Customer Reviews

In the Line of Fire: An Interactive Guide to Handling Tough Questions

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are two things you should know before reading this review:

(1) I spent ten years producing custom interactive instructional CD-ROMs for Fortune 500 companies.

(2) I loved Jerry Weissman's book of the same name (see my review on its Amazon listing page.)

With that out of the way, this DVD is a fine addendum to "In The Line of Fire" (the book), showcasing many of the examples showcased within it. Indeed, this is by far the video's key strength. The step-by-step analyses of famous political debates and press conferences are not only fascinating but downright entertaining--thus undergirding Weissman's lessons and making them more memorable.

A second strength is Weissman himself. His relaxed presence on camera, outstanding delivery and enthusiasm are engaging and captivating. And the production values are excellent.

Yet the DVD falls short in several ways. First, the outstanding content of the book is given short shrift, and each DVD chapter is peppered with referrals to the book for more information. This is fine if you own the book, but if not I imagine it would be maddening.

Second, the interactivity in this "interactive guide" consists only of pausing your DVD from time to time to answer questions. This is something that could have been done on VHS and thus fails to take advantage of the power of the DVD format. So much more could have been done--tough question simulations, practice exercises with conditional branching that allow viewers to see the results of chosen responses, more real-life examples for viewers to analyze, and tutorials on preparing for challenging meetings.

Third, I was frustrated by the exclusion of some potentially powerful video examples. Weissman's valiant attempt to describe a hilarious Bob Newhart vignette falls flat without the clip itself. A single still picture is offered to illustrate the famous 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debates while video clips are readily available online. And the heavy reliance on political examples (while vivid) seems odd for a DVD aimed at corporate presenters.

In short, this DVD tries to do too much with too little. A better approach would have been to thoroughly integrate the DVD with the book, producing and selling them as a coordinated package rather than separately.

Even so, if you own and love the book, you'll want this DVD on your shelf. Despite its shortcomings, it provides a useful and enjoyable recap of Weissman's brilliant strategies.

I recently finished reading the companion book for this DVD. I must say they truly complement each other. Since the topic they deal with is that of handling tough questions, it is VERY important to be able to see the masters at it, along with those who make mistakes, in action. This is where this DVD does an incredible job: it presents the viewer with the footage for all the examples presented in the book, as they took place and with Mr. Weissman interjecting as the different speakers do their thing, pointing out the details and things you should be on the lookout for.

Is the DVD interactive? It's fairly linear, except for the moments you are asked to stop and consider what is about to happen (what response you think the speaker gave). So I guess you could say it is interactive to a certain extent. However, the real value of the DVD lies in the footage, more than anything else. It's not a substitute to the book, which it obviously quotes and refers to. Don't think this is like the audiovisual equivalent to the book, and try to view the DVD to skip the reading: if you do this, you will miss much. The two complement each other wonderfully. My recommendation is: get both and enjoy their combined power.

Jerry Weissman shows why he's a master presenter: this short DVD held my interest through every lesson. Weissman uses clips from media shows and press conferences to make his point: evasive answers won't work. Take control. Use techniques like Topspin, Plan B and WIFFY.

Weissman himself is a great role model: he knows how to hold an audience with no props or drama, just his very ordinary face wearing a suit, sharing massive amouonts of information.

As someone who's done quite a bit of speaking, I feel I can always learn -- and his answers are right on. I will recommend this DVD to my own clients and ezine list.

Three quibbles keep me from suggesting a full 5-star rating. First, in a stand-alone DVD, Weissman keeps promoting his book. Folks who pay full price should never feel they're hearing a commercial, however mild.
(Anyway, most viewers will have enough to learn even if they never buy the book.)

Second, some points could be made more dramatically. For some chapters, we just hear Weissman; others include film clips. Weissman could have asked some friends or clients to role-play examples.

Finally, as Weissman points out, most of us can't follow in the footsteps of the role model he presents, General Schwartzkopf. So why are all his examples drawn from politics? And why choose two former generals as great examples? Audiences bring unique expectations when they realize they're hearing fromm a 4-star general.

I would have liked to see clips (or at least role-plays) of corporate speakers: managers leading a meeting, interviewees answering tough questions, sales reps handling objections.

But Line of Fire is still one of the best training DVD's I've seen and I have no qualms about recommending it to anyone who wants to develop sharper communication skills, whether the flame comes from a blazing bonfire or a cigarette lighter.

