Matt Eventoff

I was perusing the latest edition of Men’s Journal when I came across an interview with  Anderson Cooper.  I enjoy Anderson’s speaking style – he appears confident, is conversational and has great control and is masterful in his use of paralanguage while reporting. 

Imagine my surprise to read that Anderson Cooper, who presents in front of millions and millions of people (indirectly) everyday, prime-time, has struggled with…. a fear of public speaking?  The same anxiety-inducing phobia that millions of people (including me) have had to, or currently, deal with every day? 

MJ: Have you tried conquering other fears that way?

AC: On a more ridiculous level, public speaking. Being on camera is easy for me, but speaking in front of several thousands of people, it’s a different skill set. Making speeches gave me a nervous pit in my stomach, so I forced myself to do it: I gave the commencement address at Tulane in front of 12,000 people. And it was fine.

I give Anderson tremendous credit for a) admitting a phobia publicly and b) for finishing his answer with the truth – and it was fine.  With practice and preparation, it usually is. 

The reality is that 99.9% of the time, all of the nightmare scenarios you envision the night before your presentation will not come true (with practice and preparation).  Additionally, when you present, you almost always feel much more nervous than he or she appears.  You really don’t appear to your audience to be as nervous as you feel inside.

Stay tuned, next post will be a summary of what to do when the fear starts creeping in….

This is a great example of how to handle a tough interview.

Ted Olson, former Solicitor General under President Bush, appeared this weekend on Fox News Sunday, hosted by Chris Wallace.  The topic was Proposition 8 in California, and a recent victory by Mr. Olson’s legal team in Federal Court.

In terms of handling a difficult interview, Mr. Olson did an excellent job, no matter where you stand on the issue.  Here are a few reasons why:

1. Message – Mr. Olson’s message was clear, and he did not waver. Nearly every answer contained one or more of the following:  Fundamental Rights; Bill of Rights; 14th Amendment. 

2. Composure/Tone – No matter how hard he was pressed, Mr. Olson never lost his composure, raised his voice, or indicated any sign of being rattled. 

3. Pause - The pauses were not long, often only a second, but they were there.  It was obvious that Olson was thinking about what he was going to say before he said it.  In a few instances, when Chris Wallace was utilizing comments Mr. Olson made in the past, you could see Mr. Olson crack a very subtle smile, acknowledging the trap, and then going straight back to his message.

4. Preparation – There is simply no substitute for preparation, and it is clear that Mr. Olson had anticipated and prepared for every question before it was raised.

5. Backdrop – Sometimes you can control it, sometimes you do not have a choice; this backdrop was very flattering to Mr. Olson as it fit is appearance

6. Appearance - Mr. Olson looked the part – a seasoned, experienced legal expert who regularly argues before the highest court in the land.

7. Silence - Mr. Olson disagreed, but never interrupted.  Even more importantly, when he finished answering, he stopped.  This is one of the hardest, but most important, things one can do when dealing with a hostile interview – once you have answered, stop talking.

There were numerous other takeaways, including answering a question with a question, using an analogy that involved the host, and utilizing passion in a more subtle way than most of us are used to. 

After over 14 minutes of sparring, Chris Wallace paid Mr. Olson the ultimate compliment:

“After your appearance today I don’t understand how you ever lost a case in front of the Supreme Court.”