Lessons from Obama

In his last interview with CBS on “60 Minutes,” Barack Obama gave a glimpse on how he skillfully answers tough questions and remains on top of a debate. First, he never directly falls into the trap of close-ended question; instead, he weaves in a long answer in which he says what he wants to say, and not necessarily what the close-ended question was begging him to say.

Then, when the journalist says something nasty or ask a mean open-ended questions he first smiles. Not a forced smile, but what appears to be a genuinely enthusiastically surprised smile; the kind of grin I'm sure our new president has spent a long time perfecting and brought to the most sincere level possible. These two approaches to answering tough questions were a revelation to me. I've promised myself to practice them and use them every time I'm put on the spot during negotiations or unpleasant exchanges. In the meantime, do yourself a favor, watch the video and let me know if you agree with my findings...