Avoid This Mistake: Laughing about a Serious Matter
This is a problem that’s not easy to overcome. I can tell you from years of experience coaching politicians and executives that nervous laughter makes a bad impression. Certainly it’s not what people expect from a leader unless you’re on the Tonight Show, for example.
To make matters worse, it’s especially bad when the laughter relates to what some perceive as a scandal related to the deaths of Americans.
That’s Hillary Clinton’s challenge about allegations she risked national security with a private email server 
and allegation that she bungled security at Benghazi, costing the lives of Americans.
Why do we default to nervous laughter at times? Clients tell me they feel awkward. They want to get out of the situation.
It takes a lot of self control — even if you’re a strong willed person like a Presidential candidate.
When it comes to Avoid This Mistake, my recommendation to clients is:
- Take the question seriously. Especially if at least some members of your audience see it as a serious matter.
- If you try to laugh it off, you’re disrespecting the reporter.
- And you’re dissing the viewers who are watching because they’re interested in the reporter’s questions and your answers.
- Just picture the faces of the people who take the matter very seriously. And think you don’t want to let them down.
In fairless to Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sander’s comment about people being tired of hearing about her emails got a lot of laughs at the Democratic debate. And CNN’s Jake Tapper’s question began with the reference. But if you’re a Benghazi widow or an FBI investigator, it’s not a laughing matter.
Okay, you’re likely not running for President, but in short: You have little to gain by laughing when responding to a serious question.
Before your next interview, fine tune your Q and A skills. Contact me: bob@kaplitz.tv.
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