Dylan Sjolie

Internship In Communications

Final Paper

During my internship at Delmarva Public Media, where I hosted The Five Minute Flyby, a weekly newscast, I quickly learned that communication in the professional media world is far more different than anything I had previously encountered in classrooms or casual work environments. As a Media Studies Communications major with a minor in Marketing and Media Production, I entered this internship expecting to refine skills I already possessed and learned. But instead I discovered entirely new aspects of communication that taught me how I understand audience engagement in a journalistic setting, how to be professionally accountable, and personal growth as an employee for an established business/company.

In the following I’ll discuss and note how my  internship at delmarva Public Essay transformed my understanding of communication by showing how the  relationship between a schedule and clarity of a regimented weekly newscast, teaches you the realities of public media work,  and how this strengthened my commitment to my career path while also making me more critically aware of its challenges, and forcing me to confront both my strengths and things I wasn't so familiar with as well, as an emerging media professional. Through specific examples from hosting The Five Minute Flyby, I will explore what I learned, what surprised me, what I am most proud of and how these lessons will shape my future career.

Before this internship, I believed I understood effective communication on how to be clear, engaging, and concise. However, hosting The Five Minute Flyby I learned that professional media communication operates under constraints that change how messages are constructed and delivered. The most important lesson I learned is that timing is not just a technical requirement but it is a communicative strategy for how to engage listeners at Delmarva Public Media.

Each segment had to fit precisely within a five minute window. Unlike classroom presentations where I had flexibility and time restraints that were often allowed, I had to script what I was going to say and make it sound as engaging as possible, rehearse the script with myself and my producers, and then deliver the script and radio segment to be both  informative and engaging within a 1 minute and 20 second window I quickly realized that every second is important. 

One example of this was during my second week, I prepared a segment that I thought was concise. During rehearsal, however, it ran nearly 45 seconds over time. Cutting content was not just about shortening it though it  required me to rethink how to prioritize information that would be the most engaging and had the most efficiency. This experience taught me that effective communication in the media is all about strategizing and planning ahead of time.

What surprised me most about this career field was how much work happens behind the scenes to produce something that often appears very casual when listening to it on the radio. As a listener, a five minute segment feels simple. But as a host it is not as simple as you might think.

I was amazed by the level of coordination that was required between scripting, editing, timing, and delivery. Even minor mistakes or mispronunciations, awkward pauses, or tonal inconsistencies could disrupt the flow of a segment which makes it very jarring for audiences. This revealed a reality I had not fully understood when I first started my internship and how media communication is both a requirement of  performance and specific details.

One moment that stands out occurred when I recorded a segment that I felt confident about. However, during playback, I noticed subtle issues and slight hesitations and uneven pacing. These were things I would not have recognized before this internship. It surprised me how much refinement is necessary to meet professional standards, and as this made the editing process for me on Adobe Audition take longer to try to fix these mistakes.

Additionally, I was struck by how audience awareness shapes every decision. Unlike academic assignments where the audience is often a professor, public media requires constant consideration of who would be knowledgeable about the topic of discussion, and who would be good people listeners would want to hear input from.

This internship made me both more confident in and more cautious about my career choice. On one hand, I am surer than ever that I want to pursue a career in media communication. Hosting The Five Minute Flyby was one of the most rewarding experiences I have actually ever had academically or professionally. It confirmed that I enjoy being in a communicative role where I can inform and engage an audience and talk with people.

However, I am also more aware of the challenges. The pressure to perform consistently, the need for constant self-evaluation, and the high standards of professional communication are demanding. This experience made me realize that this passion requires a lot of self evaluation. For instance, there were days when I had to re-record segments multiple times to achieve the desired quality. Initially, this was frustrating. Over time, I began to see it as part of the process. This shift in  and understanding of professional expectations aligns with workforce preparation not just at Delmarva Public Media but every professional field. 

The aspect of my internship I am most proud of is my growth in vocal confidence and authenticity. At the beginning of February, when I started I was overly focused on sounding professional, which often made my delivery feel unnatural and not authentic to myself but By the end of the internship, I learned how to balance professionalism with personality.

One specific example occurred during one of my later broadcasts. Instead of strictly adhering to my script, I allowed myself to speak more naturally while still maintaining structure when writing the script for the upcoming Country's calling music festival. The result was a segment that felt more engaging and genuine. Feedback from my supervisor Jenny O’Connor confirmed this improvement as well. This moment was a significant one because it marked a shift for me from simply completing tasks to truly communicating material. I was no longer just reading a script, I was actually connecting with listeners and  connecting with different audiences. 

While I experienced growth, I also faced moments where I disappointed myself. One of my biggest challenges was preparation. Early in the internship, I underestimated how much time was needed to refine a script and rehearse delivery. As a result, some of my initial recordings lacked the polish they should have had.

Another example of overcoming adversity came during my first week, I submitted a segment that I thought was ready. However, it required significant revisions due to being too long of a script and unclear phrasing that general audiences might not understand. Looking back, I realize that I relied too heavily on my ability to imagine all audiences would have the context of the story I was recording rather than fully preparing in advance.

If I could do it differently, I would dedicate more time to pre-production outlining, revising, and practicing before stepping into the recording studio. Moving forward in any professional setting, I plan to implement a more structured workflow that includes multiple drafts and timed rehearsals.

This experience taught me an important lesson about how professional communication requires intentional preparation, and never improvisation. While spontaneity due to breaking stories has its place, it must be supported by strong foundational work.

One aspect of my internship that is often overlooked but deeply important is the emotional labor involved in communication. Hosting a segment requires maintaining a consistent tone and energy level, regardless of the weight the story might be covering. I came across this heavily when covering a speaking event that featured a controversial figure on Salisbury University's campus. There were times when I felt stressed, yet I still had to deliver content that sounded upbeat and engaging. This revealed that communication in the media is not just about skill, it is also about how you emotionally operate in this sort of setting regardless of what may be going on.

This insight is important because it highlights a dimension of communication that is rarely discussed in academic settings. While courses may teach many things, they often may not address the emotional obstacles you may come across on certain days. Understanding this will be crucial as I move forward in my career, as it emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and mental resilience regardless of what may be going on.

My internship at Delmarva Public Media and hosting The Five Minute Flyby was more than a professional experience; it was pretty a transformative learning process that reshaped my understanding of communication. I learned that effective communication in the media requires lots of precision, strategic thinking, and adaptability under time constraints and even constraints regarding the context of what you may be covering. I was surprised by the complexity and the behind the scenes effort involved in producing the Coastal Art Beat Minute, The Album of the week, Ad’s and of course The Five Minute Flyby. The experience made me more confident in my career choice while also exposing a different form of communication in the Journalistic field and making me aware that Communication as a whole has its challenges.

I am most proud of my growth in confidence and authenticity as a communicator, but I also recognize the importance of preparation and discipline that is required especially in areas where I initially fell short at the beginning of my internship. Most importantly I gained insight into the emotional demands of communication, an aspect that will influence how I approach my future career whether that leans more towards my minor of business or stays towards my Media Studies track of communication.

Ultimately, this internship taught me that communication is not just about delivering information but it is also about crafting an experience for the audience while continuously refining myself as a communicator. As I move forward  these lessons will serve as a foundation for both my professional development and my identity within the media industry and I will always look back at this internship as a strong foundational step towards my professional career.