Keon Chee makes a sensitive subject less daunting in radio interview

Planning for your own death is an uncomfortable issue for most, and Keon Chee, founder of Legasy Planners, had the unenviable task of broaching the morbid subject and explaining estate planning in an interview on Singapore radio CNA938.

But he pulls through it and catches our attention with his excellent interview technique, which is why we have nominated him for the Hong Bao Media Savvy Awards 2020.

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We launched the Hong Bao Media Savvy Awards in 2018 to recognise local business leaders for their communications skills, and to showcase authentic and credible home-grown communicators.

Supported by the Asia Pacific Association of Communications Directors, we highlight shining examples for other local business leaders to follow, and to build a culture of excellence in communication, to maximise the potential of Asian companies in the Asian Century.

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• Examples

The subject matter of planning for your death can be complicated, and Chee enumerates the many documents required. But it all clears up when he mentions how his mother went through the process. Suddenly there is a story and a relatable character for listeners (and, as is now often the case in radio, viewers too).

Chee talks about the time his mother wrote her will. He sat down with her and asked her to tell him about her life, then he started understanding her choices. And we got emotionally invested in his story and his message. Having a third person to relate to also made the subject more palatable.

• Flagging

At the beginning of the interview, Chee refers to the documents people need to plan for their death as the “4-in-1”. Can you remember the documents he mentioned?

• Expressive language

We notice Chee uses expressive phrases that bring variety to his unpleasant subject matter.

When asked what would happen if no one was appointed as a grant of probate after a person passes away, he said; “your family will experience more stress, you may pay a bit more, and you have to jump through more hoops.”

Chee also recognizes that his subject matter can be boring. He said: “they (the advanced care plan documents) tend to be ‘templatised’, they tend to be very dry”.

Overall, Chee strikes the right balance between sensitivity over the subject and candor in discussing it.

If you know Keon Chee, share this article with him and congratulate him on being nominated for the Hong Bao Media Savvy Awards 2020.