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If you’re ever
called on to be interviewed by mock interviewer Stephen Colbert,
of Comedy Central's "Colbert Report", you’d better be prepared.
Because there’s no middle ground with
those interviews. Either you do great and people laugh with you. Or
you do poorly and people laugh at you. (To
see Colbert Report interviews click here.)
A recent
Slate article detailed a few keys to doing well in these
interviews. They boil down to one major thing: have a sense of
humor.
Here are Slate’s
tips for surviving a mock interview by someone trying to make fun at
your expense.
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Act your age. When Colbert starts
poking fun, don’t giggle like a nine-year-old school girl as did
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman.
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Laugh Uproariously. The best plan is
to go with the jokes and laugh, even if it’s at yourself. The
Slate article singles out conservative politico Bay Buchanan for her
willingness to laugh loudly at Colbert’s jokes. Laughing at
yourself is always a way to win the audience.
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Embrace the Theater. It's a mock
interview show. So treat it like a mock interview show. Have fun.
Jesse Jackson led the audience in cheering Colbert’s silly
entrance, shouting “You’re the man” as Colbert approached the
interview table.
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Go on the Offensive. Have fun but
don’t let Colbert push you around. CNN journalist Christiane
Amanpour scolded Colbert for his mispronunciation of “Iran”.
At Speechworks we
help our clients learn how to communicate in a way that connects and
persuades. If you’re interested in becoming a great communicator
give us a call at 404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net. |
