I was interviewed by Bloomberg this week to talk about Netccentric. It was a surreal experience for me because I’ve always somehow engaged with Bloomberg for many years now.
The first time I heard about Bloomberg was when I did my internship at JP Morgan. There was this computer with two black screens there that a lot of my colleagues then used. I would later learn the magic that lay behind this Bloomberg terminal. Whereas in the past if you wanted to find anything about any listed company you would have to manually go through their announcements and annual reports, the Bloomberg terminal as they call it allowed you to search everything instantly. Digitally.
Then there was the channel on TV that my parents had turned on every morning since Bloomberg TV was available in Malaysia. My parents were active in the stock market and Bloomberg TV kept them up to date. It’s funny how our parents’ habits stick to us because Bloomberg is the channel I have on when I have my breakfast every morning now too.
So you can imagine how surreal it was when Bloomberg invited me for an interview. I was going to be one of those quick interview sessions they had in the middle of their programs when they talked to business people who have listed companies or fund managers or analyst.
Anyone who has some exposure or involvement in the equity or bond markets. I’ve done lots of interviews on TV before and a lot of public speaking but no matter how many times I do it, I’m always still a little nervous before it goes on.
Being on Bloomberg was a first for me, so it went up a little bit more when it came to the nervous-meter. I stood there as Han, the show’s host finished reporting his side of the news. I was briefed that it was going to be a short session and I had to answer the questions in a brief amount of time. Talk about pressure. Finally the lights came on and we were LIVE on air. My sister, my wife and Fighter was watching from home.
I later heard that Fighter at home watched me on TV and immediately asked the TV me to carry him. He then also tried to feed me a grape through the TV.
Well overall I think the interview went alright. Something I gotta keep in mind though is when being on TV or radio I should speak a little slower. A lot of people tell me that I speak really fast in real life or when giving speeches but on TV and radio it becomes even more apparent.
I did feel the pressure to speed whatever I had to say up though and plus there was the fear that I might say something wrong and have it forever captured LIVE. But ah anyway, sometimes less is more and I think I gotta learn to speak slower in real life.
How it feels to be on Bloomberg? Well… the host and the crew did a great job making me feel warm. Really like a guest on the show… so overall, it felt really great!
Anyway here’s the interview guys tell me what you think.
Thank you for having me Bloomberg: Han, El Sen and Sam.
Timothy Tiah – Co-Founder of Colony, Kuala Lumpur Co-Working Space