I never realised how complex it was to be a journalist. I always thought of it as traveling around the world, asking questions and taking notes to try to get the full story, picking out the most important notes then present the story in an article, news paper or live on tv. That is what they do. However, it’s not that straight forward. Their are so many small details that need to be considered carefully. During his talk, I learned the “6 Tips To Get A Fabulous Story.” Tips he follows himself to have a good story and that helped him to become a journalist as he first started off as an accountant, and had no connection to journalism. The tips were to:
- Ask open-ended questions – This way it provides a challenge for your interviewee as well as gives you more information you could use in your article/newspaper/tv news instead of just “yes” or “no.”
- Set the answer free – Don’t set unnecessary parameters. The best questions asked almost always start with a “How do you feel …”
- Don’t interrupt – Let the interviewee finish making their point. Interrupting someone is disrespectful and the point they make will most likely be important.
- Be a single shooter – Don’t ask two questions in one. The interviewee will most likely answer the second question and forget about the first.
- Listen to the answer – Don’t keep the interview strictly based on your questions. If you hear something which may be important, ask more about it and eventually come back to your original questions.
- Be professional – Respect them as well as yourself. If your interviewing one of your “hero’s,” don’t turn into a “fanboy/girl.” If you approach them professionally and respectfully, you can have a great relationship with them.
I learned a lot more about journalism than I thought I would. I’ll defiantly be using these tips in future interviews.
– Brianna Kuo
