Ika Natassa invites students to maximize their potential, especially in the field of writing. According to her, storytelling ability is a very important asset in facing competition in the world of work and meeting the needs of the industry in the future. A person's communication skills can be reviewed through the effectiveness of the message conveyed to the listener through storytelling.

 

The Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) held an Education Talk - Inspirazi event with the theme “Creative Thinking & The Art of Storytelling” at Prof. Dr. Suhadji Hadibroto Hall, Faculty of Economics and Business, USU on Saturday (19/10/2024). The activity was also a series of the 72nd Anniversary of the Universitas Sumatera Utara and collaborated with Telkomsel. Present as the main speaker was Ika Natassa, a well-known novelist whose work has been brought to the big screen.

 

In her presentation, Ika Natassa invited students to maximize their potential, especially in the field of writing. According to her, storytelling ability is a very important asset in facing competition in the world of work and meeting the needs of the industry in the future. A person's communication skills can be assessed through the effectiveness of the message conveyed to the listener through storytelling.

 

“Storytelling also forces us to be able to think creatively so that with just one ability, we have maximized our potential. Storytelling ability is also able to bring listeners to feel what we feel so that it creates sympathy and empathy,” said Ika Natassa.

 

He added that good storytelling skills can be a promising source of income. By writing them into short stories, novels, poems, and other literary works, storytelling skills become a promising opportunity. Ika Natassa gave an example of herself, who works as an employee at one of the state-owned banks and is still able to work with her storytelling skills.

 

In line with this presentation, the Secretary of the Directorate of Education Development of the Universitas Sumatera Utara, Dr. Joiverdia Arifiyanto SH., MH, hopes that this activity will inspire us to continue to think creatively, weave our own stories, and contribute to the progress of the nation. “Because in the end, every small step we take together will shape a brighter future for Indonesia.” He said.

 

Dr. Joiverdia Arifiyanto SH, MH also emphasized that the implementation of Inspirazi activities is an actualization of the 72nd Anniversary theme of the Universitas Sumatera Utara, namely Strengthening the Higher Education Ecosystem to Achieve Golden Indonesia. “The ecosystem in question is realized by collaboration with various parties both within the scope of education, industry, and other institutions. Collaboration with Telkomsel is one of them,” said Dr. Joiverda.

 

In accordance with the name of the activity, he hopes that Inspirazi will inspire the academic community to always pay attention to environmental issues and inclusiveness. He added if the Inspirazi activity had accommodated the bring your own tumblr movement. For information, USU, through zeroplastic.wise has been aggressively educating the academic community to be wise in using plastic materials. “The committee has prepared refillable water, so we hope that participants will bring their own tumblr to reduce waste. In addition, we also prepare Sign Language Interpreters (JBI) so that friends with special needs can also follow the event well,” he explained.

 

Telkomsel's Sumatra Area Corporate Communication Manager, Hanny Hairany also expressed his enthusiasm for collaborating with the Universitas Sumatera Utara in organizing this event. “Telkomsel believes that creativity and storytelling ability are important skills that can open up unlimited opportunities in this digital era. Through the Inspirazi event, we hope to inspire students to dare to think creatively and develop their talents,” said Hanny Hairany.

 

For information, this activity is not only intended for USU students but is also open to the public. Inspirazi is expected to be a forum for participants to gain new insights and learn from the experience of a famous writer who has gone through a long journey delivered directly by practitioners. (RR)