Today's a sick day for me - I've got a bug that makes me feel like I've had my head and shoulders hammered on with a ballpean hammer. Usually I do something fun or over-exerting to earn such misery.

Anyway, I keep a list of "Sick Day" movies to easily select from when all I can muster is sprawling on the couch. Today, I started off with a more business DVD title that I just loved: In the Line of Fire by Jerry Weissman .

It's meant to be a companion to the book of the same title. I borrowed it from the Microsoft library. I highly recommend watching a copy if you can. Mr. Weissman goes through clips of various people (mostly politicians) confronted with difficult questions and how the person either excels or fumbles at handling the question, the questioner, and any follow-up to the question that navigates the conversation to the speaker's key agenda.

An opening explanation I really enjoyed was setting the context around why people ask hard questions. Mr. Weissman explained it's usually because you're asking your audience to change or accept a change that you're pushing as part of your agenda. You're trying to get people from their current Point A to your desired Point B. People are resistant to change and one of their reactions is to "kick the tires" of anything different they are considering.

You are the tire.

Mr. Weissman's clarity and brevity is great. I'm enthused to look into his other book, Presenting to Win.