Product Description

Jerry Weissman has made a career of coaching nearly 500 execs on their IPO roadshows, the most critical presentations of their lives. Now, he's written an indispensable guide to answering the toughest questions you'll ever face. Using compelling examples from Presidential debates to stock analyst meetings, Weissman teaches how to respond with perfect assurance. Discover how to avoid the defensive, evasive, or contentious answers that have destroyed political careers and ruin credibility. Learn to control your entire exchange with a hostile questioner: the question, answer, interactions with questioner and audience, timing, and above all, yourself. Whether an executive, politician, fundraiser, interviewee, teacher, student -- or even a family member at Thanksgiving dinner -- you're judged on how you handle these moments. Get this book: handle them brilliantly.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43167 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 216 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780131855175
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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From the Back Cover
Jerry Weissman has made a career of coaching nearly 500 execs on their IPO roadshows, the most critical presentations of their lives. Now, he's written an indispensable guide to answering the toughest questions you'll ever face.  Using compelling examples from Presidential debates to stock analyst meetings, Weissman teaches how to respond with perfect assurance. Discover how to avoid the defensive, evasive, or  contentious answers that have destroyed political careers and ruin credibility. Learn to control your entire exchange with a hostile questioner: the question, answer, interactions with questioner and audience, timing, and above all, yourself. Whether an executive, politician, fundraiser, interviewee, teacher, student -- or even a family member at Thanksgiving dinner -- you're judged on how you handle these moments. Get this book: handle them brilliantly.

About the Author

JERRY WEISSMAN, the world's #1 corporate presentations coach, founded and leads Power Presentations, Ltd. in Foster City, CA. His private clients include executives at hundreds of the world's top companies, including Yahoo!, Intel, Cisco Systems, Intuit, Dolby Laboratories, and Microsoft.

Weissman coached Cisco's executives before their immensely successful IPO road show; afterward, the firm's chairman attributed at least two to three dollars of Cisco's offering price to Weissman's work. Since then, he has prepared executives for nearly 500 IPO road shows, helping them raise hundreds of billions of dollars.

Weissman is author of the global bestseller Presenting to Win: The Art of Telling Your Story (Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2003).

In this book, you'll find many examples of Q&A sessions and political debates in the public arena. The original videos of these sessions are available on a DVD that you can obtain by visiting www.powerltd.com.

© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

Agility Versus Force

During my 40 years in the communications trade ranging from the control rooms of the CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan to the boardrooms of some of America's most prestigious corporations, I have heard...and have asked...some highly challenging questions. One of the most challenging I ever heard came during Bill Clinton's presidency when he was engulfed in the firestorm ignited by the revelation of his extramarital affair with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern.

Despite intense public and media pressure, Clinton continued to fulfill his presidential obligations, among them hosting a state visit by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair. On the afternoon of February 6, 1998, after the two heads of state made their customary prepared statements to the press, President Clinton opened the floor to questions from an audience packed with reporters. At that point, he became fair game for nonstate questions on the subject that was uppermost in the minds of the media and the public. One question in particular came from Wolf Blitzer, the senior CNN political correspondent:

Mr. President, Monica Lewinsky's life has been changed forever, her family's life has been changed forever. I wonder how you feel about that and what, if anything, you'd like to say to Monica Lewinsky at this minute?

The stinging question brought a few scattered titters from the other reporters. Looking straight ahead, right at Blitzer, Clinton smiled and bit his lower lip, an expression that had become his trademark.

Then he said,

That's good!

The crowded room erupted in laughter. After it subsided, Clinton continued:

That's good...but at this minute, I am going to stick with my position and not comment.

Blitzer had nailed the acknowledged charismatic master of communication skills at his own game, and the master acknowledged it publicly for all to hear. Fortunately for Clinton, he was able to default to his legal situation and not answer.

Very few people on the face of this planet have the expertise, the charm, the quickness of wit, or the legal circumstances to respond so deftly to challenging questions. Yet very few people on the face of this planet sail through life without being confronted with tough questions. The purpose of this book and its many real-life examples is to provide you with the skills to handle such questions, and only such questions. If all the questions you are ever faced with were of the "Where do I sign?" variety, you could spend your time with a good mystery novel instead. Forewarned is forearmed.

