #3

 

 

Today I will share with you my experience working in a group, my experience working with them with agreements and disagreement, the outcome and resolutions with good meetings and communication.

One of my experiences working in a group is at the television Station I work for. I’m the executive producer and Anchor for a TV show in the city of Milwaukee (Mundomax) and Watertown (Watertown TV). I have a Co-Anchor and a few reporters. The main role for a reporter is to go out any time during the day or night and bring stories to air in the show. One of our reporter who live in the Green bay area always wanted to be in the studio anchoring with me and my Co-Anchor. We explained to her what her roles was from the very beginning “to be a reporter”, no Anchor.

 

She started to do some gossip between my co-workers and co-anchor. There was a back and forth talking and conversations behind my back. Every time we tape a show there was a miss- understanding.  She wasn't feeling part of the group just because she wasn’t in the studio with us all the time. She wanted all her friend and followers to see her in the studio.

 

I created a special segment just to make sure I included her, and I try to take away some of the stress I was feeling.   My director and Consultant did not agree with my decision but I was trying to make her happy.  The situation was still going out of control. She feel like she was my boss.  Also every time we had the meetings about which stories to cover and about our future special guests for the next show she always wanted me to interview her friends, people that she knew.  I had to explain several time to her that every time we have a guest in the studio is because they are helping the community or making something extraordinary or something good for the community or something important or positive.
Every time I ask for a Bio of the guest she never had any information or contact information. I explained to her several times that in a professional setting I need to always contact the guest for a pre-interview. Also some of her friends that I interviewed in the studio stared calling me to complaint, because she was having problems with them.

One day, after a back and forth miss communication between a reporter and my co-anchor. They were calling me all day to complaint about each other’s, “The gossip” was terrible.  I decide to speak up about this. I called in a meeting. All important topics to cover in bullet points. We all had the opportunity to express our feeling about the whole situation to resolve our my goal was to find a solution.  I explained to her that this needed to “STOP INMIDIATLY’" because she need it to make a decision if she wanted to be part of the group or not.

 that will be the only opportunity to fix our problems otherwise the group will fall apart. I was trying to avoid a break out in out friendship.

 The day of the meeting we all had the opportunity to speak about our feelings, our privacy as a group and as Individuals. To respect to each other as friends and co-workers. Everything we do was important as a Group.   I also decided that all future complaints need to be address before they get to a worse scenario. “No more gossip”.   We have to respect, trust and support each others.  

My reporter was assuming that day, that I will fired.  But I explained to her that she was given a great opportunity by being a reporter. She had the opportunity to go to places and Interview a lot of people. My job was to train her to be a good reporter.It  was crucial and important to understand her  role, her co-worker role and mine. Also recapped that she need to have good communication with me and the group if she have any concern or complaints she need to tell me and we can fix it, but we needed to stop the gossip between all us.

So far, until today is been about a year since we had the big meeting.  the outcomes was good because at least we had good communication. our meetings now are focus in the production of a successful show.I have learn that communication and team work is the key to succeed. If I had never had that meeting our group will probably fall apart and also our friendship will be destroy forever.  

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