Media Storytelling students got a real treat for our first guest speaker on January 14, 2013. Journalist Cathy Wyatt came to our class to pass on wonderful wisdom in regards to running a successful interview. But besides her advice on interviews, Cathy shared with us her background in how she started up and gave us inspiration on how we can make interpersonal communication better for our futures.
Cathy had an interesting start to her college career. Like many college students, the major she started with was not the one she ended up with. Back at Clarkson College in Iowa, Cathy wanted to be involved in music and theater. She decided this was not the route for her, and switched to Broadcast Journalism and transferred to the University Nebraska at Lincoln. After graduating in 1987, she worked as a reporter/producer at KETV. Cathy remarked on how this lifestyle was not for her, with the unusual hours and environment. She is now a producer and host of “Consider This…” a T.V. program that interviews different experts in their field. Besides doing that, she is also the Director of Educational Outreach for Financial Visions, LLC. And lastly, she writes a monthly column in Omaha Lifestyles called “The Second Act” and interviews people getting new jobs over the age of 50.
Cathy gave us 6 strategies and tactics for running successful interviews. Her first tip, understand the topic. Second, your number one concern as the person conducting the interview is your audience! Third, the more focused and deliberate you are going in, the better off you will be. Next, consider the purpose of the interview. Is it to persuade? Inform? Fifth, how much time will you have? And lastly, how many interviews will you do?
As the lecture was drawing to a close, Cathy gave us tips for conducting an actual interview. Some of the tips I already knew, such as dress the part and double check spelling and pronunciation of the person’s name you’re interviewing. But other things she mentioned I never even thought of. For example, listen. Really listen to the person you are talking to, and make them feel at ease. And that is the main thing I took away from her lecture, make people feel at ease. The more comfortable people are, the better they will respond to you as the interviewer. The more comfortable people are, the better the interview will be.
"Omaha's Got Talent" 