The Perfect Pitch

What kind of a professional am I?

Am I a newspaper reporter?

Am I a magazine journalist?

Am I a motivational speaker?

Am I a columnist?

Am I a television personality?

Am I a radio personality?

Am I a biographer?

Am I a visionary?

Am I an actress?

Maybe I’m all that…

Today I spent a good amount of time doing research and preparing for an important interview that I have tomorrow morning.

I’m not well versed on the topic at hand but that doesn’t scare me because I have FRIENDS who are brilliant and I’m never at a loss when I really need help because… of all the gifted people I know, someone always has the information I need.

After consulting with the most brilliant minds I know and receiving guidance on intelligent questions to ask, I sat down to revise and add my own flavor to them and then I casually called my office mate to discuss the questions.

This dude blew my mind. He comes from an extensive radio broadcast background while I am well versed in Internet and Print.

For those who think journalism is journalism, lemme tell you- it’s not.

Even when I was at the newspaper in Houston my publisher used to cringe when she read my questions, she said they sounded like television broadcast questions. It’s all in the way I frame a question.

In radio, my co worker explained, the questions are simple, quick and uncomplicated.

Huh?

I NEVER ask simple questions. My questions are usually thought provoking, challenging and worded very intelligently because that’s how I write.

So to hear him challenge me in my interview preparation process really threw me off the curb.

Damn… I don’t want to alienate readers but I also don’t want to be like, “So…What’s going on in your world?”

I would NEVER ask an interview subject such a vague question. My questions are direct and often times CUTTING. I’ve been known to make an interview subject gulp and ask for water.

I’m not trying to be difficult, I just ask questions that require thought. I’m not looking for quick sound bytes, I’m looking to educate and pull information about the evolution of the subject’s lives and their mentality.

Is this appropriate for what we are doing?

Hmm….

I spoke with my Director and she says she trusts me to work my magic and not be a carbon copy of the interview style of the show. I told her that I want this new feature to be distinctive with its own signature flair while my co worker believes that if the website has the same audience as the show then we shouldn’t change the delivery of the message.

Wow!

~singing~

See you at the crossroads, crossroad, crossroads, See you at the crossroads..So you won’t looonely!

I love this job!

Imagine that….He and I are coming from two different journalistic mediums and we have to find a happy place in between.

I love working with these smart people!

I learn so much!

I wonder if my past experience in television, radio and print can really cultivate a distinct radio interviewing style that won’t alienate listeners due to my above average vocabulary.

Can I dumb myself down a bit? Is that what the listeners really want?

Ehhhh…I’m not so sure.

Man…I’m gonna be up for quite a while, trying to compromise in the phrasing of my questions. This is really not the interview subject to be playing around with.

Man FUCK THAT!

I’m Ms. Tee!

Everytime I come through with some real shit! MY shit blows up!

I’m gonna be ME!

distinctly ME…

I don’t have to study a damn person or take notes off a damn thang…

My shit pops no matter what! I’m gifted.

Fuck it…

I’m gonna give it up to God. I can not fail. I’m in God’s divine will.

God, please give me a voice that is pleasing to the ear and the perfect words in the perfect pitch for my big interview tomorrow.

Thanks!