Cronkite Visit Remembered

I've heard the reports of Walter Cronkite's fading health and that took me on a trip down memory lane. As a senior in college I had a chance to meet him, when he visited one of my broadcasting classes (note the groovy shirt I'm wearing in the photo). At Arizona State University, the Journalism School is named after Cronkite. Every year, he would make an annual visit to the school and interact with students.

The first thing I noticed was that he wasn't as tall as I imagined. I'd put him at about 5'9". It's funny how you tend to think that people who are on TV are taller than they are. He also had very rosy cheeks. Cronkite was a great storyteller and entertained us with lots of tales from his journalism career. I'm sure he had told these stories many times but the material seemed fresh, a skill I strive for as a professional speaker.

When asked about the state of journalism (in the early 1990s), he seemed very impressed by the technological advances that made it possible to have worldwide coverage. He didn't say anything negative about CBS News although years later he wrote how he was upset that he wasn't used more as a senior correspondent. But on that day, there was no bashing of CBS or the competition.

As a viewer, I have some memories of him anchoring the news, although I was pretty young. I can appreciate the contributions he made to our knowledge of our world at a time when information was much harder to come by. His was a comforting presence in a changing world.

Don't Forget "The Ask"

Today I was reminded of a common communication problem: Not making an ask or a call to action as part of written or verbal presentation.

I'm an alumni of Arizona State University. Today I received an email from the school's President and he outlined a rather frightening budget scenario. The state legislature is considering cutting funding by a third or $70,000,000. As you might guess this could have a major impact on the institution from staff cuts to tuition hikes.

The email was well written but it didn't give me any idea of what, if anything, I can do to help. Is he looking for me to give more? Does he want me to call state lawmakers to complain? The president got my attention and made his case but he didn't make an ask and tell me how I could help. As a result, I think a lot of people will read the email, think, "Gee that's too bad," and then move on with their day.

Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. But you can't expect people to assume to know what you need.