Unless you’re living under a rock, you heard about the snafu at the Oscar awards ceremony last night.
The award for Best Picture, the biggest award of the night, was initially awarded to the wrong film. The mistake was uncovered and corrected and the proper winners received their Oscar.
What lessons can we take away from Oscar’s big oops?
- Mistakes happen to everyone and everywhere
- They can be handled with style and grace
At SunStar Strategic, our media training boot camp helps clients prepare for interviews but we can’t always prepare for every unknown, such as unusual questions, on-air gaffes, technical difficulties, etc. Our best advice to our clients is to “not dwell” and move on.
If it’s a simple error like a verbal stumble, mispronunciation or fact error, take a breath, say “excuse me,” and make your correction.
Seize the opportunity to bridge to something else on message.
Audio issue? Rather than attempt to answer, not knowing if you’ve heard correctly, calmly point out there was an audio issue and ask would they kindly repeat the question?
No matter what the issue – don't run away, stay in place and maintain composure. Your professionalism and “grace under fire” will be better received and more likely forgotten than if you get flustered. Just remember – keep breathing and stay calm.
Looking for more interview tips? Check out The Do's & Don'ts of Interviewing: Put Your Best Foot Forward.
