Speech Meets & Media Awards

You may have heard this week that ICTV Grand Rapids won four awards in the Best of the Midwest Media Fest.  This truly raises the morale in our small organization but it is also a time for growth and reflection.

ICTV doesn’t enter the festivals simply for recognition.  What community media awards programs provide is a nod from colleagues and suggestions for improvement.

If you have ever participated in a speech or debate meet, you might understand.  In those situations, you do your best in front of the judge and other speakers.  They rank you by your own presentation and then against the others in the room.  So, a group of great speakers could rank all well individually then have to be scored 1,2, 3 etc.  Then the judges provide the students with constructive criticism and praise to take home.  That was always the hardest part for me as a judge, making sure that the comments could lead to a better meet next time. 

The Best of the Midwest does the same.  Once the awards are given in May, ICTV will get the judges notes from three judges for each category.  They won’ be like the speech notes (stand up straighter, use stronger gestures) but they will be enlightening.  We expect comments on lighting, camera angles and audio (like try a low angle if shooting from a child’s view).  Staff takes these comments to heart and uses them to further improve programs for our audience. 

With that, hats off to the staff—the mighty five.

Beth