Television host, producer and writer Aliya-Jasmine Sovani has been working in the media industry for just over a decade. Sovani has worked both in front of the camera and behind the scenes, and knows the work ethic and commitment needed for both. She also combines her journalistic skills with her love for sports.

In a video on Sovani’s personal website, www.aliyajasmine.com, she says the key to being versatile and current is to always be prepared — something she’s learnt from a young age.

“My mum would get us to each read newspapers and we’d each have to clip out something, and around dinner we’d each have a talk about what we read about in the newspaper — and that’s how I grew up, on media and on information.”

Having a sense of awareness for what’s going on around you is essential, as it expands your breadth of knowledge and familiarizes yourself with topics you wouldn’t necessarily take interest in otherwise.

“I try as much as I can to have everything prepared in advance. I like doing a ton of research and watching old interviews. I like going on YouTube, I like reading their books. If I’m doing an interview with someone who has written a book, for example Georges St-Pierre, I will have read the entire book before I go into that interview with him, and have watched a million interviews he’s done, and read a bunch of articles,” said Jasmine in the same video.

You won’t know everything about everyone, but you can prepare yourself to know. Researching in advance before an interview, meeting or presentation can make a huge difference. Not only will you feel more confident in the way you present yourself, but others will also notice and appreciate the fact that you’ve come ready.

 

Image Credit: WWF Canada