RiverBender Blog: Curiosity Killed the Cat (But She Was a Good Reporter)
I am nosey. It’s simply a fact of my life. I wouldn’t be a good reporter if I wasn’t, right? But my curiosity often gets me into unique situations where I get to know members of our community, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
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One of the best parts of my job is that I get to meet new people. All. The. Time. Every day, multiple times a day, I chirp some variation of, “Hi! My name is Sydney and I’m a reporter with RiverBender.com,” and the conversation takes off from there.
In fact, that phrasing is always on the tip of my tongue, to the point where I sometimes answer my personal cell phone with, “This is Sydney at RiverBender.com, how can I help you?” which is just confusing for everyone involved. I’ve also been known to rattle off my work number and extension when asked for my cell phone. Oops.
Anyway, after I introduce myself to a source, we usually get right down to business, talking about whatever the subject is at hand. I typically have a few questions written down or rattling inside my brain, but I mostly just wait to see where the conversation takes us. You’d be surprised.
This is where it helps to be nosey. I ask a lot of questions. I seek out the tiny details.
These details sometimes make their way into my stories, or maybe they just give me a better understanding of the person in front of me. They round out the picture. I get a sense of who this person is and what they’ve experienced, and it’s a huge gift. What a cool thing, to get to know people in our community.
I write a lot of features, which means I often have the opportunity to go beyond the surface with folks I interview. I firmly believe you could walk up to anyone on the street and get a great story out of them just after a few minutes of conversation. Everyone has something unique, something fascinating in their lives. It’s an honor that so many people choose to share that with me.
In my personal life, my nosiness isn’t always appreciated. I like to know details. My friends cast me exhausted looks when, halfway through a story, I interrupt again to clarify how they know so-and-so and what so-and-so does and whether or not I’ve met them.
I’m still brushing up my listening skills. In fact, I’d argue that’s even more important than asking questions in reporting, or in life in general. Most people only listen for their opening to talk. One of the kindest things you can do for another is to truly listen to what they have to say.
Not only that, but it’s a cool opportunity to only listen, to truly take in what someone else is saying without your mind whirring in the background, thinking up your response. We don’t do that very often in our day-to-day lives, do we? I challenge us all to listen a little more closely going forward.
And maybe the nosiness isn’t always the most convenient — what’s that saying about curiosity and a cat? — but my willingness to listen and ask questions does allow me to get to know my neighbors. In a world where most of our interactions happen over screens, this human-to-human connection is vital. We need much more of it.
So make like a reporter and start asking questions of the people around you. Start listening to what they have to say, and truly appreciate that they took the time to answer you. Our society is more connected than ever, and we’ve also never been so far apart. There’s value in getting to know each other.
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