A few years ago, this post might have been illustrated with a photo of John Travolta. But time passes. Now, the essence of unflappable coolness is George Clooney. Trust me on this one.

Recently, George (I call him George) was promoting his film “The Men Who Stare at Goats” at the Venice Film Festival. Reporters were asking questions. George was answering questions. All very straightforward and predictable. No surprises. Until suddenly a ‘reporter’ stood up to ask a question and instead took off his clothes and asked if he could have “just one kiss” from George Clooney.

Instead of being embarrassed, tongue-tied, or otherwise mortified, George is the essence of cool. Watch the video. He listens to the man’s breathless advances, tells the man (as he disrobes) that he has a “nice tie and it’s just long enough!”, ad libs about Peter Sellers, cracks a joke about how embarrassing it is when you take a big chance and it just doesn’t work out—and, at that point, security hauls the man-fan away.

And my point is? My main point is that George Clooney is extremely cool. And my ancillary point is that communication is sometimes required to be off-the-cuff. You cannot plan for the unexpected. Especially when you are in the courtroom. The unexpected can simply burst forth.  And at moments like that, the person behind the role becomes visible.

A man named Grafton Hull who happens to be a professor of Social Work wrote a brief article on the importance of what you do when the unexpected bursts forth back in 2003. He could have been picturing George Clooney at that press conference some years in the future. What did Dr. Hull say about communication in the face of the unexpected?

“Be well prepared, never look flustered, keep your cool.”

It’s great advice.

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2. When you expect a gorilla you often miss other unexpected things
3. What’s good for the goose….who is that striking man in red?
4. Voir Dire Strategy: Who’s the authoritarian?