"Were you surprised?" - Favorite question of all time

Have you ever noticed that the number one question asked by journalists on TV starts with the phrase, "Were you surprised?"

It's so easy! If you are every interviewing someone, you too can act like a well paid TV journalist! Throw everything else out that you learned in j-school. Go on! Try it!

Here are some examples to get you started:

Here's one I heard this morning from Meredith Veira while interviewing Randy Jackson of American Idol:

"Were you surprised that these final three contestants made it to the finals of American Idol?"

Or how about someone interviewing Leonard Nimoy about the recent Star Trek movie (which is great by the way).

"Were you surprised at how Zachary Quinto was able to capture your character?"

Or how about at work - you could even try it out in a casual conversation about lunch!

"Were you surprised at how hung-over you looked yesterday? Oh wait...you didn't know?"

Try it out. Write me back. Let me know how it goes.