Week 1: A Conversation with Guest Speaker Clint Schaff by JoAnn Hill

By UCLA X469.21 Student JoAnn Hill

Hi!

Joann Hill

Last week, we had the opportunity to hear Clint Schaff, VP of strategy & development at the LA Times, guest lecture at our UCLA Extension course “Best Practices in Social Media for the Communications Professional.”

Not only was Clint very knowledgeable; he had great energy! I also enjoyed how he shared some “fun” facts about himself. For example, he was the mascot at his college and has a passion for hip-hop music.

Clint Schaff

A few of the most important lessons/key takeaways from his time with us are showcased below:

• Choose your technology and tactics based on the people you are trying to reach.
• Traditional media formats (e.g., print/newspapers) need to embrace new media formats (e.g., podcasts, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.) to help “keep them alive” and make money.
• Social uses the “Power of NEXT.” This allows the consumer/reader to move on quickly if they are not interested in the article, post or “feed.” They can scroll right past it or skip that page altogether if the topic isn’t of interest. This concept leads to audience “playlists” that people can curate themselves or can have made for them via algorithms based on browsing history (e.g., Facebook’s newsfeed).
• You can’t inspire until you are inspired.
• Always listen for opportunities. A story must begin without knowing the end, as we must be open to an array of outcomes.
• A Social Media Playbook is a great tool, provided it is up-to-date and packaged in a way that can be handed off to someone new to maintain the social media campaign, without missing a beat.

All of these were important lessons; however, my favorite idea/takeaway from Clint was the “Networking Happy Hour.” This can be a meal or drinks where you gather a group of friends who each invite one guest from “outside” the group. This allows everyone to widen not only their circle of contacts, but potentially “spark” an idea or collaboration born from just one conversation with someone new. This ties back to Clint’s advice to “always listen” and “stay open to positive consequences that can create unlimited opportunities.”

See related links to follow and learn more about Clint Schaff.

Twitter: @ClintSchaff

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clintschaff/

Instagram: clintschaff