I love speaking to students.
This week, I met with Medill School of Journalism students and teachers, who were in Israel to learn first-hand about this country’s challenges and opportunities.
They had already met political leaders and pundits galore.
I spoke about Israel’s creative and innovative side.
It was a Q&A style talk, and the students asked some very insightful questions.
Among other things, we spoke about the change in the news cycle and how, today, tech stories are in mainstream news because everyone is interested in innovation. We’re all affected by innovation.
I spoke about telling tech stories beyond the headlines and without focusing on the algorithm or code. How I try to tell the story of the people behind the tech and how their innovations will impact lives.
I spoke about what we can learn from failure as a stepping stone to success. Why crazy ideas are important. The risk culture of Israel. And how global solutions come about thanks to collaborations.
The students were aware, keen and interested. They had many questions and I tried to answer as many as I could. We went overtime.
Right near the end of our chat, I noted that in addition to being a speaker and journalist, I had trained as a therapeutic and educational clown. That sparked new interest among the students and a slew of questions. I managed to squeeze in a word on educational clowning and the innovative impact it is making in the educational culture in Israeli schools.
I felt the conversation could have gone on for at least another 30 minutes. But it was their last day in Israel and a graffiti tour awaited.
