How Elon Musk responds to hostile question

Elon Musk just had a controversial interview with ex-CNN host Don Lemon. Here are three things that we can learn from Elon on how to not lose your cool when you’re under stress.

“Under the influence of anything? No, I don’t drink, I don’t really, no, I, no.”

First, do you notice that Elon doesn’t finish the sentence he started? That might lead us to start questioning what he’s hiding. If you start a thought, finish it. It makes you seem more honest.

Second, notice how Elon has a lot more eye contact in the beginning of the interview. And towards the end, check out what’s going on with his eyes here. That makes you look shifty.

I’d like you to reverse engineer this for yourself. Maintain eye contact to show that you’re confident and in control.

“So you don’t consider that hate speech?”

“I guess you’re not understanding what I’m saying. There’s, there’s, there’s, if, if, if there’s.”

Elon is provoked and you can tell because he’s quick to respond and he doesn’t take any pauses. When you get upset, your brain needs an extra second to come up with the next thing to say.

If you force yourself to keep speaking, you may not be coherent or articulate. How do you keep calm under stress?