Communication becomes human’s need to have interaction with others and it is increasingly needed in every aspect of life and work, and the communcation itself develops into various ways and forms, even beyond space and time. Good communication skills will help someone express ideas, anxiety and thoughts, so Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta facilitated students with online Communication Skills training which helped students to have communication skills in expressing their ideas and convey them through video. Twenty-three students from various regions and study programs took part in the training and produced twenty-one videos in three categories:

Social Issues

1. 4S - Sumba Syantik Susah Sinyal (The beautiful Sumba but rare signal), by Apronia, https://youtu.be/r-d2VrnDGIQ
2. Nebeng Teman (Asking friend for internet tethering, by Elin, https://youtu.be/jfHHYsPPcJg
3. Pilih Nikah atau Kuliah (Get Married or Study?), by Linda, https://youtu.be/NkA5CutSQNw
4. Permasalahan di Gunungkidul (Problems in Gunungkidul Regency), by Adnan, https://youtu.be/3OdG5Xl_pQw
5. Antara Rindu dan Corona (Longing versus Corona), by Jemri, https://youtu.be/0cGwh8IUJZg

Pandemic Covid-19

1. Efek Karantina (Quarantine Effects), by Natra https://youtu.be/6i-IFlCbmwg
2. Ose Pahlawan Karena Seng Pulang Kampung (You are a hero because of staying at home), by Marcho & Lambert, https://youtu.be/OoUudEZKLUM
3. Puao Terkini Covid 19 (Latest News of Covid-19 from Puao), by Sindy, https://youtu.be/WvrRGPTb8Ic
4. Jaga jarak Bukan Berarti Menjauh (Physical Distancing Doesn't Mean Staying Away), by Satry, https://youtu.be/tcfrLKAMmeQ
5. Dicium Aspal Baru Tahu rasa (Kissing asphalt road and you will learn), by Aldo, https://youtu.be/7Gg8uSVM-nI
6. Mahasiswa Sumba Waspada Covid (Sumba students are alert on Covid), by Trisno, https://youtu.be/ngjE93tHHbc
7. Dampak Covid-19 dalam industri Pariwisata (The impacts of Covid-19 to tourism industry), by Ine, https://youtu.be/bCmSVN_UFRo
8. Salah Kaprah Pemahaman Istilah seputar Covid 19 (Misunderstanding of terms around Covid-19), by Nia Oy, https://youtu.be/oqq6rlPR2eM
9. Covid-19 bukanlah penghalang (Covid-19 is not the barrier), by Alen, https://youtu.be/hSPzUYJOu_Y
10. Corona in Sumba, by Deriatus Awa, https://youtu.be/ul8sngloxQo
11. Haruskah Mudik Saat Pandemik (Should I return home during Covid 19 pandemic?), by Irene, https://youtu.be/fL6nrXjmt_A

Free Topics

1. Top 3 lagu di rumah saja (The top 3 songs for staying at home), by Wanti https://youtu.be/rwPDVJ1kb6E
2. Perubahan karena Covid (The changes due to covid), by Wulan, https://youtu.be/M8B8-82_3Ng
3. Tips Mengatasi Stress di rumah (Tips for overcoming stress at home), by Gilang & Lusi, https://youtu.be/ltJH9EnJTYc
4. Desa Pluneng melewati cobaan Covid 19 (Pluneng village passes through Covid-19), by Aistia, https://youtu.be/adoZLDEcvuI
5. Ketaatan di tengah Covid 19 (The obedience during Covid 19), by Rivaldo, https://youtu.be/Wj3nOp2R05c

The process of training and mentoring to sharpen the communication skills, including the video recording process impressed the participants, as revealed by Ellyn or Aprilian Sari Tamu Ina, "I am very happy to join this training because it is beneficial and brings a lot of new things about communication skills, learning together and getting to know new friends. The most memorable thing I had during the video process was the challenge of repetition for video shooting because of a small error, however it's very funny. I benefit the training  and I feel to be more confident in public speaking and not to be afraid anymore”

If you wonder about those videos, just click on the links above. (TRU).

