Llerena, the capital of the Southern Campiña of Badajoz, hosted the presentation of Behind the words, Maria Isabel Rodriguez Palop, the second flamenco work by the journalist from Llerena, which, based on its 32 interviews over 200 pages, we recommend to interviewers, especially those whose dialogue is so ineffective that they cannot have a quality conversation.
The way of connecting with the interviewee is related to the art of conversational intelligence, a skill that, as I mentioned in the prologue, I associate with María Isabel Rodríguez Palop, for whom if speaking creates impact it is not only because of the effectiveness in the exchange of information, which is also true, but also because of the message, which is only credible when, after establishing a fluid and direct connection, the interlocutor is “listened to”.
There are those who weaken the listener and, instead of conversing, engage in monologues. There are those who call themselves descriptive reporters, but they don't listen. And others simply reaffirm each answer without further enriching the dialogue with their contributions. But, on the contrary, there are also those who Guardians of jonda information who master the art of the interview and which are located Behind the words, journalists specializing in flamenco who, like the author of this work, know the importance of words and their impact on Spanish cultural life.
It is noted that the author, in her conversations, knows how to manage the time intervals with their corresponding pauses, the way to empathize with the reality of the other in order to seek the quality of the dialogue, and most importantly, prioritize the information needs and those specific situations that motivate the journalist to seek the knowledge, facts, and data that the reader demands.
The interviews compiled in this book are the result of more than ten uninterrupted years of writing as a specialized collaborator in The Newspaper of Extremadura, from which, with more than half a thousand interviews and chronicles that figure in his professional DNA, he has compiled the best so that the reader can crystallize the scene of the conversation.
In these years, Rodriguez Palop has taken on his professional practice more as a devotion than as a work of literary poetics. He is interested in fully understanding the character, hence he strips it of superfluous embellishments. He perfects the art of dialogue in his articles, thus addressing the need to converse better and exercise more perfectionist leadership. And in his questions, we find good clues for better use of the issues and therefore avoiding those that include the point of view of the person asking them, given that It's not so much about speaking as it is about conversing and knowing how to listen..
He is aware Palop, in this sense, that words are a reflection of the thoughts and feelings of the interviewee. Their power is so immense that they must be used and spoken in our everyday language. They cannot go unnoticed, as they would lose the credibility they enjoyed before being singled out. And they are, consequently, the fundamental tool for communication between human beings, connecting us and sharing our experiences.
«The book has the noble intention of spreading the flamenco "as the spearhead of the Spain brand, creating enthusiasm among emerging youth and promoting culture from Extremadura."
Such is the essence of the authority of journalistic discourse, the power of the word. And Rodriguez Palop knows that they can be used to build or destroy, to inspire or demotivate people, to convey love or hate. He's aware of this, and that's why he uses his own and those of his interviewees wisely.
Both are a reflection of our culture. And the way we use them can be interpreted differently by people outside our culture. That's why in this work we find them used appropriately, according to the cultural context of each character, their own language and its own form of communication, from which we can infer that language flamenco It is plural, a reflection of the culture in which the person being questioned develops.
When dealing with these considerations with characters as diverse as Miguel Poveda, Farruquito, Israel Fernandez, Esther Merino o Eva Yerbabuena, we note the importance of effective communication. In Pepe de Lucia, Calixto Sanchez, Rancapine o Laura Vital, we glimpse that everything happens for a reason called wisdom, and in the answers of Dorants, Alejandro Hurtado, Jesus Carmona, Ostalinda Suarez o Ana Crisman, we find the importance that words are also an important tool for creativity.
These are just a few examples, but what is a confirmation is that the above not only reflects the way we use words, which must be done in a cultured and effective manner, but also how it can affect our communication, our relationships, and our creativity.
Finally, there is another piece of information to remember that is part of the purpose of Rodríguez's interviews. Palop. And it is strategy as a literary resource, adjusting the journalist's skill to the field manual, such as a title, lead, or introduction, without omitting the most relevant information about the interviewer; body or development, which is the core of the interview, where the author respects and transcribes the answers, even, I would say, in some cases eliminating or correcting gaps or stuttering; and closing or conclusion, where the journalist emphasizes what she truly wants to highlight.
We are, therefore, faced with a journalistic genre that the author masters insofar as she obtains information from the artist by formulating the questions, with the addition that, in order to obtain the desired answers, the journalist has investigated the interviewee, approaches him with Short and simple questions to investigate more into his work than his life, knows how to improvise based on the answers, tries to provoke a statement from the person questioned about the topic raised, and, after the conversation between two people, achieves the objective: to obtain the desired information from the interlocutor, without prejudice to the underlying their experiences, attitudes, skills, testimonial aspects and those other traits and characteristics of the artist.
In that sense, Behind the words He does not hide anything. Rather, he has the noble intention of spreading the word flamenco As the spearhead of the Spain brand, to create enthusiasm among emerging youth and promote culture from a land, Extremadura, that reflects those values and attributes that, since time immemorial, have impacted individual and collective identity through diversity.
