In today’s business world, leaders face fierce scrutiny for every big decision they make. Sometimes they have to defend themselves against a trial by media. In February 2011, Obama sat opposite America’s toughest News Anchor, Bill O’Reilly and gave a lesson to CEO’s on how to conduct an interview about serious issues while under pressure. The Irish American News Anchor is the most popular star on FOX News TV in the USA. You could forgive Obama for shying away, but he received the plaudits for handling the interview with grace, intelligence and controlled emotion. Obama gave a lesson in how to handle a direct and provocative approach from an argumentative Anchor.
O Reilly started off with a thank you to the President for the Government's protection of some journalists in Cairo. The niceties ended quickly, and O’Reilly launched into a series of statements, posed as questions, regarding President Mubarak in Egypt. The aim of this style of interview was to force Obama to accept O'Reilly's views as fact and to try to override his time to think clearly and cleverly. Obama was too intelligent for that, and he managed to frame his answers to suit his opinions and not O’Reilly’s opinions. Obama called the Anchor "Bill" despite O’Reilly having previously launched various attacks on Obama's performance as US President. In doing this, Obama demonstrated an ability to dismiss previous verbal bashings so he could concentrate on creating a connection to disarm O’Reilly.
O Reilly continued to challenge Obama this way, with questions about healthcare reform, but he failed to cut through Obama’s calm. O'Reilly upped the ante by trying to have the last word, and he refused to allow Obama to finish his answers. Obama remained in control, and his body language was comfortable whereas O’Reilly’s body language was tense throughout the interview because he failed to puncture Obama's cocoon of composure.
Obama won against a bullish O'Reilly because he didn’t allow the Anchor’s energy and style of questioning to dictate his thoughts. He was confident, he communicated with clarity, and he displayed a respect for O’Reilly that was not returned. Obama looked and sounded like a great leader should.
Tomorrow, I will reveal the lesson that great speakers must learn from Steve Jobs career.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - is available on iTunes and Amazon NOW!
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