It was a moment when a normally smart guy was made to look, sound and feel like an idiot.
It was a moment that led to embarrassing headlines like “Google Boss Doesn’t Know His Own Salary”.
It was a moment you don’t ever want to happen to you!
It happened over a simple question: “What do you get paid?”
There is a simple way to deal with a question that you can’t answer or have good reason not to answer.
I will reveal the essence of it in this issue – and there will be more detail available when my new book “Great Answers To Tough Questions At Work” is published by Capstone in June.
But first let’s take a look at the killer question that made one of the bosses at Google look very very silly in front of a committee of British parliamentarians – and to television audiences beyond.
The President of Google Europe, the Middle East and Africa – Matt Brittin – prompted laughter and ridicule in parliament after being called to Westminster to answer questions before the taxpayers’ watchdog, the Parliamentary Accounts Committee.
The embarrassment came when Mr Brittin claimed he did not know how much he was paid after being asked to reveal his salary by the committee.
Amidst incredulity, Mr Brittin responded to repeated questions with answers like: “I don’t have the figure. I will provide the figure privately if it is relevant to the committee.”
The committee chair – Labour Member of Parliament, Meg Hillier – sternly insisted the figure was relevant to the committee.
But that still didn’t result in the immediate answer – and left Mr Brittin falling further into a bottomless pit of his own making.
But that still didn’t result in the immediate answer – and left Mr Brittin falling further into a bottomless pit of his own making.
DON’T LET YOURSELF LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT
At the heart of the grilling was a deal between the search engine giant and the British tax collection agency, known as Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
Many people, including some on the committee, felt that the Tax Man’s deal was way too soft on Google.
It resulted in Google paying £112-milliion in back taxes with an additional £18-million in interest accrued over a ten year period.
This may seem a lot to you and me but perhaps not to a highly successful money-making trans-national corporation.
In asking about Mr Brittin’s salary, Meg Hillier was trying to show the difference between ordinary citizens who had just been completing their annual tax returns and the Google boss who was earning far more than most of them – and was arguably out of touch with them.
Mr Brittin played perfectly into her hands.
The mistake he made was that he didn’t explain why he couldn’t or wouldn’t disclose his salary there and then.
I train people to give evidence before parliamentary committees (though perhaps sadly for him, not – as yet – Mr Brittin) and the key thing when you can’t or won’t answer a question is this:
YOU MUST GIVE A CREDIBLE REASON WHY YOU CAN’T OR WON’T ANSWER.
you do this you can then go on to make an associated point that is helpful to the inquirers and also helpful to yourself.
But under the normal rules of conversation, you can’t make that associated point if you don’t first give that all-important reason for not answering.
Assuming it were true that Mr Brittin didn’t know his own salary to the last decimal point (though surely he has a pretty good idea!!!), he could perhaps have explained that his salary arrangements involve one or more of the following:
Are private matter between himself and his Lords and Masters and/or that he is contractually bound not to reveal them
Are too complex to give in a simple one-line answer
Involve some other good reason as to why his salary is not relevant to the issue of the overall tax paid by Google.
If you don’t give a reason why you won’t reveal something, you can dig yourself an almighty hole.
You can assess the size of this particular hole by watching Mr Brittin falling – or perhaps even throwing himself – into it right here:
ALWAYS PLAN, PREPARE AND PRACTICE FOR A BIG GRILLING OCCASION
A question about the size of Mr Brittin’s salary was a fairly obvious one to ask.
Anyone in the position of having to answer questions about a highly profitable company in front of a panel in a formal situation should have been ready for it.
Mr Brittin should have planned, prepared and practiced for it.
Those of you who have been through one of my media interview master classes or my workshop on Giving Great Answers To Tough Questions may have detected that asking about one’s salary is one of my favourite questions to get you ready for a big occasion.
In truth I don’t really care what your salary is – unless it involves an important issue – and I totally accept that it’s none of my business.
But asking about your salary during training is a way of getting participants used to the fact that they must give either the answer or a good reason why they won’t.
You can plan, prepare and practice for it – and other tough but predictable questions.
If you don’t you too can look like that rabbit in the headlights as Mr Brittin did.
There’s more on one-to-one and group sessions on dealing effectively with tough questions at:
http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/give-great-answers-to-tough-questions/
Or give me a call to discuss a master class or a conference keynote speech for your organisation on how to be ready and confident for those critical moments in the spotlight: (44) 7944 952835.
You can even ask me tough questions about the sessions or the keynote speech.
But if I practice what I preach, I will be ready for them!!!
AN AMAZING SINGING TALENT
As a recovering journalist and professional speaker I tend to spend more time these days answering questions – and helping others to – than actually asking them.
But I sometimes get the chance to ask questions – and sometimes to amazingly talented and interesting people.
One of them recently has been an opera soprano and “cross-over” singer who performs in a dazzling range of styles, Marika Rauscher.
In an interview at the London region of The Professional Speaking Association, where a new record was set for attendance levels, I had the privilege of interviewing Marika and finding out about her extraordinary range of singing modes.
Check out the interview at:
ANOTHER OPERA HOUSE STAR – OR NOT
Sometimes when I face the question “Tell me something unusual about yourself” I reveal I once got to sing solo in my home town in the Sydney Opera House.
It was a big charity event, and I was the stand-in singer to perform one verse.
It had to be done in the high-pitched falsetto style of a social worker who was being sent up in the song “Officer Krupke” from Westside Story.
I only got this starring role because the boy who sang it in our high school production wasn’t up to it on the big night.
But I’m happy to confess that my exploits in the world’s finest opera houses are not a patch on Marika’s.
THE NEXT INTERVIEW
My next interview at the Professional Speaking Association in London will be with a chair of the Academy for Chief Executives, Joanna Jesson.
Joanna is a dynamic personality who helps take business leaders to great heights.
She and her close associate, business speaker Phil Jesson, will be revealing the secrets about speaking with business leaders groups.
This is one of the many attractions at the event on Saturday 20 February which will also feature talks on:
How to develop a plan when faced with any crisis by specialist in leadership development, Jessica Richards
Connecting with the power of your unconscious mind, by the charismatic expert on charisma, Nikki Owen
Unravelling sales challenges with negotiation guru, Chris Merrington
The art of SUMO – “Shut Up and Move On” – with international speaker, Paul McGee
Business Is An Endurance Sport with business speaker, Mike Pagan.
Tickets can be obtained at: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/psa-london-february-event-tickets-19886608381?ref=ecal
But perhaps, one of the highest points of this amazing line-up put together by the London President of the Professional Speaking Association and “Fabulous Impact” speaker Nicci Roscoe, will be a speech from an explorer who has survived five expeditions up Mount Everest.
Neil Laughton will be giving advice everyone could do with on how to – when embarking on any difficult mission – avoid the Grim Reaper.
It is advice to die for!
You can check out the enlightening thoughts of some of my inspiring colleagues at the Professional Speaking Association on these uplifting blogposts:
Focus Your Mindset To WIN WIN WIN – Nicci Roscoe, Fabulous Impact Speaker
http://www.nicciroscoe.com/how-you-can-focus-your-mindset-to-win-win-win/
Taking A Strategic Approach To The “Talent Drought” – Eilidh Milnes, Captain Positive
http://www.captain-positive.com/confidence-blog/talent-drought
Crying Can Make You Smarter – Sylvia Baldock, Unlocking Your Hidden Potential
http://www.sylviabaldock.com/2015/12/crying-can-make-you-smarter/