In the Line of Fire: An Interactive Guide to Handling Tough Questions
by Jerry Weissman
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DVD details
Director: Jerry WeissmanDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 83 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-08-05
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Video Arts
DVD Reviews of In the Line of Fire: An Interactive Guide to Handling Tough Questions
DVD Review: DVD Illustrates Sharp Insights Into How to Handle the Harshest Grilling
Summary: 4 Stars
When it comes to the art of the response and the nuances of body language, author Jerry Weissman knows what he's talking about. Having just read his briskly informative book of the same name, I can tell you that the DVD version is an even more compelling reason to listen to his invaluable tenets on public speaking. Fortunately, as this is mostly a talking-head presentation with video excerpts, Weissman himself is a fine presenter, though it would have been interesting to include actual role playing to see how he would field difficult questions.
Whereas the book is more a transcript of legendary confrontation moments, mostly from televised debates, the DVD includes many of the actual excerpts discussed in the book. This allows the author to analyze the defining moments with greater clarity, even going as far as using slow motion and freeze framing to get his points across. This is well illustrated by the question raised by a woman at one of the 1992 Presidential debates about how the national recession affected each candidate personally. Weissman vividly shows how the senior Bush's fumbling response irreparably damaged his campaign, how Perot's curt reply did nothing for his and how Clinton's masterful empathy seized a defining moment and thereafter boosted his rating dramatically.
Even more effective is the way Weissman breaks down Colin Powell's mastery of "key words" in fielding questions from foreign journalists on American imperialism at the start of the Iraqi War. Watch as Powell dexterously dodges incriminating questions by using Roman columns introduced by the questioners as buffers and bringing the inquiries back to the comfort zone of his response. In the DVD versus the book, the author wisely focuses less on the parallels with martial arts (which could have introduced some potentially silly imagery) and more on the Q&A cycle - open the floor, recognize the questioner, yield the floor, retake the floor and provide the answer.
A true master of the cycle comes across in Norman Schwarzkopf's handling of difficult questions regarding Desert Storm maneuvers. Upfront he manages the expectation of how many questions he would answer and then does not allow follow-on questions. His answers become shorter and shorter until he abruptly concludes, which Weissman recognizes as a special exception given his exalted military standing.
It's great to see many classic moments such as the topspins provided by Lloyd Bentsen to Dan Quayle's self-serving comparison to JFK ("Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy.") and Ronald Reagan in his volley to Henry Trewitt's expressed concern about his age ("I want you to know also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience.")
Unfortunately, due likely to unsecured rights, Weismann was not able to show the classic Bob Newhart Show excerpt where the unprepared Dr. Hartley was grilled mercilessly by a sadistic talk show host in sheep's clothing. It seems pointless to describe it if the viewer has never seen it. The same can be said for the Kennedy-Nixon debates of which we are only shown a still.
The DVD clocks in at just eighty minutes and is a fine summation of the book's most important points, though I can't help but think there is a lost opportunity to make this far more interactive than it is. Weissman does offer a few opportunities to hit the pause button to concoct our own responses to tough questions, but I wish there was a greater sense of participation. Regardless, the author provides a fine resource for those of us who become discombobulated when facing an inquisitive, often aggressive audience.
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