Art of Talking Back (Hardcover)

An expert guide to talking to the media

With over 5,000 interviews being conducted every day in the US alone, most people now find out more information through interviews than they do through news stories. We have moved from news to views, and 90% of success depends on how you present yourself when you're on the spot being interviewed.

Yet in school we are taught to focus on the written word, when in life it's what we say that matters. That can be a problem. Too often, our words reveal more than we intend. In fact, most verbal blunders - either at the podium or in the boardroom - result not from tough or unfair questions, but from self-destructive answers. Dazed or bewildered by their lack of know-how or the glare of bright lights, people often answer the question they fear and not the question they hear.

In "The Art of Talking Back," media expert and coach Bodine Williams distills a lifetime of experience into an insider guide anyone can use for going "on the record." Williams takes the mystery (and fear) out of responding to questions by showing readers how it's done. Each chapter tells the story of a celebrated interview, the players, the fallout and the lessons learned.

This is the only book that presents rules of conduct along with media training techniques. Readers can't change their personalities, but they will change their personal playbook once they know what's likely to go wrong."The Art of Talking Back "is a guide for giving interviews and answering questions like a pro. It's like "The Elements of Style "for speaking.