Public speaking is considered one of the most threatening situations you can face in your job. Answering follow-up questions can be even more terrifying. Author Jerry Weissman, an experienced presentation coach, has written a short book to teach presenters specifically how to field tough, even hostile, questions without losing control. This companion DVD provides visual material, e.g. from the presidential debate or public Q&A sessions. Weissman dissects the professionals' answers to show how their responses succeeded or failed, and introduces his own straightforward response technique. To increase the learning effect, the DVD goes interactive so that you can actually practice while you learn. With this training, even the most timid presenter should gain some confidence. We think whoever might end up in a situation where he faces tough questions, will find this helpful.

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.

Having read and reviewed the book, in June, my mind was open for the lessons in this DVD.

Because Jerry tells DVD viewers where he is guiding them, this DVD is a great tool to improve your ability to respond instead of reacting to questioners, with or without reading the book.

Also, in the example where George W. Bush struggles with four tries during the October 15, 1992 presidential debate to answer Marisa Hall's question about how he has been effected by the economy, he changes the subject with a story about how he had recently visited an African-American organization, and how empathized with they struggled so much.

If Marisa Hall was not African-American, would George W. Bush have desperately shared that story?

Whenever someone changes the subject in this way, I automatically key in on their weaknesses - as I breath full breaths, ready to peacefully get what I want.

It's hard to say which is better, the book or this DVD, because the book uses political examples that are unforgetable.

And the DVD is a visual representation of past experiences that we all can view again and again to develop our ability to harness the power that we need to be in rapport and to create win-win deals that have impacts beyond now.

Use this DVD just as a football coach would use it to guide team members to reach their goals.

Jerry Weissman well understands how disconcerting and unnerving tough questioning can be and how to handle these situations well. This DVD is a wonderful companion to his very fine book "In the Line of Fire". He provides a wonderful course on how to be act when being grilled with tough multi-questions and taking control of the situation effectively.

The method he teaches is quite helpful because it is simple enough to be memorable, safe enough for beginners, and yet allows for more sophisticated use as one becomes more comfortable with it and masters its principles and techniques. The ultimate goal of the book and this DVD is to allow you, the one being questioned, to realize all the means at your disposal to control the questioning and the way you will respond, always truthfully, to the questions being asked.

Weissman focuses on maintaining your balance, realizing what is being asked of you and provides techniques for making sure of where you are before you answer. His device of the Roman Column within the question is quite good. With these techniques you not only maintain control, you also have authority and credibility that comes with handling yourself well when you are in the line of fire.

If you are ever going to be involved in public speaking and answering questions that matter, I recommend that you get BOTH the book and this DVD. They go well together and will help you a great deal. That is, if you practice them and internalize the principles that Weissman provides.

Although this DVD is a companion to the book of the same name, you don't necessarily need to have read the book to gain significant benefits, although the book provides additional depth and breadth to the topics discussed in the DVD. Jerry Weissman has had years of experience coaching CEO's and others involved in answering tough questions, and this DVD has the look and feel of a personal coaching session, at about one-fiftieth of the price. The format of the DVD is interactive, without being distracting and is organized in such a way as to allow the viewer to experience the entire course or pick and choose pertinent sections.
The DVD has a tremendous amount of information packed into just over an hour, but it all boils down to beginning with an intent to tell the TRUTH and utilizing strategies and techniques to maintain CONTROL over difficult situations. As an attorney, I intend to use this program as a means of preparing clients for depositions and trial.
In short, if I had to choose ONE resource to help me prepare for a difficult Q & A session in a short amount of time, this DVD would be it.

Nearly everyone has found oneself in this situation. Standing in front of an audience, you are blindsided with a question you dread. Even worse, the question is one you have not anticipated.

Whether you are an interviewee, sales person, executive, teacher, student, employee or politician, you are judged on how you handle the situation.

Jerry Weissman, a corporate presentations coach, in this DVD provides the reader with the skills and techniques required to handle these confrontations. A companion to the book of the same name, he shows compelling video studies from Presidential debates, corporate road shows and even a television situation comedy Weissman guides the reader in how to control the exchange.

Using his techniques, the reader learns to avoid evasive, contentious and defensive responses to these difficult questions.

While neither the book nor the video provides the "right answers" to these difficult questions, they arm the reader with an arsenal of skills required to manage adversity and remain in control.

Short enought to watch it, learn the key points.
You will need the book however, to see more examples and better understanding.
Perfect complementary to the book ( without book not as useful).