Speak Up!

I was really proud of myself today. I conducted four phone interviews in a loud and confident voice. And only two of them were saved for when by boss left her cubicle for a coffee break. I knew that on the other side of my cubicle Pete Daily with the Grand Rapids Business Journal (who I've never actually met...or seen) could not help but listen to me, just as I routinely absentmindedly eavesdrop on his phone interviews and hear every click of his typewriter (yes, typewriter!)

The more comfortable I get at Gemini, the less I worry about my voice booming through the quiet office and the rest of the staff creepin' on my phone conversations. I know what I need to say, I remind myself I'm a confident (pseudo) reporter instead of a shy twelve year old, and I go about my business. My mentality during these phone calls is similar to when I imagined the audience wearing underpants at my eighth grade choir solo.

And guess what? My confidence made my interviewees more confident, too! It's hard to feel at ease when Jamie Something, the mumbler from Grand Rapids Something Magazine is asking you questions in an inaudible voice. But with Jamie the Assured Interviewer, people relax and give natural answers. My questions yielded better responses which directly translates as better quotes and an overall better article.

In general, this week was great in terms of productivity. Both of my bosses are back in the office so things were back to normal, including my heavy workload. And I wasn't even bothered by that. Turns out, I'd rather have a long list of things to do than a non-existent one. I used to (even at the beginning of the internship) hate overlapping projects, but that's just the way things have to go around there in order to be productive. My articles happen in stages, especially when I have to wait on other people to get back with me for interviews or to supply photos, so doing a little bit of each project is actually the most efficient way to work. This has completely changed my work ethic; I skip around to a different assignment whenever I hit any sort of speed bump...or just get bored. We'll see how this translates to my school study habits this fall.