Chapter 10: The Needs Analysis and the Difficult Star
The business trip to Buon Ma Thuot ended with a peaceful evening at the movie theater, leaving behind indescribably sweet aftertaste in Lam Moc Tra's heart. But the reality of the workplace had never allowed anyone to dream for too long. The moment she returned to Saigon, StarBrite's entire Production Department was swept into a new campaign: pushing the company's artists onto the international market, starting with Thailand and Singapore.
Monday morning, Conference Room 1 was stifling with the smell of strong coffee and the sight of tense faces. Vu Hoang Hai stood in front of the whiteboard, laying out the roadmap for the next three months.
"The biggest weakness among the company's current roster of artists is foreign languages. Walking an international red carpet while only knowing how to smile and wave, then stammering and waiting for an interpreter during the interview, won't leave anyone with a distinct personal impression." Hai rapped his marker hard against the table. "The company will bring in teachers for an intensive conversational English course. But before that, I need someone to design an internal training framework that reflects the realities of the entertainment industry as closely as possible."
Everyone's eyes immediately began to wander. The communications specialists knew PR inside and out, but whenever it came to putting together a teaching curriculum, everyone shook their head. Hai swept his gaze around the room before finally stopping at the familiar spot in the corner of the table.
"Lam Moc Tra. You've worked as an English teaching assistant and have studied education. You'll take this on."
Tra jumped and hurriedly stood up. "Yes... sir, I can put together the framework, but if we just use a standard conversational English textbook, it'll be incredibly boring and miss the point entirely. Before we start writing the lessons, I suggest we conduct an extremely thorough survey called a Needs Analysis."
Hai raised an eyebrow, signaling for her to continue.
Tra took a breath and regained her confidence. "In English Language Teaching, understanding what the students need is the most important thing. I need to interview each artist to assess their current level and find out what situations they typically encounter overseas: answering questions on the red carpet, interacting with fans, or negotiating contracts? Only after conducting that Needs Analysis can I design highly practical courses, instead of making them relearn grammar from the beginning."
"Very professional." Hai nodded, unmistakably pleased. "You have three days to complete the analysis. Start with Khanh."
At the mention of Khanh—the company's "star" male singer—Tra swallowed nervously. That afternoon, she took her notebook and recorder to the artists' VIP lounge. Khanh was sprawled across the sofa, scrolling through his phone with an utterly indifferent look on his face.
"Hi, Khanh. I'm Tra from the Production Department. I'm here today to do a short survey about your English-learning needs..."
"I'm not free." Khanh cut her off without even looking up. "I'm exhausted. I got back late from a performance last night. As for English, they can just hire an interpreter and be done with it. What's the point of making artists memorize a few lines like 'hello, how are you' and waste their time?"
Tra bit her lip. She knew that with reluctant "students" who were this resistant, giving them a dry test would end in spectacular failure. Recalling the educational theory she'd studied, Tra decided to change tactics. She didn't mention the test again. Instead, she used some Pre-activities to break the tense atmosphere.
She smiled, put away the recorder, pulled out her own phone, and opened a video clip on YouTube. It showed a K-pop star being asked a difficult question in English by an international reporter. Unable to understand it, the star gave an off-topic answer, creating such an absurd, painfully funny situation that the entire hall erupted in mocking laughter.
Tra slid the phone toward Khanh.
"Khanh, have you seen this? It hit the global trending charts yesterday."
Khanh glanced over curiously, then burst out laughing. "Man, what an idiot. That question was so easy, and he gave such a stupid answer. If it were me, I'd have shut that reporter right up."
"Then what would you say if it were you?" Tra seized the opportunity, shifting into a simple conversational English question to stimulate his reflexes.
Khanh got drawn into the conversation and began fumbling through a jumble of vocabulary to express himself. Tra listened patiently, occasionally smiling and nodding encouragement while secretly taking notes on the singer's basic pronunciation and sentence-structure errors.
With one small warm-up activity, Tra not only accurately assessed Khanh's actual proficiency but also made him realize how important it was to protect his image through an international language. The Needs Analysis went more smoothly than she'd expected.
When Tra stepped out of the room, she found Vu Hoang Hai leaning against the corner of the hallway, a cup of coffee in his hand. He had apparently been standing there for some time, watching the way she skillfully handled the situation from start to finish.
"Your teaching skills aren't bad. You know how to use psychology to handle a stubborn man. You did well." Hai smiled faintly, and beneath the hallway lights, his eyes held a rare gentleness.