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From the Educators’ Desks ‘It is never possible to be fully “expect the unexpected” in working as a media professional. There are just too many variables and unexpected twists in life and in people. COMversations gives an inside look at how professionals handle these twists and turns. These are lessons in career and life from those who are at the top of their game’. Dr Ang Peng Hwa Professor Wee Kim Wee School of Communication & Information Nanyang Technological University ‘Meeting the day-to-day demands of business sometimes means insights from industry experts are missed due to the lack of record or analysis. COMversations attempts to plug this gap for those keen to learn more about the business of communications. It is filled with personal experiences and anecdotes from seasoned communications specialists. It’s the next-best-thing to getting individual coaching and advice from prominent professionals. Students will greatly benefit from these insider views and tips while readers will gain a better appreciation of the complex and nuanced environment in which public media is created, managed and shared’. Mr Scott Leland Executive Director Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government Harvard Kennedy School ‘For those of us who teach communication management at university level, COMversations is a wonderful resource. We present to our students evidence-based communication theories so that they have the essential knowledge that enables them to operate in fast changing global business environments. But in addition to the theoretical approach, we need to ignite in them that spark of excitement and curiosity that comes from exposure to real world stories. This book features eight high-powered communication practitioners who distil their fascinating experiences into words of wisdom and good advice for our students. This is exactly how we can bring a good dose of reality into the classroom and make it a lively, enriching and enjoyable environment for our students’. Ms Ulrike Murffet Co-Author ‘Communication Strategies for the Global Workplace’ ‘There is no end to the complex dexterity required of the skilled communicator. Their process is like unravelling tangled yarn to create an intricate bridge that spans interpersonal and cross-cultural chasms. COMversations provides insight into the skill and single-minded dedication of experienced communicators to seek, discern and convey situations from source to audience. Students, teachers and anyone interested in communication will value this book’. Dr Ong Siow Heng Professor of Communication Management Education Lee Kong Chian School of Business Singapore Management University ‘COMversations – with its first-hand accounts of communication experiences across cultures, and socio-economic and political boundaries – is an invaluable resource for young people seeking to quickly widen their exposure to a broad spectrum of communication challenges. Stories from the media veterans bring theoretical frameworks in class to life by showing, in captivating and concrete ways, what it means to be a nimble and versatile communicator – even while navigating complexities of context, audience and culture’. Ms Yang Mei Ling Senior Lecturer Nanyang Business School Nanyang Technological University ID:u0026-ti0005 ID:u0026-ti0010 This page intentionally left blank Published by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. 5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224 USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401-402, Hackensack, NJ 07601 UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE National Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing in Publication Data Name(s): Chua, Chong Jin. Title: COMversations : communication lessons from media professionals / Chua Chong Jin. Description: Singapore : World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., [2022] Identifier(s): ISBN 978-981-12-5352-2 (hardcover) | ISBN 978-981-12-5370-6 (paperback) | ISBN 978-981-12-5353-9 (ebook for institutions) | ISBN 978-981-12-5354-6 (ebook for individuals) Subject(s): LCSH: Communication. | Mass media. Classification: DDC 302.2--dc23 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Copyright © 2022 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the publisher. For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. In this case permission to photocopy is not required from the publisher. For any available supplementary material, please visit https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/12758#t=suppl Typeset by Diacritech Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Chennai - 600106, India Printed in Singapore To dearest Jean, with admiration for the exceptional teacher that you are. To my mum, from whom I learnt the meaning of ‘just did it’. Most of all, thanks to God. ABOUT THE AUTHOR A former Straits Times journalist and Asia correspondent for PHP International (Japan), Chua Chong Jin teaches at Nanyang Business School at the Nanyang Technology University, Singapore. Educated at the National University of Singapore and Cambridge University in UK, he engages industry practitioners actively to add value to his students’ learning. CONTENTS Acknowledgements X In A Few Words XI Prologue XIII An Introduction XV Scene 1 Drenched to the Bone 2 Chapter 1 Constant Reinvention 7 Chua Chin Hon, China Bureau Chief/US Bureau Chief, Straits Times Chapter 2 Yours Accidentally 19 Colette Wong, Presenter/Correspondent, Fox Sports Asia Scene 2 The Wheel’s Still in Spin 30 Chapter 3 Breadth and Depth 35 Divian Nair, Founder/CEO, Storyteller Productions Chapter 4 Endless Possibilities 45 Nicholas Fang, Managing Director, Black Dot Pte Ltd Scene 3 Heeding the Call 58 IN FOCUS – Making A Mark 63 Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs, shares insights on his communication style with Nanyang Business School students Scene 4 Beyond One’s Command 90 Chapter 5 Moving On 95 Edwin Chan, Asia Technology Editor, Bloomberg LP Chapter 6 Aiming High 105 Jill Neubronner, Presenter/Anchor, Channel NewsAsia Scene 5 First & Last 118 Chapter 7 World of Wonder 123 Arlina Arshad, Regional Correspondent (Southeast Asia), Straits Times Chapter 8 Driving Change 135 Alan Soon, Co-Founder and CEO, Splice Media Epilogue 147