The interviewers were two mass-communications students, Sylvia Chew and Jeeva Reuben from IACT College (Institute Advertising Communication Training) who were doing the assignment as part of the course they are on.
Sylvia and Reuben arrived at Nyonya Colors on the spot, at 12.30pm as arranged. Hmmm…very good. Very punctual – a discipline adhered to by most journalists or they stand to lose out on a story.
Of course there were the “formalities” - smiling, shaking hands, nodding heads in acknowledgement as to who’s who before we all sat down.
They seemed eager to start the session, refusing my offer for some drinks. Maybe they were rushing off somewhere, I thought. I was just taking my time. It was only noon and I was just waking up.
“So,” I said, “what do you want to know?”
I caught the tail end of Reuben’s answer: “... 10 questions.”
Hiya! I thought. No fun. Can’t play “diva journalist” role now.
“Ok,” I said despite the disappointment. “Shoot.”
Reuben flipped open his piece of paper where he noted all the questions every now and then, reminding me of my rookie years.
Sylvia flipped open a notebook with pen in hand. Reuben trusted his hand phone to record the interview. Wah…canggih (upbeat) students. I hope his recording gets messed up (another journalists’ nightmare, which happens often)…hehehe (evil laugh) then he will have to squeeze his brains or beg Sylvia to share notes.
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| Meet Mass Comm students Sylvia (L) and Reuben after I forced them to pose for my camera. |
Aloud, and with a bit of a stern look I said: “You’re recording me?”
Reuben hesitated a bit but Sylvia was quick to ask, supported by Reuben a minute later: “If you’re ok with it?”
“Do you know that before recording anyone you have to get prior permission? Some people don’t like it.”
They nodded.
Hehehe, saja la, just to play a fool a bit. It’s been a long time since I spoke to a newbie.
I gave a one minute “lecture” on why the permission bit blah blah blah.
Youngsters these days, I thought. They must be thinking “ol' school fart” (of me).
Both of them started asking questions, very articulate but I noticed while Sylvia always looked straight into my eyes, Reuben avoided them.
Alamak, I thought again. Now got to remove my shades. Maybe he is feeling intimidated. You know the saying: when you can’t see a person’s eyes when talking to them it makes us uneasy. And true enough, he relaxed a little after I placed my bumble-bee shaped shades on the table.
They asked quite a bit of question. I was feeling a little bored ‘cos I was doing a lot of talking, and wanted them to push me a bit more. They didn't seem curious. Maybe I was boring. Yeah, I know. I’m known for talking a lot. But don’t worry. It’s never empty talk for me.
At the same time I was reading them. At times they threw glances at each other. Maybe signalling each other to just “b!##%*y-stop-this-woman-from-talking-please-so-we-can-go-shopping” or something.
“Anything else?” I asked after some time.
A few sheepish grins and Sylvia said, “I think that’s it.”
“OK,” I said with a huge smile.
Both of them got up to leave but not without shaking my hands first.
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| All my life I've been the interviewer but today Sylvia took over that role. |
Aiyo! Hello? Interview finished already baru nak tanya nama (you’re asking for name after the interview is over)???
I smile slyly and thought to myself: Ahhh…mana boleh (this is not right). Buat interview tak tahu nama orang (how can you conduct an interview without knowing the person’s name)?
“I know,” I replied.
I purposely didn’t tell them my full name at the start because I wanted to know if they realise that that is the first rule of an interview – know who you are talking to. And by that I mean know the full name.
“You must always get the full name of the person you interview before you start an interview,” I pointed out sweetly.
Sylvia grinned. She has something up her sleeves.
“I know your name,” she said grinning.
“I found out when I was checking your e-mail and it pointed to your weblog and your photo site links inside,” she added.
I smiled to myself. She will make a good journalist. Very sly, very quick and daring.
As for Reuben – very articulate BUT a little shy. Look them in the eye, Reuben. In the eye! Take control of the interview and not let the interviewee control you.
The golden rule of a journalist – to get a good story, you have to do the prodding not the other way around. If your interviewee talks too much and stray from the topic, giving you info you don’t need, subtly cut them so you keep to the purpose of your interview, which in turn guarantees you the meat of your story.
But if the interviewee is pouring out more than you asked and the info is relevant, learn to seal your mouth and lap them up.
Sylvia and Reuben want to go into broadcasting but nothing is set on stone yet. I’ve asked them to start building their portfolio online from now so they have something impressive to show for future job interviews. I can’t wait to see them when they are up and running.
I hope they enjoyed our little chatter. Feel free to tweak my brains again, even if just to entertain me.
And, oh, sorry I couldn’t give you the cliché “journalist quote”. My “the industry is a whole lotta shit” sure won’t fit in your study report ;)
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