How to Handle a Bully on Live Television

News anchor Chris Wallace has been widely criticized for his inability as moderator to prevent President Trump from turning Tuesday night’s first presidential debate into a 90-minute spectacle of schoolyard taunts. Wallace himself conceded to The New York Times, “I never dreamt that it would go off the tracks the way it did.” That, however, may have been Wallace’s only major error: not to anticipate the president might grab the moderator’s steering wheel, because even if Wallace had it’s unlikely he could have prevented Trump from driving the debate into a ditch.

I know, because I too once had one of my live television interviews hijacked by a trash-talking bully eager to revive his public standing.  

The stakes were not nearly as high as a presidential debate, but the experience was instructive for learning how to deal with someone willing to break the rules of decorum. 

One morning in 2003, early in my career as a correspondent for CNN, I was assigned, minutes before airtime, to fill in as anchor of an entertainment business program on CNNfn (a sister network that CNN shut down in 2004). “Our in-studio guest is Andrew Dice Clay,” the senior producer innocently said, as he shoved a file of background research at me. “Are you kidding? You know he’s going to curse on air,” I warned. The producer, who clearly had not read his own team’s research, seemed blissfully unaware of Clay’s past as a foul-mouthed comedian who had risen to notoriety on racist, misogynistic jokes. With minutes to airtime I could only demand that the producer extract a pledge from Clay that there would be no cursing, knowing full well the true worth of Clay’s word.

After opening the interview by lobbing a softball about us both being nice Jewish boys from Brooklyn—a set up that a more skilled comedian could have easily hit out of the park—only to receive a foul answer, I knew the interview was in trouble. Shortly thereafter, Clay spit out an insulting non sequitur about Rosie O’Donnell—ironically, a favorite Trump target—who was appearing in court that day. I pulled Clay back to discussion of his career. But when I asked about his management of a gym in Florida, he pretended the question was an affront to his dignity and responded with an expletive-laced rant. Smiling, I quickly ended the interview as Clay stormed off the set before the director could go to a commercial break. Of course, Clay’s act was entirely premeditated; it was a performance to generate attention and I knew it.

Embarrassing as it was to have been cursed on live television, I had done all I could to prevent a bad situation from becoming far worse. I kept my cool, tried to keep Clay on track, refused to allow him to pull me into the gutter, and promptly ended the interview as soon as he imploded.

Chris Wallace could not as easily have ended the presidential debate when Donald Trump persisted in trying to pick a street fight with Joe Biden. But, for the most part, under extremely difficult circumstances, Wallace did what he had to do: he remained diplomatic; refused to tolerate Trump’s antics; and valiantly tried to maintain order, keep the candidates focused on the issues, and get Trump to play by the rules.

The same principles apply to any unruly outburst in a public forum, be it a press conference or an annual shareholder meeting. Leaders should be prepared for the unexpected, and, in the event of a disruption, remain calm, be professional, and control what they can.

The simple fact is, it’s nearly impossible to stop a runway train. If the president of the United States is determined to sabotage a debate for his own purposes, it’s going to happen. There’s only so much a moderator can do, short of ending the debate.

By doing his best to restrain Donald Trump’s aggression and maintain a fair debate, Chris Wallace emerged with his dignity intact, having managed an impossible situation as well as he could.  More importantly, he provided a public service by allowing Americans to see Donald Trump for who he truly is, a lying, insecure bully who will violate every rule in his desperation to win. That’s exactly how to handle a bully on live television: let him self-destruct on camera.

Making Eye Contact on Zoom Means Looking at the Camera

During an important meeting in the pre-COVID days you would never stare off into space instead of looking at the people with whom you were speaking. But in today’s post-COVID world, that’s exactly what some people are doing on video conferences through Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and other video meeting apps.  They’re failing to make eye contact. Worse, they’re often not even aware of it. Without meaning to, they appear distracted, distanced, and detached.  