One other forewarning: All the techniques you are about to learn require absolute truth. The operative word in the paragraph above, as well as on the cover of this book, is "handle," meaning how to deal with tough questions. While providing an answer is an integral part of that "handling," every answer you give to every question you get must be honest and straightforward. If not, all the other techniques will be for naught. With a truthful answer as your foundation, all those techniques will enable you to survive, if not prevail, in the line of fire.

Challenging Questions

We begin our journey of discovery by understanding why people ask challenging questions. Journalists such as Wolf Blitzer ask these kinds of questions because, being familiar with the classical art of drama, they know that conflict creates drama. Aristotle 101.

Why do people in business ask challenging questions? Because they are mean-spirited? Perhaps. Because they want to test your mettle? Perhaps. More likely it is because when you are presenting your case, which is just the case in almost every decisive communication in business...as well as in all walks of life...you are asking your opposite party or parties, your target audience, to change. Most human beings are resistant to change, and so they kick the tires. You are the tires.

In the most mission-critical of all business presentations, the Initial Public Offering (IPO) road show...a form of communication I have had the opportunity and privilege to influence with nearly 500 companies, among them Cisco Systems, Intuit, Yahoo!, and Dolby Laboratories...presenters ask their investor audiences to change: to buy a stock that never existed. In fact, when companies offer shares to the public for the first time, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission mandates that the companies specifically state their intentions in print. The SEC requires distribution of a prospectus containing a boilerplate sentence that reads, "There has been no prior public market for the company's common stock." In other words, "Invest at your own risk." Caveat emptor. As a result, when the companies' executive teams take their presentations on the road, they are inevitably assaulted with challenging questions from their potential investors.

While the stakes in an IPO road show are exceedingly high...in the tens of millions of dollars...the character of the challenge is no different from that of potential customers considering a new product, potential partners considering a strategic relationship, pressured managers considering a request for additional expenditures, concerned citizens considering a dark horse candidate, or even affluent contributors considering a donation to a nascent, not-for-profit cause.

The inherent challenge in these circumstances is compounded in presentation settings where the intensity level is raised by several additional factors:

• Public exposure. The risk of a mistake is magnified in large groups.

• Group dynamics. The more people in the audience, the more difficult it is to maintain control.

• One against many. Audiences have an affinity bond among themselves and apart from the presenter or speaker.

The result is open season on the lone figure spotlighted at the front of the room, who then becomes fair game for a volley of even more challenging questions.

How, then, to level the playing field? How, then, to give the presenter the weapons to withstand the attack? How, then, to survive the slings and arrows unleashed in the form of questions?

The answer lies in the David versus Goliath match, in which a mere youth was able to defeat a mighty giant using only a stone from a slingshot. This biblical parable has numerous equivalents in military warfare. History abounds with examples in which small, outnumbered, under-equipped units were able to combat vastly superior forces by using adroit maneuvers and clever defenses. Remember the Alamo, but also remember Thermopylae, Masada, Agincourt, The Bastille, Stalingrad, The Battle of the Bulge, Iwo Jima, and The Six-Day War. All these legendary battles share one common denominator: leverage, or the use of agility to counter force.

Martial Arts

For our purposes, the most pertinent modern equivalent is the martial arts, in which a skilled practitioner can compete with a superior opponent by using dexterity rather than might. Bruce Lee, a diminutive kick boxer, became an international star by virtue of his uncanny ability to prevail over multiple and mightier armed opponents using only his flying feet and hands. Evolved from Asian philosophy and religion, the martial arts employ these critical mental and physical skills:

Concentration

Self-defense

Balance

Agility

Discipline

Self-control

A solitary presenter or speaker facing challenging questions from a hostile audience can deploy these same pivotal dynamics against a sea of troubles and, by opposing, end them. This book will translate each of these martial arts skills into Q&A techniques and then demonstrate how you can apply them in your mission-critical encounters. The objective is to put you in charge of those sessions and enable you to win in your exchanges when it counts.

