Thorben Stange: "A profession for all-rounders"

Trying things out a lot, just doing things, asking a lot of questions - that's all part of his job description, according to Stange. He has been working at Telekom for over ten years. He started as a dual business administration student, learning how to communicate for a global company. Other tasks were quickly added to the copywriting: Managing the social media accounts, video production, moderation. "You need a lot of time and have to try a lot," says Thorben Stange, who particularly appreciates the diverse tasks in his job. He advises students to have the courage to try things out. It's okay to think outside the box and take a broad approach: "Communicators are all-rounders. If I understand the topic, I can write the text, shoot the video, or even stand in front of the camera."

The presentation was followed by a question and answer session. The students were particularly interested in how Telekom handles communication via social media. "Social media has become much more important," said Stange in response to the question of how he assessed the importance of online presences for his company. One advantage of communicating via platforms such as Instagram, Facebook or Linkedin, he said, is that customers can be addressed directly. "You have to present what you want much more cleanly. As a result, there is much more transparency. Lying doesn't work there." However, Stange also tells the students about the downsides of online platforms. When confronted with negative comments and shitstorms, for example, it's important not to take it personally.

In the lecture series "Die Medienmacher:innen", communication professionals will report on their professional practice every Wednesday in the winter semester 2023/24 under the direction of Tanja Köhler, Professor of Digital Journalism and Audiovisual Media at the H-BRS. The event is aimed not only at students, but at anyone interested in media professions and how they are being changed by digitization.