What You Can Learn From Ann Curry In Just 3 Minutes

During Creative Week last year, Ann Curry was part of a great panel discussion on storytelling.

To say that Ann Curry is a master storyteller would be a gross understatement. We are all aware of the high quality and stellar reputation that she has earned over the years.

And it all started here in my home state of Oregon.

She graduated from high school in Ashland and spent her college years in Eugene at the University of Oregon. After that, stints in local news, including our excellent NBC affiliate in Portland, KGW (where the news comes first, by the way). Everyone I knew in my media days said the same thing, "she's awesome." A colleague from Portland at Creative Week, who went to Oregon with her said the same thing, "she's always been great and has never changed."

My goal was to get an interview, but time was no one's friend here as she was on her way to another engagement.

My colleague Louise mentioned to her that I was from Portland and taught at UO — and Ann made her way to the basement where I was posted up to say hello.

Let me rephrase, Ann Curry went out of her way to come downstairs while she on a very tight schedule to introduce herself to me.

In 3 minutes, we covered everything from UO football, to things happening in Portland and Oregon, to what it is I do for living and what I did in Portland media. She then took a step back and looked at my outfit (jeans, Hurley shirt, hipster glasses) and said, "it's so good to soak in the Portland vibe."

I've been very fortunate to chat with all kinds of powerful, famous and popular people. And I always manage to take some things away from each interaction.

But this one felt a little different.

And this is what I learned (and perhaps you can learn) in my 3 minutes with Ann Curry.

Nice Is Nice, Sincerity Makes It Even Better

I had always heard about how nice Ann Curry is. That was the first thing that stood out.

We all know about the "fake nice."

But this was on the far end of the other side of the "nice" spectrum — that place where sincerity and being genuine amplifies everything. And I don't mean to sound pollyanna about the word itself. But being nice and genuine will always make a lasting impact.

Curiosity Is A Beautiful Thing

I can guess that, by the nature of her work, Ann is curious. I also know that it is taught (well) at the University of Oregon J-School.

But I could tell that, because I'm from Oregon, she was intrigued by what I do and interested in how Portland and Oregon itself inform it all. At one point, I kind of felt I was being interviewed. Which was a nice twist. And I was rather flattered that she was so curious about me and my work.

The big takeaway here is that when you are with people who are curious (and there are many in our business), latch on to it. And contribute a bit of your own as well.

It's All About "You" — Not "You" But "You"

I'll admit it. I was a tiny bit intimidated as Ann was walking toward me. I have deep respect for her work and, well, she's one of the very best in the business.

I have met some media folk who are all about "me, me and more me."

Ann Curry made it all about "you." I felt like the most important person in the room for those 3 minutes.

There are SCADS of people in our business who do that well, too. Paul Lavoie of TAXI leaps to mind immediately. As does Val DiFebo and Linda Sawyer of Deutsch. Christine Fruechte of Colle+McVoy and Andy Hart of Microsoft in London also fit the bill. Hell, there's not enough room in this post to list the people who are like that in our industry.

But they do make it about "you."

You Can Usually Find A Connection With People, And It May Not Be About Work

I've been in Oregon for almost 23 years. I'm a native Minnesotan and have family roots on the east coast. I went to college in Denver. London is my second home. I have been lucky to experience these places (and others) and times in my life.

The Oregon connection to Ann Curry is obvious in this case.

Sadly, we are conditioned to go to the work default.

"So, what do you do?"

But I've found that getting to the other side of an individual, namely, their lives, has more impact and actually humanizes so many interactions. Yes, this is a very obvious observation, but as I get older, I find that getting to finding out about someone's work lands at about the third or fourth slot in the conversation continuum.

Try it sometime, because you may find that you have more in common with someone than you realize.

Expect To Be Surprised

As alluded to earlier, my goal was to get an interview with Ann Curry.

I'm glad it didn't happen.

Sure, it would have been a nice vanity piece for my portfolio. I could tell people "I interviewed Ann Curry!"

But, quite frankly, the impact of this short, personal time with Ann Curry taught (and reminded) me of so many more important things.

That was a bit of a surprise.

And I'm not sure that 3 minutes of audio would have done it justice.

This post originally appeared in the Advertising Week Social Club blog.

Photo credit: David Shankbone | Creative Commons