My first encounter with Stube-HEMAT in Bengkulu happened spontaneously, when my colleague invited me to attend a discussion on "51 Years of Bengkulu: Its Development and Progress in the Economics" organized by Multiplication program of Stube-HEMAT in Bengkulu. It caught my attention as an economics student. The discussion revealed various economic problems occurred in Bengkulu and one point that I presented there was the economy condition of indigenous people in Bengkulu are not prosperous than the migrants because they tend to get money quickly by selling their land to the migrants, slowly but sure they lose their land. This was the beginning of my involvement with Multipicatioin program of Stube HEMAT in Bengkulu

I am Linda Titiwijayanti, from Argamakmur district, North Bengkulu regency and now studying Economics, in Accounting study program at Bengkulu State University. Besides studying economics and farming, I love books and pens, preferring to listen, to discuss and to express ideas through writing rather than giving speeches on the street. Through writing, we can still be democratic and express aspirations, right?

I am currently active as a writing contributor in Simple-B.online, managed by Yohanes Dian Alpasa, S.Si and Yedija Manullang, who had joined Stube-HEMAT earlier than me. The latest activity that I participated in was Communication Skills program held by Stube HEMAT Yogyakarta, which was done for eight days of mentoring in small groups with two other participants from Gunungkidul and Klaten facilitated by Trustha Rembaka and Putri Laoli. I learned good communication techniques from how to talk, eye contact, dramatization and also strategies to build confidence and promotion. At the end of the training, each participant made a video as a result of the training. During the training I realized that speaking in front of camera is more difficult than speaking directly in front of audience, because I am more confident if no camera, but from the training material and practice I was able to overcome my fear of camera.

My video campaigned to decrease the high number of early marriages in Bengkulu which is on the 10th rank in Indonesia based on the data of the National Statistic Bureau 2018. By getting married early, they put aside education which is very important to improve the quality of Indonesian Human Resources. I faced difficulties in the process of making the video, such as finding the right time, because I also had to do homework, help my parents in vegetable fields, while I had to practice the scripts several times. Even, I have to anticipate my free time and energy for the recording process, that was only at dusk. At the end, I was so satisfied with the results. Please watch the link https://youtu.be/NkA5CutSQNw

From the video, I got good responses from friends who watched it. They were entertained and the important poin was they educated. It was an impressive thing for me being able to convey a positive message both through video and writing. Wait for my next video. Thank you Stube HEMAT. May the spirit of work flow to all of us! (Linda Titiwijayanti).

The online training gave unique challenges. Having communication with long distance participants who have different time zones and cultural backgrounds, it is required that they must tell the same thing repeatedly, because the network is faltered, on and off.  Telling repeatedly is crucial to make sure whether the intended message is clear and understandable. Moreover how to bring together ideas to be produced in one video, really drained the creative ideas they have. In average, the participants were still beginner and had no experience in producing videos.

Wilton Paskalis. The main thing in Communication Skills is public speaking and this is a benchmark that must be achieved by someone in this training. I found unique and various speaking character of the participants that showed the uniqueness that illustrated their origin from various regions in Indonesia, so the self-adaptation must be done by the facilitator as well as the participants. Then they should complement each other and built connectedness so that the training ran well. I felt happy when I found good communication tips and even the values of responsibility, cooperation, discipline, professional and patience. I know these all were not a coincidence but part of the life cycle.

Thomas Yulianto. I felt grateful for being able as a blessing to the participants of Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta on Communication Skills training, so that those who were formerly afraid of speaking up can ‘defeat’ their fears, even have confidence to communicate. Each participant had personal experience and I learned good things from their experiences with various backgrounds from Aceh to Kupang. It must be admitted that there were participants who were less enthusiastic about following the training stages for various reasons and they were difficult to contact because of unstable communication networks, campus activities and others. I learned a lot of things, including patience to accompany them with their characters, and still productive in the middle of the Covid-19 Pandemic. In essence, wherever to learn, whenever to learn and learn to everyone, then we will succeed and become a person who has positive impact.