This objective can be stated in one word, although it will take 168 pages to present them in full. That one word is control. When you are confronted with tough questions, you can control

• The question

• Your answer

• The questioner

• The audience

• The time

• Yourself

Effective Management Perceived

A synonym for the verb "control" is "manage." Therefore, the subliminal perception of a well-handled question is Effective Management. Of course, no one in your target audience is going to conclude that because you fielded a tough question well, you are a good manager. That is a bit of a stretch. But the converse proves the point. If your response to a challenging question is defensive, evasive, or contentious, you lose credibility...and with it the likelihood of attaining your objective in the interchange. If your response is prompt, assured, and to the point, you will be far more likely to emerge unscathed, if not fully victorious.

This concept goes all the way back to the first millennium. In Beowulf, the heroic saga that is one of the foundation works of the English language, one of the lines reads: "Behavior that's admired is the path to power among people everywhere."

In the twenty-first century, that same concept as it relates to tough questions was expressed by David Bellet, the Chairman of Crown Advisors International, one of Wall Street's most successful long-term investment firms. Having been an early backer of many successful companies, among them Hewlett-Packard, Sony, and Intel, David is solicited to invest almost daily. In response, he often fires challenging questions at his petitioners.

"When I ask questions," says Dav...

Customer Reviews

What to say, what NOT to say
During a televised presidential debate in 1992, George H. Bush looked at his wristwatch as a woman from the audience asked a question. His subsequent attempt to answer her question failed, and those offered by his competitors (Ross Perot and Bill Clinton) were much more on target. What should he have done differently?

That's one of the real-life examples studied in "In the Line of Fire." Author Jerry Weissman has years of experience coaching high-profile executives in presentation skills. Invaluable too is his background as a television producer who worked with Mike Wallace, one of the toughest interviewers of all time. When asked a crucial question in a public forum, a novice may panic and freeze. Weissman shows how the speaker can control the question, the answer, the questioner, the audience, the time, and himself/herself -- and create and maintain a positive image in the process.

Weissman provides techniques that will help someone defuse hostile inquiries without being defensive, evasive, or contentious. When you get right down to it, most of these strategies seem obvious and logical. Rely on absolute truth. Honor the audience. Listen effectively. Paraphrase and restate the Roman Column (the key issue) of the question. Identify and develop position statements for each red flag issue. Achieve Topspin. Prepare and practice, practice and prepare.

What makes this book additionally entertaining as well as educational is the use of real-life case studies from the realms of television, sports, and most of all, politics. After all, "Politicians speak far more often than do mere mortals." (p. 120) Transcript excerpts and still photos from presidential debates (1960-2004) and official press conferences serve to show what to say and do, and what NOT to say and do. Here we see the best and the worst of the figures we're all too familiar with: Lloyd Bentsen, George H. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Michael Dukakis, Al Gore, John Kerry, Trent Lott, Ross Perot, Colin Powell, Dan Quayle, Ronald Reagan, and Norman Schwarzkopf. The narrative is an amusing but instructive walk down Memory Lane. With such prime examples to refer to, we're more apt to remember their successes and failures.

My sole criticism is that the case studies are exclusively MALE. What, no Hillary Rodham Clinton? No Geraldine Ferraro? No Janet Reno? No Condi Rice? Maybe women don't make the same mistakes that men do.

Nevertheless, "In the Line of Fire" is an engaging read, aimed primarily at those folks who do presentations and then field Q&A sessions afterward. It is relevant to anyone in a position of authority who must deal with the public or with employees or colleagues. It offers good advice for everybody, even those not running for the presidency of a country, a company, or a community group. The examples are clear, easy to understand, and empowering. This book is a good resource to chew on once, mull over, then revisit before walking out to the podium. An accompanying DVD is planned for release. It will be a powerful visual tool if archival footage of each case study is included. [This review was based on an advance copy of the book.]

A remarkably effective book full of useful speaking techniques
The purpose of this book is to enable one to be an effective and confident speaker when challenged, whether this is in front of the press, during a presentation, or any other setting in which potentially hostile questions are directed at you. As such, there are ways to avoid defensiveness, stay in control, and win over even the toughest of critics.

I was not expecting the brilliance of the book, quite frankly. I read a lot and "self-help" type books on speaking and communications and they tend to start blurring together, so I was pleasantly surprised to be so captivated and helped by this one. The book is easy to read and explores dozens of techniques on how to really listen to the true meaning behind the questions, how to rephrase, of create buffers which give you time to think, how to use various other methodologies to always stay in control. All of these were very well written and especially well illustrated with examples, both of the skills being done well, and not so well. The result is a remarkable clarity on how to improve.

