While campaigning in Pennsylvania yesterday, Congressman Paul Ryan was asked if abortions should be available to women who are raped.  This has been the hot topic since Congressman Todd Akin, linked the words “legitimate” and “rape” in his notorious interview.  Ryan distanced himself, repeating President Obama, word for word, with “rape is rape.”
It’s never a good sign when you’re quoting your opponent except to draw a contrast. Besides, it was not apparent that Ryan recalled where he first heard the words as he spoke them.  And he had an interesting back-up message. …

Most people are smarter than they sound. And they are often a lot smarter than they sound when speaking on the record. That’s because interviews are less about what you know and more about how you present yourself. They reveal character.
That said, what have I learned about Mitt Romney? How, as a business leader and presidential candidate, does he presents himself? Number One: This is a guy who is use to being in charge. Even as controversy swirls around him, Romney seems unaware of the fact that he’s not the boss of the …

News Corp Chairman Rupert Murdoch and his son James received high marks for the controlled, crafty confidence they displayed before the parliamentary select committee investigating the phone hacking scandal in July, 2011. There in the flesh was the 80-year-old mogul, proof that a public grilling can’t be out sourced or delegated.  Murdoch claimed he knew next to nothing about what his underlings were up to and apart from his public apologies it wasn’t clear how much he cared.
The pair were back in the hot seat for the formal inquiry launched …

Soldiers are not sent into battle in the hope that they will “wing it” or “rise to the occasion.” They perform at the highest level of training. And that’s exactly what it takes to ace media interviews and debates. Don’t count on your past accomplishment or a flash of verbal inspiration to get you through. On the spot, you are more likely to freeze up or overreact.
Psychologists say it was “brain freeze” that caused Texas Governor Rick Perry’s much-parodied moment during the GOP debate on November 9, 2011. Perry struggled for 10-20-40-60 …

This is the age of the interview. You can’t land a job or get elected president if you can’t ace one.
In school we are taught to focus on the written word, when in life it’s what we say that matters. There’s the problem. Too often, our words reveal more than we intend. In fact, most verbal blunders – either at the podium or in an interview – result not from tough or unfair questions, but from self-destructive answers.
Dazed or bewildered by the glare of bright lights people lose confidence, sometimes …