TOM - Any opportunity to be
able to conduct real interviews
is really valuable, because
you can only learn the skills
through practical experience.
PETER - I decided yeah, why
not? It’s kind of daunting when
you go to the first meeting and
by the end of it you’re told to go
and email the mayor and have
an interview with him by the end
of the week.
JESS - Learning how
to work with other
journalists, because with
our assessment pieces
it’s always been very
individual focused.
arrange an interview date and time. This seems like an easy
enough task, but if phone tag was an Olympic sport, the
team could probably win gold now after all their practice.
I was incredibly nervous when conducting my first
interview. The voice in my head was like ‘What questions
will I ask?’, ‘Will they be open in their responses?’, and ‘Will
I forget how to speak?’. These unwanted thoughts, floated
around in all the empty space that suddenly filled my head.
But with a fair bit of preparation and a few deep breaths,
I managed to conduct a successful and professional
interview.
Once you realise that you are just talking to a person,
everything suddenly becomes so much easier. You are able
to think about what the candidates are saying and adjust
your questions to suit. I knew the theory of this from class
but during the process of conducting the interviews and
writing the story, I actually got a chance to practice what I
had learnt and gain practical experience.
My confidence increased exponentially through speaking
with prominent members of the community on a
professional level, and proving to myself my ability to think
on the spot, work with a team and be nimble as
a journalist.
All the interviews were collated into an online
blog, consisting of the stories the students had
written and an audio grab from each interview.
The blog developed as a resource to educate
the community about their council candidates
and allow them to make informed decisions
about who they might vote for. There are many
candidates in the upcoming TRC election, and
as a first time council voter, I personally will read
through these stories to try and figure out who
will get my vote.
The professional experience and journalism
skills I gained from embarking on this journey
definitely offset the commitments of precious
time and energy. Next time an opportunity
presents itself, immerse yourself in it, because
the benefits almost always outweigh the costs!
You won’t regret it. ∆
WORDS: EMMA RAE – USQ Student
IMAGES: USQ Corporate Comms