Hillary Made a Hash of It

By Susan Tomai 

Scott Pelley of CBS News interviewed Hillary Clinton Thursday and she made an absolute mess out of a question she should have seen coming straight down Broadway.

Pelley related that Jimmy Carter said back in ’76 that he would never lie to the American people – and Pelley asked Clinton if she could say the same.

Pelley: “Jimmy Carter said: ‘I will never lie to you.’”

Clinton: “Well, but you know you’re asking me to say ‘Have I ever?’ I don’t believe I ever have. I don’t believe I ever have. I don’t believe I ever will. I’m going to do the best I can to level with the American people.”

“I don’t believe I ever have?” “I don’t believe I ever will?” My goodness, what a terrible answer. Why couldn’t she just say, “I have always leveled with the American people and I always will. Period.” Perhaps she twisted herself into knots with that response out of concern that someone will dig up a smoking-gun answer from interview in the past that proves that she lied. But even if she has lied in the past and doesn’t want to lie again about having lied before, she still could have done a lot better than that mealy-mouthed comeback. Heck, even if she knew she had lied before, she didn’t have to go there – she could have just said, “I will always level with the American people.” Instead, she handed her opponents a gift that we’ll be seeing in attack ads very soon.

From a media training perspective, the lesson here is that preparation is essential. No, you can’t anticipate every conceivable question under the sun – but she and her team most definitely should have known that one might be coming, and they should have been ready for it. There are no “difficult questions” in a media interview. There is only lack of preparation.

Don't Repeat. I Repeat: Don't Repeat.

By Susan Tomai

Too many unflattering sound bites are the result of an interviewee repeating the questioner’s words. This is understandable - repeating is what we do in everyday conversation. We grow up being taught that repeating another’s words shows that we're listening - and care enough to show it. But a media interview is not everyday conversation.

In an interview, the objective is to use your own words, not the reporter’s, to deliver key messages. Let’s say you’re trying to bring attention to an effort to help parents learn about social media. If the reporter says something like “Social media is bad for kids, isn’t it?”,  you don’t want to say “No, social media isn’t bad for kids.” The reason for this is that even though you’re shooting down an assertion that you don’t like, you’re still saying the words, and those words can become the chosen sound bite.

The better course is to simply go to one of your messages. You might say “With proper supervision by parents, social media can be a great way for kids to communicate.” Remember, you can’t control what the reporter says, but you can and must control what you choose to say.  It takes discipline not to repeat questions, or deny accusations, but it’s a necessary discipline for any spokesperson.

Be Yourself

By Susan Tomai 

I find it interesting that many of our media and presentation training clients have a tendency to tamp down their natural enthusiasm as soon as the camera goes on. When they first walk into our studio, they seem so genuine and gregarious - yet when we conduct their first practice interviews they suppress their natural charisma and devolve into dull talking heads.

Spokespeople need to be focused and on-message, but they can also embrace their best communication qualities and personality traits and let them flourish in interviews. There is great passion and energy around many issues – why not channel that enthusiasm for the messages into a compelling spoken performance that engages the audience?

Tip for the day: the next time you go on-camera, be animated. Project your voice. Smile. Show your natural passion. Being on-message and true to oneself are not mutually exclusive.

Well Played, Mr. Trump

By Susan Tomai 

Trump knows what he’s doing, and it works. He has led the discussion since the day he got in the race. Talk about word-of-mouth: he says something offensive, then sits back and watches while the pundits and his opponents use up all their oxygen branding him and giving him millions of dollars’ worth of free exposure.

Journalism is a business, and because The Donald draws the eyeballs and boosts the ratings, reporters cover him – we get that. But what about his opponents?  They can’t criticize him as much as they’d like (don’t want to offend that precious base) but they talk about him anyway, further helping him.

Here’s a suggestion to the rest of the GOP field: leave Mr. Trump out of it as you stake out your own territory. Because Trump has played all of you so skillfully so far, we all know where he stands on immigration, terrorism and trade. How about the rest of you? Would the average person-in-the-street know your positions on any of the above? Whether you like what he's saying or not, Trump’s messages are much more clear and consistent than yours – and time is running out.

Well played, Mr. Trump.

Help Out The Speaker By Being A Good Audience Member

By Susan Tomai

We’ll often hear a celebrity say “Thank you so much, you’ve been a terrific audience” and really mean it. Why? Because speakers actually perform better when audience members are attentive and send positive energy to the speaker.

So the next time you’re in an audience, don’t look at your iPhone phone or watch. Don’t fold your arms across your chest. Don’t yawn extravagantly. Don’t roll your eyes or whisper to your neighbor. Instead, make eye contact with the speaker, smile, nod your head in approval.

When we work with clients on their speeches and presentations, we advise them to look for a friendly face in the crowd and derive energy from them. Why not be that friendly face? Perhaps the speaker will return the favor when it’s your turn on stage.