Some of the highlights for me were the sections on avoiding negative wording, and defensiveness. The classic blunders of many politicians were used as examples of how not to respond so we see that even the most seasoned and experienced can make mistakes. I found myself many times wincing through a sense of self criticism of my own past responses, which often unfortunately had the same poor results as those depicted here. Every time, there were excellent examples of how small changes in approach or wording could make a huge difference in the result. I walked away from a short read with some really powerful mindset shifts on the subject.

Overall, the book is truly a gem. I cannot think of anyone who ever presents to groups, or engages in public speaking and faces Q & A's and other types of verbal interactions that would not be greatly influenced by these simple training techniques. While at times the author seems obviously biased politically, he does a credible job in the end of trying to show positive and negative examples on both sides of the political fence. Highly recommended, and a must for executives and all leaders engaged in the practice of public speaking.

Brilliant and Practical
It's rare to find a book that's not only extremely informative and applicable to real life, but also a user-friendly quick read.

The real-life examples cited and explained - with transcripts - are ones that I specifically remember. Many well-known press conferences and political debates are used as specific examples: Clinton vs. George H. Bush (1992), Lloyd Bentsen vs. Quayle (1988), Gore vs. Perot (NAFTA debate, "Larry King" 1993), Kemp vs. Gore. Press conferences are also examined and dissected, using Norman Schwarzkopf, and Colin Powel. The latter considered one of the best ever at using the "Double Buffer," Spontaneously.

Many of of the errors of debaters are cited to help the reader identify a missed opportunity or mistake that *could* have been a positive. A victory. But the result was negative; even damaging. By recognizing these errors, we can successfully achieve our own "Top-Spin" in meetings, negotiations, Q & A sessions, sales, etc.

REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF MISSED OPPORTUNITIES AND MISTAKES:

Two examples of missed opportunities in this book came to mind to me for 2 reasons: One, because the missed opportunities were damaging, and two, they didn't need to be.

1. One missed opportunity was President George H. Bush in a 1992 "community forum" debate with Clinton. A women asked a normal and honest question. Bush replied. But he didn't actually answer her question. The women then clarified and repeated her question, asking it again, and H. Bush replied, but again didn't answer the question. At Clinton's turn, Clinton specifically answered the question, scoring big. Bush paid heavily for it (in the polls the next day). This question was about wealthy politicians, leaders, and Presidents "being out of touch."

2. In a 1988 Presidential debate, Michael Dukakis had the opportunity to "Top-Spin" a death penalty question regarding his wife, but missed the opportunity. And the public and spin doctors pounced upon Dukakis's reply, and also how he responded to the question (with a lack of emotion).

These seasoned and career orators dropped the ball. In these situations they're asked a spontaneous question that's obviously unknown to them beforehand. They have to respond to the question directly on the spot. Now - add dozens, hundreds, thousands, or millions of people watching, listening, and recording YOU. Your statements, mannerisms, facial expressions, and tone of voice are immortalized, forever. It isn't easy. It takes lots of training and practice.


HOW THE READER CAN LEARN TO BE EFFECTIVE BY CORRECTLY USING THIS:


Many questions, even ones with good intentions, are often hard to decipher unless we've had training. "Left-brained" questions may not be concise, but rambling. But you still have to find the topic, (the real question), and answer it. And even a "stupid" question needs to be answered in a confident, polite, and self-assuring manner. Even hostile questions. Or, Leading (trap) questions.
All of these need to be neutralized, and turned-over to your advantage.

By using this book, the person answering the questions (in the "Line of fire") can use many practical tactics and means to diffuse, organize, answer, and then win the exchange.

Excellent instructions on how to specifically use the concepts of Key word buffering, double-buffering, are detailed. The main principles are identifying and extracting the relevant and "real" question, and placing it into the proper column to answer it. And just as important as "what to say," is what "not to say."

You can use these concepts in many areas of real life: education, sales, presentations, meetings, negotiations, and so on....the skeptical audience, to the prospective client.

And just as important....the readers of "In The Line Of Fire" will have the ability to recognize the techniques that people in power and authority positions, use.