The challenge is this: in the world of video conferences, to make eye contact, to allow your colleagues to see you looking at them, you should not look at them. Strange but true because if you do look at them, you’re actually looking at their images on your screen but you’re not making eye contact. What you need to do is look at the camera, which on most computers, tablets and smart phones is a small pinhole dot at the top of the screen. That’s where your eyes should be focused when speaking. That way, when you’re in conference, you’ll be looking out at the people with whom you’re meeting, and they will see you on their screens looking at them.

For TV reporters and teenagers who have been video chatting since they could pick up a smartphone this is natural. But for many people middle aged and above, it can be a challenge. Think of looking at that camera as if you’re looking at a friend. Smile, pay attention, engage with the camera, and be aware you’re making eye contact as you look at the tiny lens.

This is not trivial. Because we must work remotely and generally cannot meet in person making eye contact is more important than ever to building a connection with someone with whom we’re speaking. And, when we’re making important points it’s essential to emphasize them by looking straight into the camera.

None of this is to say you must stare at the lens like a deer in headlights. It’s fine to look away for a moment, or to look at others on screen when they’re talking. But most of the time, when speaking during a video conference we should look at the camera rather than at the other participants.

How to Improve Your Video Conference Presentation Skills

In the thick of the coronavirus crisis, the CEO of a major health care provider delivered an important video presentation to his thousands of employees.  They needed encouragement. They needed reassurance. They needed to know the organization was doing everything in its power to ensure their safety. But the CEO’s video provided none of that. He looked overwhelmed and exhausted, delivering a disorganized address in a dull monotone, which gave the sense he was struggling to keep his head above water. One stunned staffer wondered, “Was he on drugs?”

The COVID-19 crisis has made clear the critical importance of delivering effective video presentations. During the work-from-home mandate, online video has become an essential business tool, allowing colleagues to continue collaborating even though they’re apart. The role online video will play in the future of business cannot help but grow now that so many organizations have seen how their staffs can still speak face-to-face even when they’re physically apart.

But communicating effectively via Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, or any other online video format, requires good on-camera skills. This is especially true for executives delivering presentations, whether to staff, clients, shareholders, or the community at large.   When people don’t have the luxury of being in the same room as the speaker, it is harder for them to perceive the full range of vocal and visual communication cues that are essential to effective delivery of messages. It becomes easier for audience members to to tune out, to multi-task, to play with their phone, instant message, or check emails rather than pay attention. So, an enhanced skill set is needed to be an effective presenter on camera, whether the camera is the tiny dot at the top of your computer screen or a professional broadcast camera in a network studio.

Breaking through the camera lens to grab and hold an audience’s attention requires an extra dose of what works well in person. The television news anchor who smartly delivers your news each day seems perfectly normal when you watch him or her on television. But, if that anchor were to speak with precisely the same delivery during a conversation in your kitchen, you’d think the person was rather strange. That’s because TV anchors, who are among our most skilled and effective on-camera communicators, are putting extra emphasis and drama into their delivery to make you interested in what they’re saying. The anchor’s voice and body say, “This is important and interesting. You must pay attention.”

For most people, who are not TV anchors, the route to become compelling on camera is to add extra energy to your delivery, typically an extra 5-10 percent. Much more than that and you’d seem unnatural, as if you were yelling for no purpose.

It’s more than simple extra energy that’s needed, though. A monotone, whether it’s soft or loud is simply deadly on camera, even more so than in person, so vocal variation is absolutely critical to maintaining an interesting delivery.

We want to vary our pitch, pace, and power. The speaker’s pitch, for example, may rise when emphasizing key messages. Parenthetical remarks can be set apart with a lower pitch. A speaker with a naturally fast pace, typical of New Yorkers, can slow down to bring attention to important points.  And, to gain and maintain the audience’s attention, add some extra power—volume—at key points in your presentation, including the open and your call to action.

These are just starter tips for making yourself more compelling on camera. Truth is, there should be variation in all three of the Vs: vocally, visually, as well as verbally, meaning your word choice.

Visual variation involves letting your body show passion for your subject. Use your hands. Hold a prop. Or, refer to a whiteboard. Anything to make the presentation more visually interesting and reinforce your messages.

