Wednesday, September 24, 2008 ‘Etiquette for journalists’ takes spotlight in Press Week forum
A NOSE for news, credibility, passion and aggressiveness are important traits a journalist should possess. But those should be complemented with social graces and a knowledge of protocol, a government executive said yesterday.
Some media practitioners and journalism students were treated to a two-hour forum on social graces and protocol, with Franzina Yulo of the Foreign Service Institute of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
The forum on Effective Self-Presentation and Communication, held yesterday at the Marcelo B. Fernan Cebu Press Center, formed part of the Cebu Press Freedom Week activities.
“First impressions are formed in the first four minutes,” said Yulo.
“You are always judged by the way you look or project yourself.”
In communication, an important aspect of journalism, Yulo said that the bulk of the message is conveyed through non-verbal means or through action and movements.
It is also important to know the appropriate distance to keep between people having conversations, such as journalists and sources. The “social zone” ranges from four to 12 feet, while public zone goes beyond 12 feet, Yulo explained.
The DFA conducts seminars on social graces and protocol to “breed and encourage confident Filipinos.”
“We face foreigners like we don’t have pride in ourselves. It’s about time we find that identity,” said Yulo.
“We have to learn how to be global players and help cope with the changing world outside...but first, we have to change the inside,” Yulo continued.
Her presentation also covered etiquette in formal dining and in cocktails. In both cases, the event is not about the food and the drinks but about socializing and networking.
“One hand should always be free to shake hands,” said Yulo.
And when the guest of honor puts down his napkin during dinner to indicate that he’s done, the rest should follow, done with dinner or not.
“Even the most senior reporters don’t know that,” said Michelle P. So, Sun.Star Cebu executive editor.
“Journalists should know how to conduct themselves in a formal setting, especially community journalists who don’t often get to cover formal events. It is good to know how to address VIPs and how to behave towards VIPs,” she said, in explaining the forum’s relevance to journalists.
The Freeman entertainment columnist Ryan Borinaga, who also teaches Bisayan journalism at the University of the Visayas, saw the forum as a wonderful opportunity for aspiring journalists.
Borinaga brought his journalism students to the activity.
Students from the Center for International Education and the Cebu Institute of Technology were also present.
Yulo, taking a cue from former first lady Imelda Marcos, also advised her audience to be charming. Just as Marcos explained, charming someone is as challenging as terrorizing someone. (JGA)