Erik Poae. The first thing I thought about when accompanying Communication Skills training participants was the challenge to be more confident than the participants. Indeed, I have participated in the same topic training a few years ago but I was as a participant and it was not online training. Equipped with the former experiences I am more determined to be the trainer. Each stage took 6-8 days, interacting with students from various regions in Indonesia with a variety of characters. This process also shaped me to be a good trainer on how to adapt to all the conditions that exist. Sometimes the feeling of insecurity arose because I thought that they are more intelligent than I am. During the process, I felt happy because it was proven that the materials I learned was new to them. This made me understand even more that we should not be afraid to try new things, especially to hone our soft-skills and hard-skills.

These experiences are shared learning as trainer or participant. With the strong motivation to do the best at every opportunity, it certainly produces a positive influence to improve the quality of human resources. (TRU).

By Trustha Rembaka

Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta training on Communication Skills took place in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic by implementing online training to reduce physical interaction in accordance with WHO health protocols. The online method opened opportunities for students from various regions in Indonesia as participants. Communication Skills training is carried out in 4 batches according to the enthusiasm of the participants. Finally, twenty-three students from various regions in Indonesia took part in this training and produced twenty-one short educational videos on various topics. The following were the experiences of the training facilitators.

Trustha Rembaka. The online Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta Communication Skills training became a tactical strategy to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. The first challenge related to communication skills itself was not enough to be understand, but also needed to be practiced. Second, online process was closely related to the availability of communication networks both at the trainer's place and participants. The fact in mentoring is not different from the prediction, namely the need for face-to-face interaction to transfer knowledge in the form of speaking practices and to improve speaking techniques. It also ensured the participants' self-confidence in making a breakthrough to improve their communication skills. The most memorable thing was the participant's struggle to overcome obstacles in the absence of electricity coverage and internet access. She had to walk 4 kms back and forth in the morning to recharge the cellphone's at the nearest electricity grid, and in the afternoon climbed up the hill to get signal for connection with videocall. How great they strive to improve themselves. In addition, this training encourages participants to 'jump over' self-obstacles. Initially they considered themselves unable to speak in public but through this training they were trained to speak and even to produce videos.

Sarloce Apang. Utilizing social media such as WhatsApp and Facebook for online classes for students was the first time done in Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta Communication Skill training. The video capturing materials during the training process became a challenge, because not every participant understands the video capturing techniques. However, I also learned how to make material that was easy for beginners to understand and to direct the participants to create detailed narratives so that they were easy to understand when reading. Furthermore, internet access that has not been evenly distributed in every region became obstacle, but they showed enthusiasm about video calling or active on social media. I always waited for their video recordings that they would send and I felt satisfied with the results. For students who have good internet access, this training triggered them to be more creative and productive even though they are also studying from home. I also indirectly continued to 'upgrade' my ability.

Putri Laoli. When the Covid 19 pandemic struck, I thought I could not work as usual, but in fact through WhatsApp group Communication Skills, online training with Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta team could be carried out. In fact, this training got good response not only from students in Yogyakarta, but also from Malang, Klaten and even from outside Java such as the Aru Islands, Sorong, Kupang, Halmahera, Sumba and Bengkulu. Besides discussing communication skills, this training also produced educational short videos about Covid-19 and the social problems around the participants’ life. I found life values and reflected that when a difficult situation hit, then one must be smart to adjust to the situation and must be encouraged the search creative power to optimize other potentials that were not previously thought. This required self-confidence to try something new responsibly, while transferring knowledge and positive attitude to others. So, in any difficult situation, if we never give up, we will be the winners! (TRU).