Of course, variation in delivery counts for nothing if your presentation is not well organized. So, know what you want to say. Invest the time necessary to structure your presentation, with a good outline or at least bullet points as a prompt. And practice. Very few of us are such skilled speakers that we can deliver a great presentation extemporaneously. The best on camera talkers are well rehearsed. The more you practice, the better you ‘ll know the structure of your talk. And, the better eye contact you’ll be able to give your audience. One tip is to type key points onto a document on your computer that you can refer to as you speak to the camera at the top of the screen. Or paste a brief paper outline of your talk right next to the camera. This is the poor man’s technique to gain a fraction of the advantage tele-prompters give TV news anchors; the prompter scrolls their script right in front of the camera lens.

One final tip: enjoy the process of speaking to the camera. The old saying is the camera never lies. If you’re uncomfortable, nervous, or exhausted—as our health care CEO was—the camera will reveal that in an instant. If, on the other hand, you genuinely enjoy the opportunity to communicate with your audience and share important messages it will show and your audience will instantly become more receptive, focusing on what you have to say rather than any flaws in your appearance or presentation.

Avoid These five Mistakes on Zoom Video Conferences

Meeting online over Zoom or other video chat services is turning out to be a very acceptable substitute for meeting in person during our new normal of social distancing. But it also has enabled some poor practices, some of which can damage business relationships. Don’t make a Zoom faux pas. Here are five mistakes to avoid:

• Improper positioning of the camera. People want to see your face, not your nasal hair. So, to the extent possible, try to position the camera of your computer, smartphone, or iPad at face level, or just slightly below your face. This can be accomplished perfectly with a desk that adjusts in height, using a tripod for your phone, or simply by putting the computer on top of a few large books. In a recent CNBC interview, the CEO of Norwegian Cruise Lines positioned his computer well below his face, which gave viewers a better view of his nostrils than his full face.

• Failing to look at the camera. Some people just don’t know how to make eye contact. They walk around while talking as if they are not participating in a conversation and only engaging in a Zoom meeting so they c an be looked upon. At a minimum, look at your colleagues on the screen. Ideally, spend as much time looking straight into the camera. Eye contact is more important than ever when meeting via Zoom.

• Shaking the laptop/phone/tablet. A shaky picture is distracting to the viewer. This can happen when video conference participants hold their smart phones or place their laptops on their fidgety laps. When participating in a business meeting, place your computer smartphone on a firm surface. The picture should be stable. During the Norwegian Cruise Lines interview, the camera was shaky, giving the impression the CEO was on a boat rocking in the middle of a storm—not the impression the head of a cruise line wants to give viewers.

• Beware photo backdrops. These can be great fun with friends, but they are technically inadequate for a business meeting and especially for a TV interview. The video tends to blur and flutter between the extremities of the body and the background photo, a lack of distinct separation that can be very distracting. You may appear like a ghost, as parts of your body move in and out of the shot. During a recent non-profit board meeting a colleague used a background of the Golden Gate Bridge covered in fog, a beautiful picture. But when she leaned back in her chair it looked as if she were laying down on the clouds across the bridge, another distraction that made it difficult for those of us on the board to focus on what she was saying.

• Avoid embarrassing backgrounds. By joining a video conference, we are inviting people into our homes. Would you invite a business colleague to see your messy bedroom? Business colleagues don’t need to see how well you make your bed. The bedroom is generally not the backdrop you want for business video calls. The background should reflect the image you wish to convey. It should be neat and not distract from the conversation.

Many television reporters have done a nice job of setting up clean backgrounds for their live shots, generally from their living rooms or basements. There are exceptions to this rule, though, that can work. CNBC veteran markets reporter Bob Pisani decided to add some personality to his reports by setting up his home shot in front of a wall of Grateful Dead concert posters. The CNBC audience has known Bob for decades. By revealing the Deadhead side of his personality, Bob gave viewers an added dimension to their relationship with him. Bob tells me numerous viewers have written to applaud his choice of a backdrop.

Most of us, though, are engaging in video conferences with colleagues or business partners who we only know professionally. So, it’s usually best to keep your on-camera look professional even when working from home.